BAGSMART Walker 34L Laptop Duffle with Shoe Compartment Review

Tacking as many extras onto a duffle bag seems like the way to go if you’re aiming for a bag for world travel. You have the baseline roominess and ruggedness of a duffle, and you sprinkle it with helpful extras, such as a pocket for quick-grab items, a laptop sleeve, a shoe compartment, and various handles and straps for carrying the entire thing.

Such must be the design philosophy behind the aptly named BAGSMART Walker 34L Laptop Duffle with Shoe Compartment. It pretty much throws in every conceivable feature to cover all the bases you’d find handy on your travels. That said, execution is the key, and we’re taking a closer look at that.

External Components

Its quilted nylon fabric gives the Walker Laptop Duffle its distinct look and feel. The stitching pattern isn’t very noticeable, but it’s definitely there, partitioning the fabric into puffy areas. It’s a bit like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and a bit like a Patagonia Nano Puff, but it’s, fortunately, not too bloated of a look overall. In terms of toughness, we wouldn’t run it through a bush since the nylon’s not that thick (i.e., not very abrasion-resistant), but it’ll hold up just fine in everyday city commutes.

The fabric is also quite resistant to soaking. We’ve set it on snow a handful of times for extended periods, and there’s very little dampness soaked. The bag’s bottom is made of a different fabric from the quilted nylon, being of a slightly heavier denier, so that may have helped. That said, we wouldn’t put this bag out for too long in the snow or leave it in the rain, but it’s nice to know we could in a pinch.

If there’s anything worth complaining about, it’s the fabric’s tendency to attract pet hair. We can hardly blame the bag for being appealing to cats (it’s a big, puffy-looking thing, after all), but it’s worth noting if you live with furry friends. By virtue of being huge, there’s also simply a lot of surface for fur to cling to, so you can either live with the fact or be very diligent with the lint roller—we won’t judge either way.

Lastly, the zippers are from SBS. They’re not quite as top-tier as YKK, but they’re reliable enough that we didn’t have any issues with these particular ones. The main compartment’s zippers are noticeably chunky, so again, don’t expect this bag to be 100% waterproof, as water can seep between the zipper track’s teeth if you soak them long enough.

At the top of the duffle are very prominent grab handles. Made of the same quilted nylon as the rest of the bag, they look very soft and comfortable. Sadly, that’s just how it looks, but the amount of actual padding is minimal. Grab and lift them, and you’ll immediately feel how lacking they are. In fact, there’s not even any underlying reinforcement to give these handles any semblance of structure. So, while they’re just fine for quickly grabbing the bag, we wouldn’t use them for extended periods if we can help it.

Next up are the tote-style handles. Compared to the grab handles, these are much longer, though made of simpler and thinner nylon. They are an in-between option when you want to get the bag on your shoulder quickly, and a faux leather wrap keeps the handles together so they stay there. Comfort-wise, there’s not much to expect since these handles lack any padding.

For full-fledged comfort, you’re going to want the removable crossbody strap. Since it’s attached to opposing corners through swiveling buckles, it should provide a more ergonomic carrying experience, especially since it has a shoulder pad you can shift to an ideal position. That said, between the grab handles, tote handles, and this strap, things get messy and tangled quickly. In our testing, we opted to leave the shoulder strap at home, using the tote handles for most daily carrying.

Fit Notes

When we did use the crossbody strap, we realized two things. First, the strap’s maximum length adjustment still feels somewhat lacking for larger users, so you can expect some constraints if you have that body type. Second, the shoulder pad is rather small, so you can lose track of it if you shift the strap frequently enough.

Consequently, we opted to err on the side of simplicity by carrying the duffle on one shoulder through the tote handles. They stay on the shoulder well enough if you keep them clasped together using the faux leather wrap. Plus, with the crossbody strap out of the way, there are simply fewer things to manage, and that convenience is worth the trade off of a less comfortable carrying experience overall.

Inside The Duffle

At the front is a zippered quick-grab pocket for your everyday carry items—gear you’d want within convenient reach. Space is, thankfully, not too constrained as the pocket has some gussets that give it some volume to work with. It also helps that the liner is a bright yellow, which helps us see what gear is inside without having to shine a light directly inside.

At the back is a luggage pass-through. This in and of itself is quite useful if you’re also traveling with roller luggage for extra capacity. However, if you zip its floor shut, this pass-through doubles as a drop pocket. This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a pass-through like this, but we can’t help but appreciate whenever brands maximize functionality like this. Mind you—we seldom use back pockets since they sit adjacent to your body when wearing the bag and can cause discomfort.

A primary feature of this duffle is its dedicated shoe compartment located at its base. Its location is similar to other duffles with shoe compartments, though its opening is somewhat different. Instead of zipping around three sides, the zipper only goes over two, and not fully, giving you a rather partial opening. This is fine until you have to pack your shoes back into the compartment.

Since the compartment’s walls have no structure, getting your shoes inside through the relatively small opening can be tricky, especially if the duffle’s main compartment is packed. On a related note, this also means that the duffle’s base is essentially loose fabric once you remove your shoes, and it’s a bit weird having the rest of the bag rest over it. The compartment’s interior is lined with the same yellow fabric the front pocket has. Unfortunately, it’s not a slick material that’s easy to wipe down in case dirt gets on it. In other words, we still recommend using a shoe pouch to prevent stains from getting passed onto all your footwear. Caveats aside, having a separate shoe compartment is handy if you’re traveling with an extra pair of footwear—emphasis on “if,” though.

Unlike the shoe compartment, the main compartment’s opening is wide, stretching beyond the duffle’s edges. The trick is that its zipper track’s ends actually go beyond the sides and are usually clipped by snap fasteners. Having this much leeway to work with facilitates an easier packing experience, which is very welcome since there’s a lot of room for you to fill. Mind you, you’ll have to be careful how you utilize the seemingly surplus of space if you still want to be able to close the zipper afterward.

We can fit three packing cubes of clothing, a toiletry bag, a tech pouch, and various other small pouches. That’s in addition to a laptop at the back and a few other loose items. While there is plenty of open space for us to stack the packing cubes vertically, arranging them horizontally is a no-go since it pries the zippers too far apart. Stacking them correspondingly to the duffle’s length is the way to go.

Space-wise, we’re happy to see this much usable capacity. However, we wish that the main compartment’s room could also take over the shoe compartment’s space if it’s not occupied. As it is, if you’re not utilizing the shoe compartment, then it’s simply wasted space. Of course, you can just directly put other gear there. However, if your shoes have already stained the shoe compartment’s lining, you’ll have to pack gear you wouldn’t mind getting stained.

Meanwhile, at the back is the aforementioned laptop sleeve. It can fit a 16-inch MacBook Pro, while huge drop pockets are adjacent to it for your laptop’s accessories like a charger and cables. Across from the laptop sleeve is a semi-see-through pouch for your damp gear and clothing. This is particularly useful if you often travel with sweat-stained towelettes, soaked (but hopefully wrung) bathing suits, and the like. However, if you’re not the type to carry that on a daily basis, then you can repurpose the pouch as a built-in toiletry kit, which is rather helpful for TSA agents since it’s somewhat see-through and, therefore, easy to inspect.