Mobile Edge Core Gaming Backpack – Product Review
I carry a backpack nearly everywhere I go. Even for quick trips or errands that I anticipate taking less than twenty minutes, I’m probably going to have a backpack behind me. On an average day I’ve got my laptop, my Nintendo Switch, a bunch of cords and accessories, noise cancelling headphones, a binder or two full of paperwork, a variety of water bottles and energy drinks, and whatever else happens to be with me that day.
Needless to say, when we got the chance to check out the Mobile Edge Core Gaming bag we jumped at the opportunity.
If you aren’t familiar, Mobile Edge is a company that specializes in high quality carrying devices. If you’re looking for a bag of some type, they’ve pretty much got you covered. Their reputation is stellar and their products are backed by an outstanding LifeTime Warranty.
Now let’s chat about the backpack…
Size & Weight
At first glance the Core Gaming bag seems massive. It’s broad and tall with big pouches on the side, and it looks like a beast. After unpacking the bag I put a few things inside and put it on – and it felt like I was barely carrying anything. Something about the air-mesh shoulder straps and back panel as well as the way that the bag evenly distributes the weight of what is inside makes it feel barely noticeable.
After carrying the bag for about six weeks as of the time of this review, you can imagine I’ve picked up a few new things here and there that have never quite made their way out of the backpack. It’s still just as comfortable and balanced even with the extra weight. I’ve used bags that claimed to distribute the weight evenly, but none that made it feel quite this great.
Outside Design
The Core Gaming bag is a black-all-over design with red stitching and a few other subtle cosmetic features. It’s understated to the point that it looks classier than most people imagine a backpack designed for gamers should be.
(We all know that even though Velcro is a trademarked name and that I should probably refer to it as a hook-and-loop fastener if it’s not directly manufactured by them. For the sake of readability, I’m just going to call it velcro here…)
The standout feature of the backpack is the velcro front, designed to allow users to customize the bag with their patches and accessories. Being that I’m not a fan of velcro, I only had one patch (aside from the one that came with it) to put on it. My assumption was that velcro would do what velcro does and attract lots of lint, hair, and debris that would eventually make my bag look dirty. That has not been the case. Sure, every now and then I catch a stray fuzzball hanging on, but overall it’s not been an issue. While I’m still not a big velcro fan, I like it much more than I anticipated.
It’s worth noting that this same bag comes with a molded front instead of a velcro front if that fits your preferences better. While I haven’t personally tried it, there’s no doubt it’s also high quality.
Also on the outside of the bag are the aforementioned pouches. These are four individual outside compartments designed to hold a multitude of things. The two on the top (one on each side of the bag) are a bit smaller, but have plenty of room to fit a gaming mouse, some charging cables, or even some snacks.
Directly below these are two slightly larger pouches that open up the possibilities of what can fit inside a bit more. These compartments were able to fit my PlayStation 4 Controllers inside with ease, but at other times I was also able to fit 16 oz. energy drink cans or a bottle of water (depending on my mood, of course).
Up on top of the bag is one of my personal favorite features of the bag – a reinforced handle. Although I don’t often carry any backpack by this handle, it seems to always be the first part to start tearing at the seams. Fortunately it doesn’t seem like that will be an issue for the Core Gaming backpack.
In addition to the amazingly well ventilated shoulder straps and back panel that I mentioned above, the bag features a two more external items that are worth talking about.
The first is the clasp that allows you to hook the should straps to each other in front of you. I don’t use these and never have, but I certainly understand why some people would. One of my most hated features of backpacks is when I can’t remove either side of this clasp and have to deal with them dangling and getting in my way as I’m walking around. Fortunately, that’s not the case with the Core Gaming bag. They pop off with a little bit of tugging go back on just about as easily. If you like them – great! If not, no worries.
A trolley strap is also included. I didn’t have the opportunity during my time with this bag so far to try this out, but the material is high quality and I have no reason to believe it wouldn’t achieve its purpose with high marks.
Compartments
There are three main compartments in the Core Gaming backpack. Let’s break them each down…
Compartment 1
This is the compartment that is closest to your back if you are wearing the bag. It contains a “TSA Checkpoint Friendly” pouch that nearly any modern gaming laptop under 18″ should fit inside. My computer is only 15 inches and fit perfectly with lots and lots of room to spare. This compartment completely unzips so that the TSA friendly part of the bag can lay flat.
Also included in this first compartment is a pouch held secure by a strap. It’s a bit narrow, but should fit your laptop or console charging cords inside with no problem.
Compartment 2
If you’re like me, this is where most of your stuff is going to hang out. This middle compartment features a fleece lined pouch where you can stash your iPad or other tablet without worrying that it’s going to be scratched or damaged.
Also in this section is another full sized pouch where you can slide a Nintendo Switch, some laptops depending on their size, or just keep some paperwork inside. The front of this pouch is decked out and ready to hold all of your accessories and items you don’t want rolling around in the bottom of your bag such as charging cables, USB drives, pens, keys, or whatever other loose items you may have.
In between the two is a large open space where you can carry just about anything that will fit, including a full sized keyboard. As bonuses in this compartment, we have a headphone holder (or you could hang your keys on this if you wanted) and a very missable small zippered pouch where the USB cable runs to the outside of the bag – but you may be able to fit something very small in there along with it if you want.
Compartment 3
This is the compartment facing the outside world as you’re wearing the backpack and is your basic quick access panel. The first major thing is that this compartment includes a space for your external battery pack to live, as each section has the ability to run a USB cord to another. If you’re on the go a lot and your phone is older than about six months old, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find this useful.
Also in this compartment is an place for business cards/identification, some memory and USB storage, and a hook for your keys or whatever else you have in mind. Even though this is the smallest compartment, there is still an absolute ton of room that should come in handy.
BONUS – Waterproof Cover
It took me a while to figure out this feature was even included with the bag because it’s so well hidden. However, if you live in a wet climate, it will come in immensely useful. On the very bottom of the bag is a zippered section that contains an attached rain cover to perfectly fit over the entire bag. I didn’t personally get a chance to use it outside, but I did pour a little water on it and it beaded up and rolled right off. It’s a great feature for a bag marketed towards gamers as there is a pretty high chance you’re going to have some pretty valuable items inside.
How much can you fit in it?
That seems to be the answer that a ton of people want to know about any backpack. Usually the answer is either “it’s super lightweight” or “I can fit everything I own inside.” With the Core Gaming bag, you get both answers – you can fit everything you own inside (maybe not literally) and it also remains manageable and comfortable.
Though I can’t think of a time in my life where I’ve needed to do this, for the purposes of this review (and as I’m writing it) I jammed it full of everything I could think of. This included my PlayStation 4 Pro and all necessary cables, 2 Dualshock 4 Controllers, a 15″ MacBook Pro and charging cord, a Nintendo Switch inside a carrying case along with a Pro Controller, a bunch of other random cables, my external battery pack, my full sized computer keyboard, an ancient iPad, two gaming mice, and I threw a windbreaker in there just for good measure.
It all fit. Granted, the bag was looking a bit bloated and it was way heavier than I would want to carry around on an average day – but it all fit with a little room to spare. And it was comfortable. That’s the most important part of any bag for me personally.
Recommendation
Overall, the Mobile Edge Core Gaming backpack is an excellent product and, as hard as I tried, I couldn’t find any major gripes with it. If I was forced to find one thing that could be improved, I’d like to see a tad more padding for a laptop in what I dubbed as Compartment 1 – around the TSA Checkpoint Friendly section. Other than that minor suggestion, I absolutely love the Core Gaming backpack and suggest you check it out if you’re looking for a new bag.
Visit Mobile Edge to buy the Core Gaming backpack for $129.99.
*We were provided with a retail model of this product at no cost from Mobile Edge but this factor did not influence our review*
