The Mobile Edge Core Gaming Backpack offers a comfortable, spacious, portable solution that favors function over form, and results in a great assistant especially when paired with the Core Battery Pack.
Mobile Edge Core Gaming Backpack (optional Core Battery Pack)
Price: $130 (Mobile Edge) (Optional Core Battery Pack +$120)
MonsterVine was supplied equipment for review
Finding the right bag is an eternal struggle. I like to travel, and when I do so I need to take an arsenal of gear and equipment with me. That usually requires multiple bags, each with their own specific function, holding their own devices, cables, and more… However, with the space and function of the Core Gaming Backpack from Mobile Edge, I can cram most of my equipment into one bag, with everything in easy to access compartments.
Mobile Edge Core Gaming Backpack Specs & Features:
- External USB 3.0 Quick-Charge compatible port and built-in charging cable.
- Sized to hold Gaming Laptops up to 17.3″
- TSA Checkpoint-Friendly design
- Made With ballistic nylon
- Prewired universal power bank pocket with optional Core Battery Pack
- Three separate sections for a laptop, tablet, keyboard, files, accessories and your personal items.
- Padded Air-Mesh shoulder straps, and ventilated back panel and trolley strap.
- Organizer section provides pockets for pens, phone, business cards, keys, cables, and other accessories.
- Separate poly-fleece lined iPad/Tablet pocket.
- The high-capacity storage compartment holds all your gaming accessories.
- Four zippered side accessory pockets for cables, gaming mouse, phone, large water bottles, etc.
What I like most about the Core Gaming Backpack is all of it’s dedicated, zippered sections with sub-compartments.
Zipper Zone 1:
I have a laptop in a neoprene sleeve which fits perfectly in the TSA compliant sub-compartment pouch. I can then store my laptop accessory bag (yeah I have a lot of bags within this bag) inside the pouch next to the laptop. Finally, I house my travel USB keyboard into the subsection/partition. This is my main zone. It is easy to get things in/out of (thanks to that TSA required zipper which basically opens the backpack all the way so it can be open and flat in two main sections. The ease of access is key here, and having everything in the right spot means I never have to dig around trying to find something.
Zipper Zone 2:
I slide my tablet (an old, but reliable first-generation Surface Pro) into the soft, dedicated pouch. I can then put my bluetooth speaker, and my travel microphone up against the inside edges, with another one of my own accessory bags full of audio cables. Unfortunately, there isn’t a dedicated, self contained section for over-the-ear headphones (my preferred tools for audio editing) but I have found good success resting the cans above the other equipment and they don’t get too squished. This zone has a partition which I believe is to section off files and paperwork but this is where I store my Nintendo Switch (inside of another case) and sometimes an extra controller.
Zipper Zone 3:
The smallest of the three zones, but the one that holds the most power. This is where the dedicated power bank pocket lives, and where I have attached the Core Battery Pack. The Core Gaming Backpack has one external USB-A port (great for easy charging) but also has an access hole that travels into all of the different zones. This means I can easily run a USB cable to charge my Switch, without needing both devices to be in the same area. Zone 3 also offers a lot smaller sections, of which I have found to be useful for storing my analog writing tools (pens) notebooks, business cards and the occasional USB flash drive given out meetings and events.
Side Zipper Zones:
These areas live on the sides of the Core Gaming Backpack and are designed to be accessed frequently. I have a lot of USB cables which I organize by type. One dedicates a pouch to USB-C and the other holds micro and lightning cables. The larger zipper pouches are where I will stash some snacks to power me through the day, and any larger charging bricks that I might need to get at for charging my phone at a wall outlet.
The Good: Holds nearly everything I need for a daily (or longer) tech excursion. Easy to access and organize sections and zones. USB port wired to use dedicated power bank pouch Comfortable to wear even when fully loaded
The Bad: Chunky visual style. No USB input to charge the battery without removing from the bag.
The Final Word:
The Core Gaming Backpack from Mobile Edge is a Swiss Army Knife of functionality. It offers great organizational sections in a sturdy, bag that is both comfortable to wear and protective of my equipment within. As far as storage options go my only complaint is the lack of a dedicated headphone section. The chunky design is easy to overlook because at the end of the day for me, function rules over form and the Core Gaming Backpack out functions most other bags.
