I’ve always been a huge fan of backpacks. I still have the purple JanSport I used all throughout middle and high school. It offered little functionality with only two pockets. I remember the struggle of carrying textbooks in that backpack and the strain it put on my shoulders. In college, I opted out for a higher quality backpack and balled out and got a Northface. That beast of a bag lasted all throughout my undergraduate years and still looks brand new.
As a working professional, I’ve spent the better part of last year trying to find a combination that meets my lifestyle. My daily routine consists of work and the gym, so it is important for me to be able to fit a change of clothes and my laptop. I got a Kong Backpack, which is an awesome bag because it can open up like a suitcase and there is an outer compartment for an extra pair of shoes.
The Kong Backpack was great at first, but it quickly became cumbersome lugging that big bag everywhere. Gym gear and tech gear are not the best combo to keep in the same bag. I realized that a shoulder bag would be a perfect addition to carry around my laptop and various accessories that I keep on me at all times. I’ve never had a shoulder bag before and was recommended the STM Trust. I’ve spent the last two months using this bag everyday and I have absolutely no regrets with this laptop bag.
Do you remember the bag that Mary Poppins had? The STM Trust was definitely designed with that mentality. There is a pocket or compartment for pretty much any tech accessory you can imagine. The front pocket has two small pouches that I use to fit a portable battery.
Opening up the clasps reveals the main compartment which gives you the most amount of room. This is good for clothes, extra pair of shoes, or a couple of books. There is a specialized pouch for tablets, which is denoted by a small tablet symbol. The tablet pouch is lined with a soft nylex lining, which is great for protecting your tablet from scratching.
The inner front zippered pocket is similar to what you would find in the front pocket of a regular backpack. This section is mostly used for organizational space such as pens or calculators. The see-through zippered pocket is great for accessories that get lost easily such as small cables.
The laptop compartment is located towards the rear of the bag. This section also has the same nylex lining as the tablet compartment. I bought the 13 inch bag and it fits my Surface Book comfortably. It isn’t too tight or too loose
The rear slip pocket is a great space to store papers you want to access readily. There is also a small pouch to quickly store your phone. I have an iPhone 6S and it fits the phone loosely. If the bag were to flip over, my phone would definitely fall out. I checked to see if it would fit a larger phone like the Google Pixel XL and it did.
I used this bag daily and found it to be very comfortable. The shoulder strap has a padding and is easily adjustable. The water-resistant polyester material seems very durable and is designed to be able to take a beating. I usually drive to work, but I can imagine that this would hold up very well during a commute riding a bike or taking public transportation.
I really like the design of the bag as well. The bag stays relatively thin, even when there it is packed with stuff inside it. I find that to be really important because a bulky bag always bangs against objects and is an eye sore. The bag itself is not too big measuring 11.22 x 14.96 x 4.72 in. This bag is big enough to carry all the stuff I need for my work and all the tech stuff that accompanies my writing. Everyone who writes about tech has to have a “tech bag”.
The STM Trust Laptop Bag is a bit pricey at $129.95. However, any high quality bag or backpack is going to run you at least $100. I’ve had enough cheap, low quality bags break on me that I’d rather spend the money on a quality bag. STM is always known to make high quality bags with a lot of functionality built in. I have a friend who uses the STM Trestle and he is always raving about what a great backpack it is. The abundance of pockets designed for all tech-related accessories really shows that STM keeps the everyday digital consumer in mind.