BagBase Retro Shoulder Bag

As a student, I found this bag great for school. It fits all of my stuff, primarily due to base which is wider than the top, unlike most bags which get narrower. This is the only messenger bag I have found to fit all of my school books, and it seems more durable than the others so I think it can cope with the stress, if not I will update this review. Since buying, a lot of my friends have bought the same bag, and the variety of colours makes it a great choice. All in all a great buy and for a great price, the only thing I would say is there is a plastic section in the middle which is used to split the main compartment, which I have no use for. I push this plastic to the back and there is no problem, so not really a negative at all, just a feature which I find unnecessary. Edit: 8 months on this bag is still going strong, leaving me a very happy customer. Worthwhile purchase and highly recommended.

Lovely bag and the price is brilliant 🤩 bargain 10/10

Paid around £11 for this in March 2024. One month on I am pretty happy with the bag. Quality is decent, bag is roomy. Not super stylish but I like the understated look. Zip seems fairly solid. It has a small pocket inside useful for train tickets, pens, a pack of polos etc. No padding inside the bag so not much use as a laptop bag but doesnt claim to be. The strap has enough adjustablilty to make it comfortable unless you are some kind of giant. The budget of the bag means that the strap is not padded so may cut into the shoulder a bit if you have just a t shirt on and a bit of weight in the bag but this is not really a complaint. 28cm in height, tapers a bit on length from bottom to top so around 42cm wide at the base tapering up to around 40cm at the zip end. Again the depth is tapered so 17cm wide at the base finishing at around 13cm at the zip end. Works great for me for small shopping trips, Got a pair of jeans, 2 t shirts, a couple of blu rays, a paperback novel and a bottle of water in here the other day with room to spare. Not a prestige item by any means but for the price this is probably better than you might expect.

This bag is a little bigger than I intended to buy, but it is perfect for an overnight bag, sports bag or if you need to take a lot of toiletries, make-up, medications with you when you go away. I recommend buying a pack of transparent zip up pouches, to put in, e.g. toothbrush and toothpaste, washing and shampoo essentials, insect repellent and sun creams etc, to keep them separate - then you only need to take out the ones you need at the time. I found this system ideal.

My son was looking for (yet another) bag to take his books to and from school. He has used various rucksacks over the years, but even the costly ones have fallen apart within a year of use and to be honest, have not been able to adequately hold the number of books he seems to need to take. This time he said that he wanted a messenger-style bag, and not being prepared to pay the £40 for the "trendy" one that he wanted, I saw this and decided that for the price (and due to good experience with Bagbase products in the past), that this was worth a go. Now - it has only been a week so far, but, it's the first time that I've not felt that that his bag was straining at the seams under the weight/size of the books and folders. So, initial impressions are very good. Will update on durability. Watch this space! Aprl 2012 - I continue to be impressed by this bag. Not only has it survived 2 school terms, but there has yet to be a single day when it has not coped with the size or weight of the books that for some reason need to be carried to and from school each day. Given the price of this bag compared to previous purchases for this purpose (including a pretty expensive rucksack), I would be more than happy to buy another one of these - even if it broke next week. July 2012 - Just adding ditto to the above comments. Now survived 6 months of daily school grind and it still looks good, has held together and has not been unable to hold any amount or size of required school books. I wish I'd found this years ago - it would have saved me a small fortune! Jan 2013 - My final review for this bag. I have just replaced it (with the same bag) after 1 full year of use (including being taken on holidays; school trips and many weekends). Replaced more because it was looking quite tired and scrappy - but will still be able to be used.

Great price and good quality

Not a bad bag. I bought this bag for work for my work 'gear' and so far it has done a good job. It feels well made and is rather sturdy. It has a stiff pad at the bottom that keeps it shape. The zipper is small, it may sound like a strange issue but it is noticeable how small it is. Other than than, it is a good bag for the price.

Excellent product