Maelstrom Diaper Backpack

I’m really happy with this bag. It's sold as a baby bag but it actually works really well as an easy to clean travel bag for an adult. It has a great combination of interior and exterior pockets to organize clothes, electronics and toiletries and has both security pockets and quick access convenience pockets so it’s great for short trips or day outings. The main compartment has open mouth stretch pockets, sleeve pockets and a couple of zippered “wet pockets” to store items that could leak. It includes interior bottle holders and has an expansion zipper on the outside of the bag that grows the main compartment a full 2 inches deeper. The smaller (not small) front compartment works great as a snack stash zone for road trips - 3 thermal pockets designed for baby bottles can hold chilled soda cans or bottled sport drinks and it has a zippered mesh pocket to keep snack bars and such organized. To secure your valuables, when worn as a backpack, there is a hidden zippered pocket against your back and can’t be accessed until you take off the pack. The front side has a second discrete zippered pocket that is very deep and can be used to hold a tablet or other valuables so you can get into it from the outside but it can’t easily be “picked“ in a crowd. Both of these pockets discreetly tuck the zipper tag out of view but all of the zippers have easy to grab tabs (even by my older, less nimble fingers). The front has a no zip quick access pocket I use for a pen, paper, maps, etc. Another quick access feature I like is the side pocket that has a slit opening so you can get fast access to baby/hand wipes or a travel sized box of tissues without digging around inside the big compartments. The other external side pocket is elasticized so it can hold various sizes of water bottles. It is well made from quality materials and with extra stitching at key stress points like the shoulder straps, tote handles and outside pockets. The interior is made of easy to clean materials and the outside is heavy duty cloth that will hold up over time. The zippers are smooth to open and close and have big enough grab tabs find them quickly.

Never have I ever seen a diaper bag that did not scream DIAPER BAG until now. I love this backpack diaper bag so much! And I’m not even a Mom so let me give you a review of a diaper bag that I’m only going to be using as a backpack. Here’s all the cool features worth mentioning: -There are multiple zippered and unzippered pockets throughout the bag, the front options being some of my favorite because there’s a hidden zippered pocket on the top that goes down decently far to hold a phone, wallet, or small tablet for easy access. -The pocket in the front designed to hold bottles is actually great for organizing car keys, phone, gum, ect. -it comes with a tiny circuler zippered pouch that I like to put garbage in instead of it floating around my bag. -It has a strap to put on a carry on handle making this a travel backpack now too! -There is another hidden zippered pouch by the strap in the bag for a carry on that can easily hold a passport or phone. -It is lined on the inside of almost all pockets with water proof/plastic like material making cleaning it out a breeze. -There are places inside for 2 bottles and outside for 2 more. Smaller water bottles fit in these pockets perfectly. -There is an expander zipper that runs along the outside giving you an extra 2 inches of storage space in the main compartment. -The diaper changing pad can be removed easily and the pocket it sits in can hold a tablet or book. -The main compartment would also be perfect for carrying your lunch if you put a cold pack on the bottom. -The main zippered compartment does not zip all the way down the sides. I actually like this so that the entire bag doesn’t open up and fall over. It stands up easily on its own. -The straps are super comfortable on my shoulders. It also has 2 handles to carry it by the top instead. I can’t find anything about this backpack I don’t like yet. Honestly, I’m not sure why I haven’t been buying diaper bag backpacks because of all the cool features that you can use even if they’re not for diaper/baby products! This bag was SO reasonably priced too I will probably get another to use as a gym bag.

Review from my wife: We decided on this diaper bag because of its gender neutrality. We have a 2 year old boy and were expecting another baby (gender unknown). We wanted something bigger than we already had due to the fact that we’d have the baby’s items as well as our other son’s diapers, toys and all the toddler snacks 🤪 This isn’t the most high-end looking diaper bag—in all honestly, it resembles a normal backpack more than anything—but it has worked great for us these past 6 months. We have plenty of room for two boys’ items/necessities (diapers, wipes, bottles, teethers, toddler toys/books, snacks, changes of clothes for both boys, lotion, snot sucker, diaper cream, wet-dry bag, burp rags, changing pad, etc) as well as my things (wallet, keys, hand sanitizer, drink/water bottle, etc). I’m listing all these things (not even everything that’s in the bag) to give you an idea of all the space you have with this. We haven’t had any issues with the shoulder straps fraying or breaking (we had an issue with that on our last bag). I like that the bag can be two different depths. There is a zipper that you can unzip and it allows the bag to expand more—much like a suitcase does. Overall a very sturdy, practical diaper bag choice for parents.

I really wanted to love this bag, but am a bit disappointed. Full disclosure I am using this bag for regular use. That being said it actually carries a ton of stuff and looks very high end. It does not look like a diaper bag at all and externally looks like a back pack, which is what I am using it for. It has pockets for wet and dry items as well as insulated pockets and overall I am extremely happy with the amount of pocket room! However the bag is shorter than I would have liked. I can only fit my laptop in the bag if I have it fully extended and stretch the fabric a bit to force the laptop in. It will not fit whatsoever if it is in the laptop sleeve. I do have a larger laptop but I think even a moderately sized laptop would not fit with how short the bag is, which is a feature it is supposed to have with use as a diaper bag as well. Disappointing, but it can be circumvented! All of that being said, it feels very well made and like it will stand the rest of time. It also has a flap on the back where you can store more items, which I really like. The cup holders extend as well and so I was able to put my 32oz blender bottle in no problem and it stayed secured. Overall very happy with the item.

I was excited to get this diaper bag because it’s an actual backpack but it’s not overly bulky like the other ones we’ve bought and tried prior. It also has handles on top so you can carry it like a tote bag instead of wearing it on your back. It comes with it’s own changing table pad which is nice because you don’t have to take up extra room by packing your own. We have plenty of room for several diapers, a pack of wipes, a change of clothes and a handful of toys in the main zipper section, and also my little bag I use to carry my wallet/keys so I don’t have to carry a separate purse. In addition, in the front pockets there’s room for bottles (if you need) snacks and any travel medication you may need. One of my favorite things is that there are two bottle holders on the exterior (one on each side) and they are large enough to hold my toddlers sippy cups or even my water bottle if needed. Overall it’s a great value for the price because let’s be real, diaper bags take a beating so finding affordable ones that can hold everything you need and not break the bank is a major win!