Customer Reviews Vera Bradley Recycled Lighten Up Reactive Grand Backpack

This is my third item i have purchased for my travel related job. I love this new Gray Heather Reactive backpack so much, i cant stop bragging about it and touching it! Its so stylish for traveling (and i do that weekly), but the quality and details are whats killing me, its so amazing. Plus i love knowing this was made using recycled plastic bottles (turned into recycled fabric). This is also water resistant so light rain will not ruin this backpack. Do not hesitate if you are looking for a new backpack, you will be very happy :-)

Love this backpack, however I wish it was a bit bigger!

So far, I have only used the pack to hold one bulky, but very lightweight item. True test will be once the pack has multiple things in it and needs to hold more weight. Does appear well made. Only potential spot of any concern is right at the point where the zipper goes around the upper corners. The vinyl-like interior lining is a bit stiff here. I find I must use caution here not to catch and tear the lining. But with a second or two of care, that should not be a big problem. Size is excellent - roomy enough for multiple items, yet the pack will fit airline restrictions. Wish it were offered in more solid colors.

She liked it very much. Checked the straps and said they were strong. I think she will enjoy many years with it.

It is a beautiful bag, no complaints.

This bag is very lightweight, comfortable, and stylish. I like the fact that it doesn't get too bulky when you fill it up. Great for school or work.

I am in my 70s and had to do some air travel by myself. I purchased this beautiful backpack to serve as my purse and to hold reading materials and my laptop while on flights and layovers. It worked really well, but it sure does have a lot of pockets and I got so confused about what I had put where. I even temporarily lost something only to discover it days later in a zippered compartment I didn't check. I hope to be more organized next time, but it sure was nice to put my belongings in a backpack instead of fighting a shoulder bag purse.

Purchased as a gift, she's very happy. She didn't know Vera Bradley offered solid colors. She likes the bag, hasn't had a opportunity to use it yet.

I really like this back pack. There are a lot of compartments (I keep looking for the hidden one like the campus version). This feels better on my back than the others I have from VB.

Quality is great. I just wish they were double zippers and that there was a way to secure the laptop in the pocket. But all in all very satisfied.

There are a lot of things about this backpack I love. I love all the pockets and especially the internal mesh pocket for cords, etc. so they don't get lost in the bottom. Only the middle compartment has double zippers, and I wish all 3 main compartment did- it was a bit tricky to keep everything from falling out of the front compartment since the single zipper had to be unzipped from one side to the other. The water bottle pockets on the side were adequate for a reusable bottle or disposable bottles, and the laptop compartment worked well for easily getting my iPad in and out at security. I had the backpack pretty full for my flights to and from Serbia, so unfortunately, it was slightly too tall and long to fit really well under the seat in front of me, so I ended up putting it in the overhead bin for the long flight- so keep that in mind if you really want to keep it close in an airplane. Overall, I am pleased with the Grand Backpack and thought it made a good travel bag.

I bought this backpack to use as a personal item on an airplane. It fit perfectly under the seat in front of me, even when it was packed full. (I don't know if it would qualify on the budget airlines like Spirit, they're pretty strict about the size for a "personal item"). There are so many pockets, and it holds a ton of stuff. I love that it has the trolley sleeve to sit on my rolling carryon, but the straps are still comfortable if you need to wear it as a backpack. The side pockets are deep enough to hold a stainless steel water bottle without risk of it falling out. The only negative for me was the zippers. Some of them are one way zippers so it's not so easy to access some of the pockets. There are sooooo many pockets that I kept forgetting where I put stuff and had to keep zipping and unzipping pockets to find what I was looking for, but I can't count that as a negative. Overall, a great bag!

Liking this bag. My only complaint it that I wish it was more sturdy in the bottom and more padding for my laptop. It needs more structure so when I put in my laptop it doesn't topple to the side. It's a bit expensive for what it is.

Love the fabric, suitcase strap, pocket layout, and padded back straps. Zippers could be better, they don't slide too easily and I'm worried about how long they will last. Also all except one compartment have a single zipper so it's not as practical to open & close as I would like.

Great for carry on.

The bag is nice and it does not hurt my back at all. I carry many textbooks for college classes and walk around me entire campus. The only issue that I have is that sometimes my shoulders hurt if I wear it for too long..

I like that it has so many pockets. I found out about the backpack from a fellow teacher on Instagram when there was a promotion, and I was disappointed that I missed it. The bag seems overpriced. However, the design is beautiful and I like the size and the space it provides. It seems like it will hold up for awhile which is yet to be determined. Overall, I'm glad I purchased it.

I live the color and the monogram. I just hope it's not to big to carry in an airplane.

Holds everything she needs when going to school.

I like this product. I have used it for three weeks. It is durable, water proof and very comfortable. I have arthritis in my spine, and hips and I think this bag is comfortable. It is simply not as large as I need. I can only get one notebook in the bag, with one coffee. If I have a coffee and a water, stuffing stuff in the main compartment is hard. Two notebooks, or one note book and a text book and it is over stuffed, and I cannot use my side cup holders for anything. Plus the more full this is, the less comfortable. The discomfort is not from the weight, it just rides funny and stops going on as well. There is a wonderful back zipper area for your tablet. I use the desk sleeve ( which is brilliant), then the some what small main compartment, then a front full length very shallow compartment that I use for a Tylenol bottle and not much else, but it has all the slots for phone, pens, etc. the slots are so deep it is hard to get to the items if anything is in the book area. Then the very front pocket (that is truly a pocket)for my keys, phone and mask. This bag just does not hold enough stuff for highs school or college students. It is too big for a purse. Great product, but get the next size up.

Good backpack but does not have enough small pockets on the inside

Nice backpack with several pockets including the all important water bottle pocket. As with all backpacks, the straps get uncomfortable when on for any length of time. Overall a good value

I love this bag. It's exactly what I was looking for. I love that the computer section is a dedicated part and not just a sleeve because I tend to put handfuls of loose paper in my bag with my laptop. I would have given this bag 5 stars, but after just a week of use one of the water bottle pockets in the side started breaking, the liner is coming away from the mesh. It's still perfectly usable and hasn't gotten worse. Also, the padding in the right shoulder strap (the one I always put on first and sometimes the only one I use if I don't use both shoulder straps) has already started bunching inside the strap so it doesn't lay flat. Again, not bad enough that I don't want to use it but I'm not sure how long it will last.

This is my first vera bradley product. The backpack is nice and has good pockets. The padding on the straps and back are good.