Bagsmart 28/38L Blast Backpack now at Costco (with a 4-pc set of compression packing cubes)

Mardee--LOL I knew this thread had to be from you before I even looked;) Just the other week I sorted through our various suitcases and backpacks, and now you tempt me with this:) I may just have to buy it and see what I think.

Mardee,
Glad to see you are still on active influencer duty.

I may have accidentally “burned” a few with my Holiday sale recommendation around Christmas time.
I saw a bag on “sale” on Amazon for $60. Then, after the holidays, the price dropped to $51. Hard to accurately time sales. We live in an era of dynamic digital pricing and it’s only going to get worse!

(For my critics, I bought the bag at $60 myself. Lesson: Decide if price is good for you. Buy it. Then, don’t look back and cringe if price drops. This is particularly true of Vera Bradley bags on Amazon.)

Thanks for the sale information Mardee. Bagsmart seems to be a popular design and brand.
Unfortunately, Patagonia has gone a little high cost for me. Sometimes, the colors are weird. Although, I liked the “current blue” one and a blurple one that is now gone. (Price didn’t drop low enough for me to go after it. I have enough bags to last me to the end of my travel days. So, I need something significant to trigger my purchase.)

@Mardee - thanks for sharing! I have been eyeing that bag for quite some time waiting for a discount.

I have purchased 2 other backpacks directly thru Bagsmart. One is great and is my go-to for work (Soar 25L). But the other didn’t work for my body (bag was too long). And then I discovered the drawbacks of returning it. You must pay for return shipment, or they let you keep bag and refund a very small amount, and forgot other option. I ended up keeping it and gave it as a gift to someone else.

With Costco I assume I can easily return if it doesn’t meet my expectations. But hoping it works.

mikliz, you're welcome to look at mine when I get to your neck of the woods this week! It's not the expandable version, but it would give you a good idea of what it looks like. Though I'd be willing to bet that the Seattle Costcos have it in stock.

I have enough bags to last me to the end of my travel days.

Sun Baked, so true of me, too! And I know what you mean about dynamic pricing. It's just a no-win situation for the consumer unless, of course, you just guess right all the time. 😊

With Costco I assume I can easily return if it doesn’t meet my expectations.

Joy, yes, Costco has the best return policy of any store I've ever been in. That's why I love buying things there.

Looks good. Thanks

Thanks, Mardee. Quick question: does it have a hip belt?

Trotter, no, it doesn't have a hip belt, as it's really meant more for a short-term carry. In fact, I don't think it's long enough to really warrant a hip belt. Its measurement (length) it's around 17" and my nape to waist is 18". And I'm short. 😊 I usually use it as a personal bag, not a carry-on.

It does have a sternum clasp in front, though, although I hardly ever use it.

Well. Despite my efforts to inform this forum of a particular bag sale - the bag is still available for $51. $51 is the lowest price I have found for it, Columbia Convey iii 27 liter roll-top. This is my $60 “holiday sale”bag mentioned above. Lesson: shop on Amazon about 1 month after the holidays. I am convinced that “Holiday Sales” are about marketing and profit more than savings. No shock.

Thanks Mardee. It's what I needed to hear. Mainly so I don't buy another bag. ;-) I already have a 28L bag and a 38L one. I suppose I could justify it by saying it would save room in my closet. Does that count?

Ha ha, as far as I’m concerned, any excuse counts for a new bag!

Mardee et alia, what do you make of this aesthetic trend the last couple of years to have a smoother exterior look to travel bags?

Where there was a time that there were loops and patches and clips all over the outside of bags, lately it seems like they have pendulumed in the other direction to where the outside is as plain as possible.

Anodyne colors like 'cream' were also not a thing until recently. What gives?

Avi, interesting question. For a long time, there's been a trend towards lots of color and sort of a patchwork quilt effect in many bags. If you look at Cotopaxi and Topo, they use a plethora of colors in their bags. But I have noticed that some of their bags have started to get more solid colors now and muted. Someone on Reddit likened it to baby poo colors and showed this chart for comparison: https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/baby-poo-guide

And I think they're right. Those "baby poo" colors do remind me of some of the bags I've seen out there recently, and sort of confirm what you're saying about how cream has made an appearance.. And that could have something to do with politics. I read some place that when politics and the economy become unstable, consumers tend to veer to earth tones and neutral colors so as not to stand out. That very well could be what's happening. I know the styles/colors after World War II and during the war were very drab and neutral, with lots of browns and tans and blues. It wasn't until the 60s that everything started to get brighter and more colorful.

I do like the cleaner look that I've seen, but that's mostly because I like to draw and color designs on my bags with paint markers, so it helps if there's not too much stuff getting in the way of my creativity. 😊

Mardee et alia, what do you make of this aesthetic trend the last couple of years to have a smoother exterior look to travel bags?

I love it, actually. I was never one to buy a bright colorful backpack (but I do own a pink checked suitcase for easy finding at carrousel.)

Especially for a carry-on or a backpack as personal item, I prefer darker colors which makes them look smaller and don’t show off dirt as much. Bonus points for fabric that is easy to wipe.
However, I do tie a little colorful lace on handle so I can easily spot it.

Mardee--The bag arrived and I really like it! I bought the Navy color. I love the design of it! I usually use the RS 21" rolling bag, but really want to try this in place of that. When expanded, it is only 2 liters smaller than the RS, yet it is 4.5 pounds lighter. The packing cubes are too heavy for my liking so will keep using the ones I have which are these.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0749LTWYT?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1
I never take my laptop or iPad with me overseas, but that designated area would be a great for random paperwork. I will try this bag out when I head down to OR next week!

So Mardee, will this be your main travel bag and then you will have a personal item as well? I’m curious, how do you decide to backpack or roller bag for whatever trip you’re doing?

So Mardee, will this be your main travel bag and then you will have a personal item as well? I’m curious, how do you decide to backpack or roller bag for whatever trip you’re doing?

Lyndash, I always use this as my personal bag. I guess I would use it as my main bag if I was going away for just a few days, but for my overseas trips, I still use my TravelPro Maxlite 5 21” carry-on spinner as my main travel bag. And the BagSmart bag goes under the seat.

The last time I used a backpack for my main bag was when I used a Cotopaxi Allpa 35L and I think that was in 2023 for my Scotland trip. But I decided that I wanted to have a spinner as my main bag and then a backpack as the personal bag. Otherwise I’ve got two backpacks to deal with.

Mikliz97, i’m glad you like it. Yes you could use that laptop compartment for a lot of different things. If I don’t take my laptop, I’ll put a notebooks in there and other stuff.

Mardee’s version is not expandable which makes sense as personal item. This bag she linked could be used as carry-on when expanded.

For personal item, I like my Osprey 26+6 light which is great. But I do need a new/larger backpack as carry-on when I don’t take my Travel Pro Maxlite spinner, and this Bagsmart is a contender.

I only take my laptop when traveling for work. When on my vacation trips, I put a set of clothes in a medium size compression packing cube and put that in the laptop compartment of backpack. Easy to pull out. Or paper copies of hotel addresses, reservation, passport copy, etc.

I decided on this bag for my trip yesterday. I really like it! When I am flying, I pack very light, but for road trips I tend to throw in extra stuff just in case. This bag still had plenty of room. I had two pairs of sandals in the shoe part, then in the main compartment I had:
2 pairs of Jeans
3 tops
Cute jacket (vs a real one lol)
Underwear/bras
Toiletries/makeup/brushes

With all of that there was still room for more. In the top I had all my chargers and sound machine.

My daughter commented on the bag and really liked it too. I like how it can be a backpack or you can just grab the side handle.

Mikliz, I'm really glad you liked it! I keep thinking about using another bag, but I always go back to this one because it's just so handy and it holds so much. It's easy to pack and it doesn't get too big. It's just a nice bag. I'm impressed at what all you got into it! That's great!

Mikliz, totally love the ‘cute jacket vs a real one’. So true!

Lyndash—I wasn’t sure how to properly describe it:)

Mardee—I had enough empty space that I could not even use the things to hold clothes into place. I think that means I should have shopped for myself yesterday lol! Instead we shopped for my daughter for dresses for our son’s wedding and welcome party. I love how lightweight the bag is!

SunBaked, I hate to break it to you, but Sierra has the Convey bag for $27.
https://www.sierra.com/columbia-sportswear-convey-24-l-backpack-metal~p~1uvmc/?filterString=s~convey%2F