BAGSMART Blast 43L Roller Backpack Review

The BAGSMART Blast 43L Roller Backpack works as a rolling bag and backpack, a unique juxtaposition while traveling. When the road gets rough, put the telescopic handle down and use it as a backpack. Since BAGSMART is a budget brand, we were worried that the materials and hardware might not be up to the challenge of switching between modes and carry methods. Are these worries valid, or will this pack perform? Let’s dive in and find out!

External Components

BAGSMART isn’t super specific about the external fabric; however, it’s a ripstop with a coating and fairly significant padding. It’s lightweight, which can lead to some sagging because the material lacks structure. The coating enables it to handle light rain or snow, but it’s not designed to withstand heavy precipitation. We like it more than the materials we tested on other BAGSMART bags.

The zippers aren’t from a brand we recognize, but they’ve worked well in testing. Unbranded zippers worry us long-term because they’re typically less durable than name brands like YKK, but we’ve had no issue with these in testing. The exterior zippers have a PU coating, which adds to the pack’s water resistance.

We’ve had a similar experience with the pack’s unbranded buckles and plastic hardware. There are no issues to speak of, but we worry about their long-term health. It’s like your diet as a kid—sure, pizza and pop won’t kill you when you’re an adolescent, but if you keep eating them with the same consistency into your 40s, you might eventually have a problem. Does that make sense, or is this review just making us hungry?

The pack has four external compression straps, two on either side. These straps help secure the pack’s lightweight, unstructured materials and make it smaller for the airline’s sizer at the airport. The straps aren’t removable, so they’re there whether you want to use them or not.

The bag has one water bottle pocket that utilizes stretchy elastic at the top, which is unique for rolling luggage but standard for a backpack. It can fit larger bottles but struggles to accept big models when you fully stuff the pack. Our happy range tends to be in the 16-21 ounce range.

There are two handles, one on the top and another on the side of the bag. These are well-padded, which makes holding onto the bag from them more comfortable, though they’re not ideal for carrying it long term, especially when it is fully packed and heavy.

Fit Notes

As the introduction mentions, this pack has two carry methods—backpack and rolling luggage modes.

For backpack carry, the straps stow away behind fabric covering the entire back panel. The fabric is well-padded, which adds to the comfort of the back panel and is unique for rolling luggage/backpack conversion packs. It isn’t as comfortable as a standard travel backpack or daypack, but it makes the experience more enjoyable for the first hour or two. There’s no aeration, so this carry method gets pretty warm.

The shoulder straps are well-padded and feature aeration for breathability. They’re more comfortable than the back panel and are easy to adjust.

The sternum strap is a welcome addition to the pack. Because the back panel is so broad, it can sometimes feel cumbersome to carry, and the sternum strap helps alleviate that feeling by keeping things under wraps. The strap is on a rail, so you can make micro-adjustments, which we dig.

Overall, backpack mode isn’t very comfortable compared to our favorite backpacks, but you could wear it like this for an hour or two without many complaints, and that feels like a win!

The most seamless way to carry the BAGSMART Blast 43L Roller Backpack is on two wheels. The wheels are incredibly smooth and have handled every terrain we’ve thrown at them, from cobblestones to grass, though they perform best and are quietest on smooth surfaces. There’s a stopper on the bottom of the pack so that it can stand up on its own.

The telescopic handle is aluminum and only has one height adjustment, which is a bummer, as it limits the comfort for travelers of different heights. It works fine and isn’t too loose, which we dig. Still, even a single other height adjustment would have made a big difference for our short travel buddies.

Roll carry is much better than backpack mode in a vacuum, but travel doesn’t happen without outside influences. For example, if you’re in Venice, the wheels will work great in the airport, but once you arrive in the city, you’ll encounter cobblestones and bridges with stairs at every corner, so backpack mode makes more sense. Because of the duality of the modes, this is a versatile travel companion. Before you consider that, let’s see what we can fit inside.

Inside The Roller Backpack

The top pocket is small and has two mesh pockets inside. There isn’t much room here, but it’s a solid place to stow your wallet, keys, and phone for quick access in either carry mode.

The pack’s front face has two secondary compartments. A horizontal-zippered one on the top has no organization and a soft liner. This makes it the perfect spot to stow sunglasses or devices with screens, like your phone or smartwatch, if you take them off at the airport.

The other front face pocket has a vertical opening and works for a laptop. It’s a large pocket without much depth or padding, so we don’t love stowing a laptop here, which is what BAGSMART designed it for. It’s very exposed and doesn’t have adequate protection for your device. On a short trip or while commuting, this isn’t a huge deal, but while traveling, we expect more. In backpack mode, your laptop is the first point of contact for anything that hits you from behind. Most users will find that rolling luggage mode operates similarly, though that depends on where you place your luggage when you aren’t actively rolling it. Either way, we don’t feel this is a safe place for long-term laptop storage without an additional protective case.

A small side pocket offers RFID protection, which is a nice addition from BAGSMART. There’s also a sewn-in pocket where you can store cards, so you don’t have to put your entire wallet inside if you don’t want to. This can be challenging to use, though we appreciate the addition, and it doesn’t get in the way if you don’t use it.

The main compartment is where the real party is and where you will store almost all your travel gear. A large mesh zippered pocket on the lid flap works well for storing small clothing like socks, underwear, and pajamas. There’s another zippered mesh pocket on the pack’s side wall, opposite side, which is a solid place to lock down the small gear you don’t otherwise have a home for or for gear you want quick access to when you land, like your passport or toothbrush.

Two compression straps are on the bottom of the main compartment and work well for cinching down clothing and other soft gear. This compartment has little organization, so packing cubes, a tech pouch, and other pouches are essential to stay organized.

Because this bag is soft-sided, it struggles to keep its form when not fully packed. To combat this, BAGSMART included two fold-out support beams that snap into place, adding support for the lower portion of the bag. The stanchions can get in the way when you’re packing or moving gear around, especially if you don’t use packing cubes, as smaller items can get caught between the support beam and the wall. Still, it’s easy to avoid them when you get used to the system. Or, once you’ve loaded the bag with gear, the supports have mostly served their purpose, so you can remove and hide the beams behind your gear. For travelers who don’t like saggy bags, the feature is handy. The feature might annoy you if you’re looking for a lightweight bag and don’t care about flimsy materials.

Overall, we dig this pack, though we must admit, we were viewing it through the lens of a budget backpack while reviewing it because that’s what we expect from BAGSMART. The brand offers travel backpacks at under $40, $50, and $60, which are a steal if you’re on a strict budget. That said, this bag retails at around $140, at least at the time of writing, which isn’t nearly as budget-friendly as other bags in the marketplace. However, it has significantly more features than their cheaper offerings and is more versatile. Still, we appreciate BAGSMART’s attention to detail and how seamless switching between carry modes is; this pack just doesn’t feel like the great value that you’re getting from other bags in their catalog.