Bia Backpack - Plumberry

Yesterday was the first time i used this backpack with my yoga mat. Before , I used this bag, with just books and water bottle. When paired with mat (including water bottle and books), during the first hour the straps (see below) started to ripped. I finally had to give up and carried the yoga mat separately. So this bag did not hold up to what it advertised. It is not strong enough. Visually, this is a beautiful bag.

I bought this backpack in midnight, and I love it so much. Currently, I'm mainly using this backpack for school. I love how the straps have extremely comfortable padding, which doesn't hurt your shoulders and the number of pockets inside. The laptop also fits my MacBook ( with the case ) and still leaves a lot of room for my books, headphones, and all the other stuff I decide to carry. The shoe holder is amazing, it doesn't make the bottom of the bag look heavy and doesn't reduce the space inside the top compartment of the backpack by a lot. The golden zippers and bow are also to die for -- they look so pretty! The design on the inside is simple, but also pretty and I've gotten so many compliments on my bag.

Shipping was pretty quick with my parcel arriving on the 9th day and the box it arrived in was also recyclable. However, there was a lot of plastic wrapping the bag but I have no other complaints.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this backpack and it was definitely worth the expensive price. However, you should wait for a day when POPFLEX offers discounts so that you can get the bag for much less. ( I got the bag for $150 using Black Friday discounts and my POPFLEX rewards, keep in mind the original price for me was $259. )

I have looked at this backpack lovingly since the day it released. I love this bag, its inside pockets, the bow, and the neoprene water resistant fabric.

I am however, disappointed at how poorly it is sewn together. This backpack is being held by regular single threads and arrived with seams already popped off on the body of the bag and the inside pockets.

I was able to get a partial refund and spent the time sewing it myself, but I absolutely expect it to break somewhere else with use over time. For comparison I own neoprene gloves (for diving) and when a thread came loose after use, there were multiple threads still holding it together. I don’t regret the purchase as I got it on sale and love the design enough to fix it now and in the future, but it may not be for you if you’re looking for a reliable everyday backpack with zero maintenance.

Misc. remarks that weren’t as clear in the listing photos:

-Yoga mat strap is elastic and isn’t adjustable. I only used it a few times so far and see the elastic is starting to stretch out a bit.

-Others have mentioned it too: side pockets are small. Inside pockets can fit larger items but it’s a bit of a fight to get it in (also if you have something large on an inside pocket there’s no space in the pocket outside).

-Going off the last point and off another reviewer: it’s not a magical backpack. If you are using up space in the bottom shoe compartment (fits women’s size 7 for me), it’ll take away from your main backpack compartment.

-Holds shape up pretty well given the material compared to a Jansport backpack, but floppier than a Loungefly backpack.

My job is hybrid so some days I work from home, some in the office and I needed a bag that I could easily lug my laptop, chargers, notebook, lunch, and purse items to and from. This backpack is the perfect solution! I use the bottom compartment for my lunch (I use a bento box so im not worried about squishing). So so in love! It even fits my bigger popflex water bottle!

I decided to buy the plumberry color of the Bia Backpack when the new backpack colors came out—and I’m happy that I did!

Overall, the backpack is gorgeous! Here are some good points to highlight:

- I love how the bow is styled. It’s cute! <3
- The gold hardware zippers were nicely protected by plastic wrapping when I opened the box.
- The straps are padded and seem to be well sewn.
- The bottom compartment can fit my size 9 slippers (or flip flops, as many people would call them. I’m from Hawaii though, and we typically call them slippers, lol). They can also fit my sneakers, which are size 8. (I know it's strange, but I usually need a larger size for slippers/sandals vs. sneakers because my feet are weird when it comes to slippers/sandals, lol.)
- Many pockets inside! Great for pens, notepads, earbuds, keys, scrunchies, and other small items that I usually carry in a backpack. :) And the rest of the backpack has more than enough space for other things that I usually carry, such as my wallet, glasses, umbrella, hand sanitizer, and portable charger.
- The laptop pocket is able to fit my 13” MacBook Pro in its padded case (13.25” x 9.5”). FYI, I never carry my laptop without its case, so I’m glad that it fits into the pocket!
- The X-straps can hold my 46 fl oz water bottle. In fact, both my laptop and water bottle can fit into the backpack at the same time! So space is not an issue between the two.

However, I have to take off one star from my review because there is some loose threading on the soft side of the velcro strap on the laptop pocket, as well as some loose threading on the inside pockets. Although it’s not major, I wouldn’t expect to see loose threading on a backpack that’s this expensive. Hopefully the loose threads are small/short enough so that they don’t get caught on something that could pull them apart.