Customer Reviews Vera Bradley XL Campus Backpack

I've always wanted an XL campus backpack. I decided to buy it during the sale because the price is pretty hefty. Overall, I love it. The size and pockets are great; the interior is a cute pattern. I got the black onethe only downside is that it does collect a lot of dust and fuzzies.. so it kinda looks dirty all the time

I love it and use it every day at my job at the hospital.

I have the xl campus backpack from a couple years prior, the version just before this current change that seemed to have been introduced in 2020. It seems a tad roomier than the previous version, particularly the larger compartment adjacent to the one with the mesh and slip pockets. The double zipper for the laptop compartment is a nice change. The added right-side seam pocket is interesting, though I don't know how useful that will be on a day to day basis. I wish the bottom of the bag were more padded because the side of the laptop will be resting on the bottom of the padded compartment (but that compartment is only padded front and back), And even with my gentle use and care, I've incurred slight injury to my laptop upon setting that backpack down. The smaller front zip pocket only unzips from left to right, like the old style. For a right-handed person wearing this bag, it's hard to unzip that pocket by reaching to the back with your right hand. I'd suggest a two-way zipper here for left-handed and right-handed people to access the compartment without having to take the backpack off one or both shoulders. The zippered slip pocket that is situated just above the u-shaped zip compartment that houses the pen slips, was moved up higher in this latest edition, but the opening is about an inch more narrow, making it less easy to slip notebooks or wallets in. Therefore, with the added height in that pocket but reduction in width, seems more like a disadvantage than an advantage to me. I agree with others that the ribbon zipper pulls are quite flimsy with a cheapened feel, can easily fall out and be lost. I don't particularly like look or feel of the pleather ones of the past, though. Maybe a heavier duty grosgrain ribbon somehow sewed in more securely would be a better option. The scrunchie side pockets where you can put water bottles, are wider than the older version. The lift handle in the back of the backpack on top, I like the old design better, that incorporates the hand hold through the shoulder straps In addition to having a separate handle sewn in right in front of it for added support for heavy backpack. I like the idea of having adjustable chest strap, but the shoulder straps themselves, I feel, are not an improvement on the old edition. The previous version featured contoured padded shoulder straps, quilted, and with the underlying batting that is more cushioned than the current version. The current version is not quilted and has padding only on the inside of the strap. whatever material they are using inside makes a crunchy sound like there's some plastic or flimsy cardboard inside the strap. Overall look of the current version is slightly boxier, and more rectangular than the older version, that has a slightly more rounded top, which in my opinion, is more aesthetically pleasing.

The backpack is a good size with lots of pockets. Unfortunately most of those pockets are small making it hard to accommodate larger books or a lunch sack.

This bag is almost perfect! I've also had the XL Campus Backpack in another style and I feel like my old one was much bigger than this one is inside. However, it's a cute bag and it makes it easy as I commute back and forth to college. I wasn't going to go with a Vera Bradley this semester but the bag I got hurt my back so I had to get this! Definitely worth it, even with the size!

Love the pattern and the quality. I wish it was just a tad bigger. My daughter is a freshman and she has her chrome book with all of her other school supplies , there is no room for her lunch tote

The large bag is great to hold all my daughters heavy School books

Large capacity backpack for the high schooler who refuses to use a locker.

I own several campus and xl campus backpacks. I love how big the backpacks are and are great for when I don't want to carry a Vera tote to work. I like the new recycled cotton, but it's definitely not as soft as the original cotton. While I know Vera has gone away from the quilted straps from quite some time, I still miss them on the backpacks.

This bag has lots of useful pockets. But zippers are not all two-way as most Vera backpacks. Can not stuff and zip as easy with this bag. Overall I like this useful bag.

The recycled cotton fabric feels pretty similar to the regular cotton (not quite as soft). The colors in this pattern are a bit too muted and the birds are too hidden. The interior pattern is cool. I miss having zipper pulls with the Vera Bradley name on them. This is my first XL Campus Backpack. I love all of the various compartments and trolley sleeve. The chest strap can slide down on the shoulder straps to move it out of the way when not being used. Overall, I like the bag but hoping that Vera Bradley adds this to our options vs. using it to replace the classic cotton. Also hoping that other prints in the recycled cotton will be more vivid.

It has many pockets for clothing, laptop, accessories, water bottle. Locations to place valuables and the straps are thick and sturdy. It is a huge backpack as implied by the name.

I was very happy to receive the XL Campus Backpack in Rain Forest Canopy. I've always wanted a VB backpack, and it definitely lives up to the hype. Lucky for me, I was packing for a short weekend getaway and I used the backpack for the trip. I would usually use my Weekender, but this bag worked just as great. All of my clothes, toiletries, and misc items (chargers, sandals, beach towel) fit perfectly, plus I had room for my laptop! The recycled cotton feels and looks great. The bag felt just as high quality as any other VB quilted cotton bags I've purchased. The Rain Forest Canopy pattern is so pretty - bright, colorful and crisp. My only nitpick is the length of the shoulder straps on the backpack. I am a tall, plus-sized woman and the straps seemed a little short. I am also not able to take advantage of the chest closure on the straps, due to it landing too high up on my chest. All in all, I'm very happy and impressed with this backpack's size, functionality and performance. I can't wait to use it on many more trips! !

Bought it for my granddaughter, all I know is she loves it:heavy_heart_exclamation_mark_ornament:

This beautiful backpack is extremely roomy and has tons of pockets and organization elements. The side pouches for holding water bottles are perfectly sized. It is slightly heavier than I had anticipated but doesn't work against its function.

My daughter loves it. The pockets on the side are too big for her water bottle, so she can't use those. That is why I gave it only 4 stars.

I sat on buying this backpack for a really long time because of how expensive it is. I only decided to snag it because of the memorial day sale. I've been wanting a roomy backpack that would fit anything from a change of close, for working out, to my lunch box, so I don't have to hold it, to my usual school supplies. This thing will literally carry it all. Its truly astounding! I also wanted something more sleek and professional looking that I could take into grad school. No sporty, outdoorsy, huge logo labeled backpacks for me, please. This is great for that too. I am definitely not a hug fan or the interior fabric pattern, though. I wish I could have customized it. I am not including that downside in this review, though, because I knew what I was getting when I bought it. My major flaw with this backpack is the so called padding it is described to have on the straps and back panel. In my opinion, the padding is marginal at best. I can tell right away just trying it on that this backpack has great potential for digging into my shoulders and making me carry all of the weight. I'm really not impressed with what the designers think is padding. This needs WAY more. Especially taking into consideration how much this is meant to carry and what environment its meant to be carried on. At full capacity, walking across a massive campus, the padding in this is likely to underperform. I hope Vera Bradley considers beefing up the support. Besides the padding, I'm really pretty impressed with this backpack. Wondering if I should have gone with the ReActive Journey backpack instead, though.

It's smaller than I thought it would.

roomy

Nice bag. The straps being connected at the back makes it a little hard to put on if the bag is full. Also the side pockets on this aren't as deep as the regular backpack, so drink bottles keep falling out. But otherwise very sturdy and high quality!

I love the backpack, but I was disappointed in what I got. I ordered my initials in cheeky pink, and I received my backpack with my initials in lilac purple. While it still looks good and I kept it, I was disappointed I didn't get the pink like I wanted. I didn't feel like sending it back and going through the process, and it looks okay the way it is, so I kept it.

This is my third purchase of an Iconic XL campus backpack. The size is great for my both my high school student, and my college student. They are very stylish and have a compartment for everything. If I had to make a suggestion to make improvement to the bag it would be this: 1) make the side pocket a little deeper, at least on one side. Anything larger than a plastic 16 oz. water bottle falls out of the pocket easily and frequently. If it were another two inches deeper, it would eliminate this and not really detract from the look of the bag. 2) line the shoulder straps with a coordinating color, but in a sturdier material that can handle the constant friction of being pulled on and off. This is probably the hardest used area of the backpack, and the straps of all 3 backpacks my daughter's had wore out long before the useful life of the rest of the bag. The cotton lining was all that was left, and then the thread quilting started to disintegrate too. The bags are pricey....so it would be super nice to be able to get more than one school year out of them! The optional monogramming is a nice perk.

Great backpack...not worth the money though

Very light and big

I switched from a rolling bag to this bag. It has been easier to use, holds a TON, and is easier on my back when I need to get it in the trunk of the car.