BAGSMART Vega 23L Featherlight Work Backpack Review

The BAGSMART VEGA 23L Featherlight Work Backpack draws you in with its quilted fabric pattern and cheerful colorway. We have no qualms with brands giving bags a bit of personality; if anything, we encourage such creativity. However, this bag’s looks also come with the unique quirk of a rather soft structure. Obviously, this impacts other aspects of the bag, not least of which are durability and carrying comfort.

Is this a case of compromised functionality for the sake of aesthetics? Let’s find out!

External Components

In terms of looks, the Vega is somewhat “out there” and “out of the box” because of its unique design. For starters, the light green and white colorway looks very lively and casual and is quite refreshing compared to the usual shades of gray colorways we typically go for. This colorway is actually called Moss, but there’s also the beige-looking Grullo if you’re into the heritage vibe or Black if you want to play it safe and inconspicuous. Colorways aside, it’s really the fabric’s quilted pattern that seals the deal—or breaks it, depending on your taste.

The quilted pattern gives the Vega a puffy look, like a down jacket or a comforter. We were initially cold towards this design since it has that bloated vibe. However, we’ve since warmed up to it because the fabric doesn’t puff out too badly, no matter how loosely we pack. Look at it from the side and you’ll still find that the bag still has a slim profile, with none of the slouching you might expect from a fluffy-looking quilted fabric. Still, that’s just our subjective opinion, and we’d understand if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Admittedly, the water-resistant nylon doesn’t feel like it’s very tough. This isn’t the type of bag that should double as an outdoor backpack, where stray twigs and sharp rocks could potentially damage its fabric. To its credit, the fabric proved resilient versus more day-to-day adversaries like dirt and pet hair, which is good since, based on our experience, finer fabrics are usually more susceptible to fur.

The Vega is otherwise a simple bag, though there are a few more details worth pointing out. For one, the front zipper is not only angled for the aesthetic but also uniquely features a ring pull versus the more typical straight pulls the bag’s other zippers have. The bag’s twin grab handles are also very prominent since they’re very large and thick, which are good traits that make them easy to hold. The lack of a clasp is a problem, though, since the rear one tends to hit the back of the neck.

The harness system is very basic, with only a pair of shoulder straps to keep the bag on your back and pretty much nothing else. You get a strap running the width of the back panel, but that’s a luggage pass-through. That said, we still think BAGSMART did just enough to make the most of their decision to go with only shoulder straps.

The key factor here is how soft the shoulder straps are. We’d usually be more apprehensive towards this level of softness, as it can easily come across as flimsy. However, given the Vega’s modest 23-liter size, the straps can be this soft and still feel comfortable. It also helps that the straps’ upper inner sides are covered in breathable mesh, further softening any potential harshness around the neck area.

Fit Notes

The entire back panel is covered with mesh, helping it contour better. That said, this bag’s modest proportions make it more suitable for users with smaller torsos since the bag’s flexibility won’t add much comfort if it’s being stretched out against a large back. Having a laptop inside can also cause some discomfort, as we were able to feel its bottom edge jutting against the lower back near the tailbone.

But by far, the most annoying aspect of the carrying experience is the grab handle and its aforementioned tendency to hit the back of the neck. We really can’t do much to prevent this other than swatting it out of the way every now and then. Our advice? If you can pinch a clasp from another bag’s set of handles, do so (as long as it’s your bag, of course).

Inside The Backpack

Off to the sides are the Vega’s water bottle pockets. We won’t take these for granted, as not every daypack has them. Plus, these water bottle pockets are fairly stretchy, meaning they hold bottles firmly, though not entirely securely. They can fit up to 40-ounce bottles, though even a 21-ounce Hydro Flask like ours is chunky enough to squeeze the bag’s sides, so we recommend taking care when lmaximizing the fitment. Bottles can obscure the main compartment’s zippers if you zip them all the way to either end, so we recommend keeping the zippers at the top.

The back panel has a pocket built in, and its opening is oriented to the side. This would typically be called a security pocket because it would otherwise be relatively hidden. However, in this case, the zipper track shows so obviously that most people would probably spot it even while you’re wearing the bag. Still, this pocket is easy to access when you swing the bag around your shoulder. In other words, it might not be a security pocket, but it is a quick-grab pocket of sorts.

The only hitch is that the pocket’s liner is very loose and deep. Throw in your keys or other small accessories, and chances are you’ll be hunting for them while trying to navigate around the liner. This small issue sticks out to us because other bags we’ve tested with similar pockets have much tighter liners that don’t hinder access.

Next up are the two pockets at the front. Though they appear different in design—with one being a slash pocket and the other being a drop pocket—their dimensions are similar enough to serve the same purpose. That is to say, they’re roomy enough for chunkier everyday carry items like gloves, neck gaiters, power banks, and travel wallets. On the other hand, smaller items like slim wallets, wireless earphones, and even something relatively sizable like an iPhone feel a bit swallowed and obscured. This is partly because the liner is so loose, as already mentioned. Silver lining: there is a key leash in the front-most pocket, so you can at least fish those out quickly.

The main compartment opens up horseshoe-style. And because the Vega’s structure is so soft, the front folds out very easily, giving us a good view of all the pockets and available space inside. Having gear inside the front pockets can make this more challenging, though we haven’t had much trouble in practice. In terms of organization, there is a front mesh pocket split into two spaces, where we store accessories that we usually carry, like charging adapters and cables. Meanwhile, a laptop sleeve at the back fits up to a 15.6-inch device. Adjacent to it are two pen pockets flanked by a passport-sized mesh pocket and liner pocket.

Overall, the organization options are conventional, and we only have a few issues. As mentioned, the laptop sleeve goes all the way to the floor (there’s no false bottom) with only some stitching to stop your laptop from completely absorbing hard impacts. The hook-and-loop latch is also too large if you’re carrying a small laptop like the 13-inch MacBook Air we tested with. We simply ignored using the loops most of the time since it just got in the way.

In terms of space, we can layer a packing cube and a toiletry bag side by side, leaving some room for additional gear like a packed lunch and a packable jacket. Ideally, we’d put food items at the bottom to avoid a cascading disaster of a mess in case of a spill. In general, though, the idea is to put the gear you need the least at the bottom and save the space at the top for what you need the most. This also has the effect of having less items to potentially obstruct the surrounding pockets.