STM have been making many of our favourite bags for our tech to live in whilst on the move. But the £119.95/$138.95 Myth backpack is definitely one of their most interesting releases. A compartmental fusion for all sizes of devices, with a focus on functionality in a modish design. Buy on Amazon

Design & Comfort

This is without any question STM’s most thoughtful backpack creation yet, with delightfully robust zippers, a strong material design that has resisted ripping on brambles, and a water repellent C6DWR coated exterior. When you begin to unzip and explore the huge selection of compartments and their respective inner nests, you can feel and see the attention to detail continue within. A great example of this is the PassPort luggage pass-through, whereby the handle on your suitcase can pass through the lumbar support of the back panel, so that all your luggage can be wheeled around at once. All of this is summed up within a dual toned marled grey, accompanied by brown piping on the zips and handle. We think this conscious symmetry and roundness exhibits a charming Scandi style in our Windsor Wine colour scheme. This makes it very different to offerings with similar functionality that lack almost any self awareness.

STM market something called the Air channel back panel system, intended to promote air flow between you and the bag. Day to day it’s tricky to test this, but heading fourth on a 6 mile trek we recognised that the substantial foam kept our back from aching or breaking a sweat. On the shoulders the comfort can only be described as blissful; this is the most comfortable backpack STM have ever created! Load it up with all your tech essentials and food + drink, and you've got a backpack design that doesn’t compress the straps tightly against your shoulders or the bag into your back.

Storage

Somehow fitted in with the clean lines and elegant calm styling there’s an amazing 28L of storage! Cable wiring ways are located in every section for charging devices, a feature STM call CableReady; pockets on the outside and inside and secret compartments are all to be found upon unzipping. Yes, there’s absolutely more storage options than we need and that’s definitely a good thing when it comes to organisation on the move. Furthermore, you quickly appreciate that the Myth gets what the modern-day traveller and commuter wants, because despite the Russian doll functionality of the STM Myth it’s not one of those backpacks that overwhelms, where you end up just using the main compartment. From the way the bag is styled and the placement of entryways into compartments, there’s a logical order and understanding of organisation that compels you to want to use it.

In order of usage we should start with the side zipped pockets which take our Chilly’s styled drinks bottles that we have no issue in getting in and out with one hand. Next we have the fundamentals, where your MacBook Pro (up to 16”) and iPad are taken care of within the main softly fleece-lined zipped compartment area. It’s a stiff zone with ample padding surrounding and the roundness of the bag should help to minimise damage from any impacts. We’ve been keeping all of our Canon DSLR camera gear organised within the expansive middle area, featuring deep pockets that are also perfect for some A4 media, clothing and headphones. The front section with all its smaller pockets is ideal for stationery and smaller accessories; we also keep a power bank here that the charging cables run from to replenish devices in other areas thanks to the neat cable wiring holes throughout. It works well with Thunderbolt and USB C type cables, but anything larger won’t be able to feed through the holes.

Verdict

The dependably sturdy STM Myth backpack keeps a busy tech focused lifestyle, along with all the extra bits that come with it, stylishly organised and charged within a compartmental fusion in blissful comfort on the shoulders. It’s now our 'go to' option, setting a new standard that we rely on. Buy on Amazon