It's the sealant that cracks not the actual strap, Ive beat mine to DEATH overloading it for overnight work trips with clothing, my laptop, toiletry bag etc and shoved it underneath the seat it front of me when flying and it's still my go to bag when I've a lot to pack and want an unstructured bag. I'll eventually replace the handles and have the corners reinforced but it's my most used Goyard and I'm so glad to have it and I bought another one just before the huge price increase.