I have a fair amount of experience with expandable bags, and even more experience reviewing carry-on backpacks for travel. What’s so great about the Bagsmart Blast Backpack?

In this review, I’m going to go through everything you need to know about this carry-on-sized travel bag, including what I think is a stand-out feature compared to the competition, and some special features it’s built with.

After you check out my experience, you can decide if it’s the personal item or travel pack that’ll suit your upcoming adventures. Let’s dig in.

What is the Blast Carry-On Backpack?

It’s Bagsmart’s answer to a smart (see what I did there?) and functional daypack that turns into a slightly larger carry-on backpack through an expansion feature.

At first glance, I thought the Blast Backpack looked pretty petite, like a daypack I’d take with my laptop inside, to a nearby cafe. Once I expanded it, it seemed much more appropriate for considering as a pack-light weekend getaway bag.

The things that stand out to me initially are the casual and sort of “rugged” look to it, with lots of compression straps, buckles and zippers. It’s by no means a sleek business backpack or a backpack to be worn as a fashion statement. It is, however, a backpack that gets a job done, and it’s a backpack that’ll perform well for being tossed around during your trip.

I’ll get into all the details later, but to start off, the things I’m thinking are my favorite highlights are its very light weight (2 lbs. only!) and big assortment of pockets, both mesh stash pockets and inner zipper pockets, as well as compartments.

Without giving it all away right here, I’ll dig into what I like in the next section.

Best features (and the things I like)

The Blast 28L-38L Carry-On Expandable Backpack has a bunch of great features to its credit. I’ll go through them here, along with the ones that surprised me.

Expandability

The main feature to talk about with the Blast 28-38L backpack is that it’s easily and quickly expandable. Much like my Peak Design Travel Backpack (which is in a different class of volume, so it’s not really comparable), there’s a zip-around expansion quality to it that lets you increase the volume in the main compartment.

This is a very good thing, because at first glance, I thought that this backpack was going to be too small to take with me for my 48-hr trip to NYC. After expanding it, it seemed much more doable.

Lightweight materials

This backpack is seriously lightweight, at only 2 pounds. It weighs less than a 21-liter backpack I have that reminded me of this one, in size, initially.

The Blast Backpack is both bigger AND lighter, so it makes an ideal companion for use while walking around a city, or being on a layover. I barely feel weighed down when I’m wearing it.

Lots of mesh

This backpack is characterized by its mesh look, which is present in a lot of spots.

The following parts of the backpack are made of mesh material: the panel that goes against your back during carrying, the front mesh zipper pocket, the side water bottle pocket, the two small mesh pockets on the interior of the laptop compartment AND a zipper organizer pocket on the top flap compartment.

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Photo of Becca Siegel and Dan Gold

“180-degree opening”

The main opening to the largest compartment of the backpack is a C-shape. Luckily, it has double zippers to assist with a quick opening. With being able to open the backpack this way, similar to a clamshell-style opening (that’s for the laptop compartment, uniquely), you can see everything inside.

Clear pocket

I actually have not seen this type of pocket in a lot of bags. It’s a good feature for a “one-bag travel” style of taking a trip.

What I mean by that is that if you intend for the Blast Backpack to be your entire backpack for a weekend away, then you can ditch a toiletries pouch completely and save space, if you keep your shampoo and toothbrush in this clear pocket. That’s a space-saver for sure.

Downfalls and shortcomings

While it’s lightweight and has nice expandability to accommodate different styles of travel, there are a few criticisms I have to note about the Blast Backpack.

Shoe compartment

I find that when I put my shoes in (I wear a size 10, so my shoes are sizable), it eats up a lot of the space in the backpack.

Sure, this is just the way it is. I would also find that if I put my shoes into a compression bag for packing like my Peak Design Shoe Pouch and put them in the main compartment, I could probably win more space that way.

That being said, is there really a point to having a dedicated shoe compartment in this bag for me? I’m not sure.

Single water bottle sleeve

Not to be nit-picky, but this backpack is designed for a righty (or is it designed for a lefty?). With the water bottle pocket on the left side (when I’m wearing the backpack), it’s actually potentially the less-convenient side for the location of a large water bottle holder.

On the bright side though, the mesh for this pocket is thick and strong, unlike on other backpacks I’ve owned, where the mesh water bottle pockets got holes after a year and made the backpack look raggedy.

No tech organizer pocket

I think when we face the facts, everyone travels with tech these days. Even if I’m just out at a coffee shop doing a bit of work on my laptop, I bring my laptop, maybe my charger, my headphones and my phone charger, to set up.

When I open up the laptop compartment at the rear of the backpack at the back panel, there is a laptop pocket, a tablet pocket and then two mesh pockets at the bottom of the front of that compartment.

To me, that’s not the most helpful, and it also forces all my tech to slide down to the bottom of the backpack. I would’ve preferred an organizer panel with several vertical pockets, in the middle of this compartment. That’s my constructive critique.

Shoulder straps

The shoulder straps on the Blast Backpack are nothing to write home about. I feel like they’re average, if not a little lacking, for a backpack that goes up to a 38L volume.

While there is a sternum strap for your chest, and mesh on the inner side of the straps, they’re not highly ergonomic and there are also no elastics to keep the bottoms of the straps tidy.

The shoulder straps remind me of stow-able straps I’d experience on a duffel bag that converts into a backpack, but this is a backpack straight up.

How’s the price?

The Bagsmart Blast Backpack, for what you get, is currently priced really affordably. With all my experience in backpacks of this size, I see them ranging mostly from $100-250, and that’s from a range of brands.

With the modest price set on this backpack, I think it’s appropriate. It’s not off-putting, and it’s a solid value for the features I call my favorites, which are the hyper-lightweight total weight of this backpack, plus the pockets, features and expandability you get as well.

Should you get it?

I think if you want a lightweight backpack that fits a volume in the 30-L range, the Bagsmart Blast Backpack is a good bet.

You can be sure it’s carry-on sized (and it makes a perfect personal item for stowing under an airplane seat when it’s not expanded). You can be sure it’s lightweight and won’t weigh you down. And you can be sure it has handy features like lots of pockets, compartments, mesh organizers and water bottle storage.

I’ve seen other backpacks that ring up at higher costs, with fewer features and are heavier to begin with. So if you’re someone who plans to pack this backpack into other luggage, or you just want to have a backpack as light as possible, I’d say the features are impressively packed into a travel bag that’s this lightweight.

Where to shop for the Bagsmart Blast 28L-38L Travel Backpack

As of right now, the Blast Backpack is only available at Bagsmart’s website! Well, that makes things easy if you want to pick one up for your next trip or getaway.

While other Bagsmart products are available on Amazon, the Blast Backpack is not yet available there, nor at other retailers that we’ve found.

Other Bagsmart accessories to consider

For the trip I’m taking, the new Bagsmart packing cubes are a lifesaver. I got the Blast Travel Eaze Set, which means I received:

  • The Blast Backpack
  • 5 packing cubes
  • 1 shoe pouch (it looks like a small fold-up backpack or drawstring bag)

I’ve had Bagsmart’s previous set of packing cubes, and these are even better. They come in updated colors, have better zippers and a more modern look.

The smallest two are the ones I typically use for socks and accessories. I use the mid-size ones for shirts and tops, and the large one for pants and shorts (or PJs). I’ve been packing with and writing about the best packing cubes for travel for years now, and Bagsmart compression cubes continually top my best-of lists.

I think one of the best features about Bagsmart packing cubes (and it’s something other brands don’t have, most of the time) is the buckle compression strap on the larger ones. There’s also zip-around expandability zippers that help your clothes go from compressed, to even more compressed, in your luggage.

Bagsmart has a LOT of packing cubes to choose from, with lots of new colors that match their backpacks.