I know myself to be a bit of a hoarder and find it hard to part with certain items that I have been using for a long time. To me this backpack is important as it was gifted to me by my sister almost a decade ago and using it brings me a sense of peace through all the memories I have made with it. The rips and blemishes improve it‘s sentimental value and I would only stop using it and toss it once it deteriorates to the point of where it can no longer serve it‘s purpose. Convinced that my usage is based mostly on habit, my wife gifted me a new backpack last year and made me try it for a week, but I switched back to the old backpack since I can still use it and don‘t want to toss it aside.
My wife thinks it is time to use a new backpack for several reasons:
(1) the rips in the main compartment are no longer minor.
(2) at one point a deodorant exploded in it and now everything that goes into the backpack comes out with traces of the deodorant.
(3) the stitching on the straps is coming loose.
(4) claims it looks like I have “stolen it off a homeless person“ due to the tattered and stained look.
My wife says that her buying me a new backpack came about because I claimed that a new backpack bought by her would also hold sentimental value and I would use it. The bag that she bought is a similar colour, size and weight. The new backpack is a nice backpack. She says it is hurtful that she went to the lengths that she did to get me a new backpack that I would like and I will not use it until my old backpack falls apart.
TL/DR Wife (F27) wants me (M31) to stop using my old backpack and use the new one she gifted me instead