A school backpack has two customers. The child picks it, and the print has to be right. The parent pays for it, and it has to last until June. The abshoo galaxy backpack set wins the first argument with a starry pink and purple print and a matching lunch bag and pen case. Whether it wins the second is what this review is about.
The listing calls it a "Lightweight Water Resistant Backpack for Teen Girls" with a laptop compartment for 13 to 15-inch laptops. The buyers describe something else. They are parents of a kindergartner, a second grader, a fifth grader and a child who is 4 feet 3 inches tall. That gap between the title and the people actually buying it is the single most useful thing to understand before you order.
So the deciding question is size. If your child is in elementary school, the 4.7-star average from 3,036 ratings is a strong signal, and the set is good value. If your child is a teenager with a laptop and a big water bottle, the numbers in the listing say this bag will be tight.
abshoo Galaxy School Backpack with Lunch Bag
$29.99at our last price check
What's in the box
You get three pieces. The bullets list the package as "1* Backpack + 1lunch Bag + 1Pen Case", and the detail table counts "Number of Items: 3". The color on this listing is "Galaxy Pink Set".
| Piece | Stated size | What that holds |
|---|---|---|
| Backpack | 16.9 x 11.8 x 5.3 in | Folders, a book or two, a jacket, lunch. About 17 liters if it were a perfect box |
| Lunch bag | 11.8 x 6.3 x 6.3 in | Two 700 ml lunch boxes, according to the listing |
| Pen case | 7.8 x 2.3 x 2.3 in | Pencils, an eraser, keys or coins |
The lunch bag is the reason many parents choose this set over a plain backpack. The listing calls it an "Insulation lunch bag", and its 11.8 by 6.3 by 6.3 inches is roughly the footprint of a shoebox cut in half lengthwise. The bullets say it fits two 700 ml lunch boxes. One parent describes the lunch bag honestly: the "Lunch pail is thin but seems to keep the cold pack cold by the time it's back from school."
The pen case is small: 7.8 inches long and 2.3 inches square in section. That is enough for a handful of pencils and an eraser, not a full set of markers. The listing suggests it can double as a coin purse.
abshoo's brand story includes a comparison chart of its other sets, and it reveals something useful: the same galaxy backpack is also sold as a "Galaxy A Set" without the lunch bag and pen case, with its own 2,841 ratings. If you only need the backpack, look for that listing.
The lunch bag up close
Because the lunch bag is half the reason to buy the set, it deserves its own look. Two 700 ml lunch boxes is a real lunch, not a snack: a sandwich container and a second box for fruit or crackers, or one larger box and a drink. At 6.3 inches tall it stands upright, so a short juice box or a small bottle fits standing. A tall bottle does not.
The insulation is described only as "Insulation", with no thickness or material stated. The parent who called it "thin" also says it kept the cold pack cold through a school day, which is the job it has to do. Another parent says "The lunch bag has worked well for her snacks." Those are modest, believable reports. Don't expect it to keep food cold from breakfast to dinner on a hot field trip.
The zipper is its weak point. More on that below, but if you buy the set mainly for the lunch bag, know that the most detailed complaint in the excerpts is about exactly this zipper.
Choosing a print
This listing is the "Galaxy Pink Set", and the photos also show a dark blue galaxy set and a pastel rainbow set. The color topic in Amazon's counts has 23 mentions, every one of them positive, and one parent says "The size and colors are accurate to the product listing." For a child choosing their own bag, that is the reassurance that matters: what they pick on the screen is what arrives.
One buyer's line is a reminder of how these bags are really chosen: "She took a while to choose the right bookbag for the school year and she is very happy with her choice." Let your child pick the print. You decide whether the size fits.
Design and construction
The bag is made of "durable and practical high quality Water resistant Polyester", in the bullets' words. The detail table lists the closure as zipper, the harness as shoulder straps, the weight as 0.7 kg and the style as a laptop backpack. In pounds, 0.7 kg is about 1.5. That is light for a bag with a padded back and a laptop sleeve, and it matters for a small child who carries it every day.
Pockets and compartments
The bullets list the storage: a separate laptop compartment, one internal zipper mesh pocket, two side bottle pockets and one front zip pocket. The detail table says "Number Of Pockets: 7" and "Number of Compartments: 5". Those numbers don't quite match the bullets, which name five spaces in all, plus the main compartment. Treat the bullets as the more concrete description.
| Storage | What the listing says | What buyers report |
|---|---|---|
| Main compartment | Holds books, clothes and daily items | "plenty of room" for one child, "small compartments" for another |
| Laptop compartment | Fits 13 to 15-inch laptops (bullet), 13 inches max (table) | One parent calls the laptop pocket "awesome" |
| Front zip pocket | One | Not singled out |
| Internal mesh zip pocket | One | Not singled out |
| Side bottle pockets | Two | Repeated complaint: too small |
The side pockets are where the most specific complaints land. One parent writes that the daughter loves the bag, but "My only complaint is the pockets on the side are small". Another says: "I only wish the side pockets were bigger, even her smallest water bottle doesn’t fit." If your child carries a wide insulated bottle, plan for it to go inside the bag or in the lunch bag.
Back panel and straps
The bullets describe a "Padded mesh back" and "Adjustable padded shoulder straps". One parent praises the build in general terms: "Wow this fabric is so sturdy! Even the straps are thick."
The straps also draw one of the more pointed complaints. One buyer says the zippers keep coming open "and the adjustable straps will not stay in place bc they keep sliding to the longest position." On a small child, a strap that slides long means the bag hangs low on the back, which is uncomfortable to carry. If you see that happen, a small rubber band or a knot above the buckle will hold the setting.
Size: who this bag actually fits
This is the section to read twice. The title says teen girls. The detail table says the fit type is "Kid/Teen", the age range is "Kid" and the school type is "High School". The bullets recommend it "for children 6 years old and above". And the buyers, the people who actually own it, mostly describe young children.
The numbers, translated
At 16.9 by 11.8 by 5.3 inches, the bag's outer box comes to about 1,057 cubic inches, or roughly 17 liters. That is an upper bound. Pockets, padding and the curve of the bag take some of it away. For comparison, one rival in the search results describes itself as 26 liters. A 17-liter bag holds a day of elementary school comfortably: a folder, a reading book, a lunch, a sweater. It is tight for a high school day with several textbooks, a binder and gym clothes.
The height matters as much as the volume. A 16.9-inch bag on a small child reaches from the shoulders to below the waist. On a tall teenager it sits high on the back, more like a daypack than a book bag.
The brand's comparison chart lists the same dimensions in a different order, "16.9 x 5.3 x 11.8 (LDH)", which would make the bag 11.8 inches tall. The bullet labels 16.9 as the height, and that is the reading we use, but the inconsistency is worth knowing.
What buyers report about size
Amazon's topic counts show 53 mentions of size, 32 positive and 21 negative. That is a lot of negative mentions for a bag with a 4.7 average, and the excerpts explain the split. The bag is the right size for some children and too small for others, and age decides which.
| Child described by the buyer | What the buyer says |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten, age 5 | "Plenty of pockets for everything she needs" |
| Child 4 feet 3 inches tall | "this is the perfect size" |
| Second grader | "A bit small for a second grader - probably best for kindergarten." |
| Second grader | "It's held up for my rough 2nd grader" |
| Fifth grader | "Has upheld with my 5th grader" |
| Adult using it for work | "already moved my work stuff inside and it all fits" |
Great color and material including zipper. A bit small for a second grader - probably best for kindergarten.Amazon buyer
The two second-grader reports disagree on size but agree on toughness, which is typical. A seven-year-old's school load varies a lot between schools. What the excerpts don't contain is a single high schooler or teenager using the bag. The one adult who mentions it uses it for work, not for a laptop and textbooks.
Note that the listing recommends the bag for children six and above, and one of the happiest reviews is from the parent of a five-year-old. The recommendation is the brand's own, and nothing in the listing explains it.
The laptop sleeve
Here the listing contradicts itself. The bullets say the "Separate laptop compartment fits 13-15 Inch Laptops and Macbook". The detail table says "Compatible Device Size Maximum: 13 inches". Those cannot both be right, and the arithmetic favors the table.
A laptop's size is its screen diagonal. A 15-inch screen in the common wide format is about 13 inches across, before you add the frame around the screen. The bag is 11.8 inches wide on the outside. A 15-inch laptop lying across that width will not fit. A 13-inch laptop, with a screen about 11.3 inches across, might, depending on its frame. For a child's tablet or a school Chromebook in the smaller sizes, the sleeve is useful. For a 15-inch laptop, it is not.
Packing it for a school day
Here is how the space breaks down for a typical elementary school load. The laptop sleeve, if your child has no laptop, is a good place for a flat folder or a reading log: it keeps paper from getting crushed under a lunch bag. The main compartment takes a book, a sweater and the lunch bag, if your school has kids carry lunch inside the backpack. The front zip pocket is for small things a child needs quickly, like a hat or tissues. The internal mesh pocket is for things that should not fall out, like a house key, and the pen case sits there too or rides in the main compartment.
Put the heaviest items, books and the lunch, in the main compartment closest to the padded back. That keeps the weight near the spine and stops the bag pulling backward. With the bag at 1.5 pounds empty, almost everything your child feels on their shoulders is what you packed.
Then check the water bottle. Several parents found the side pockets too small, and the only fix is to measure. If the bottle does not fit, it goes in the main compartment or in the lunch bag, and that takes space from something else.
Water resistance and care
The brand story is specific about the limits of the water resistance: the bag "was designed specifically to resist contact by light water (rain showers/light rain and snow flurries) but are not designed to withstand any heavy exposure to the elements." That is an honest description. A walk to the bus in drizzle is fine. A downpour, a puddle or a soggy field will soak through, especially at the zippers.
The listing gives no care instructions. One parent says "The material is easy to wipe", which is the practical answer for a polyester school bag: wipe spills with a damp cloth and let it dry open. The lunch bag deserves more attention, because food and cold packs leave condensation. Wipe it out after use and leave it unzipped overnight so it dries.
How it holds up
The quality theme is the strongest signal in the reviews: 114 mentions, 107 positive. The excerpts are full of parents who expected a cheap bag to fail and were surprised.
Great quality. Has upheld with my 5th grader who destroys anything within a couple weeks.Amazon buyer
The weak points are specific. Zippers draw ten mentions, seven of them negative, and the worst complaints are about the lunch bag: its zipper is "VERY hard to zip" and comes apart after closing, which one parent says usually ends its life. Another parent notes that "The zipper covering sometimes gets in the way". Against that, one buyer says the zipper "has held up much better than other backpacks purchased". And one short-lived bag lost its "middle strap" in the first week.
Value comes out mostly positive, with 20 of 27 mentions happy. The negatives are about whether the set lasts. One parent expects it to last "One school year, tops". Another paid around 45 dollars, more than the listing price we see, and was disappointed after a week. Those are the realistic expectations: for most children it lasts a year, and for the roughest few it may not.
Making it last the year
Most of the failures buyers describe start at stress points: a zipper forced closed over an overstuffed bag, a strap that slides, a top strap pulled by a child swinging the bag. A few habits help. Don't let the main compartment get packed so full that the zipper has to fight it. Show your child how to lift the bag by both shoulder straps instead of yanking it by the top. Check the lunch bag's zipper in the first week, while you can still exchange it, because that is the part the most detailed complaint singles out.
And keep the bag out of the rain when you can. The brand itself says the polyester is made for showers and flurries, not heavy weather. A soaked bag dries, but repeated soaking is hard on zippers and padding alike.
What 3,036 buyers say
Eighty-five percent of ratings are five stars and 10% are four. Three percent are three stars, and only 1% each are two and one. That is an unusually clean distribution for a children's bag. The color theme has 23 mentions, every one positive, which says the print looks the way it does in the photos.
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
The table above is worth reading closely, because it breaks the 4.7 average into its parts. Quality and color are close to unanimous. Size, storage and zippers split. A bag that is loved for how it looks and how it survives, and criticized for how much it holds, is exactly what the dimensions predict.
How it compares
Prices, ratings and monthly purchase counts as shown on Amazon search results on November 14, 2026. Highlighted rows are the products reviewed here.
The search for lightweight water-resistant backpacks for teen girls returns a shelf of strong competitors, and several of them are aimed at older students. MATEIN's purple laptop backpack has 115,595 ratings at 4.7 and describes itself as a 15.6-inch bag. A MATEIN expandable 15.6-inch backpack has 6,089 at 4.7. VASCHY has 11,773 at 4.6, ZORFIN's 26-liter bag has 4,586 at 4.6 with 5K+ monthly purchases, and BIKROD's 17-inch bag has 2,995 at 4.6.
abshoo's 4.7 from 3,036 sits right at the top of that group on the average, from a smaller sample than the leaders. What separates it is the set. None of those rivals' titles mention a lunch bag or pen case. What it gives up is size: several rivals are built around 15.6 and 17-inch laptops and state larger capacities.
The comparison says something simple. If you are buying for a teenager with a laptop, the MATEIN, ZORFIN and BIKROD listings describe bags built for that load. If you are buying for a younger child who wants a matching lunch bag, abshoo's set has the rating record and the bundle to justify it.
Who should buy it, who should skip it
Buy it for a child in kindergarten to around fifth grade, especially one who wants the galaxy print and will use the lunch bag every day. The set is light, it wipes clean, buyers say it survives rough children, and the price covers three pieces. Check that your child's water bottle fits in a side pocket before school starts, or plan to carry it inside.
Buy it, too, if you want a small, light daypack for yourself and like the print. One buyer moved work things into it and found that "it all fits".
Skip it for a high schooler who needs room for a 15-inch laptop, several textbooks and a big bottle. The dimensions say it is too small, and the listing's own detail table caps the laptop at 13 inches. Skip it, too, if your child is hard on zippers, since the lunch bag's zipper is the weakest part of the set.
For abshoo's other bags, including a classic laptop backpack and the kids' panda and unicorn sets, see our abshoo bags review, and the bags section for everything else. abshoo's own site is here.
Verdict
We recommend the abshoo galaxy backpack set for elementary school children who want a matching lunch bag and a print they love. We don't recommend it for teenagers with laptops: the listing's "teen" and "15-inch" claims are not supported by its own measurements or by what its buyers describe.
A strong set for elementary school, not for a teen's laptop
Eighty-five percent of 3,036 buyers give it five stars, and parents of kindergarten to fifth-grade kids say it survives rough handling. It is smaller than the 'teen' and '15-inch laptop' wording suggests, and the side pockets and some zippers draw steady complaints.
- Backpack, insulated lunch bag and pen case in one matching set
- 4.7 stars from 3,036 ratings, with very few one- and two-star reviews
- Water-resistant polyester that parents say wipes clean
- Light at 0.7 kg empty, with a padded mesh back and padded straps
- Smaller than the title suggests: many buyers call it best for younger children
- Side bottle pockets are too small for some water bottles
- Seven of ten zipper mentions are negative, mostly about the lunch bag
- Listing says the laptop sleeve fits 13 to 15 inches but the detail table says 13 maximum
Best for: A child from kindergarten to around fifth grade who wants a galaxy print and a matching lunch bag, carrying folders, a book and a snack rather than a laptop.
Skip it if: You are buying for a high schooler with a 15-inch laptop, a big water bottle and a full day of textbooks.
Where the numbers come from. Prices, star ratings, rating counts and monthly purchase badges were read from the product pages on November 14, 2026; they move daily. Fabric, sizing and dimensions come from the product specifications. Buyer quotes are Amazon reviews as the product page shows them, linked to the full review where Amazon gives one. See how we review.
