I love a backpack, I’ve got quite a few and they all lend themselves to different uses. So when Nick got in touch to ask if I’d like to write my STM Myth Backpack review I jumped at the chance to check it out. The last backpack I covered on the blog was the Maverick & Co. Metropolitan Business Backpack, which is, as the name would suggest a business orientated bag.
I’ve covered a few things by STM on the blog from their tech pouch to another backpack called the Saga. I identified a common theme among the two products, they’re really well made and they’re really tough. Let’s hope then that the Myth follows in the footsteps of the former.
The STM Myth is, in my opinion a perfect all rounder, it can do it all and it certainly wouldn’t look out of place in any setting. It’s also, considering the quality, not that expensive. It’s got room for up to a 15 inch laptop or a 16″ Macbook.
So, let’s get into the review and start it off the only way I know how. Here’s my first impressions.
STM Myth Backpack Review
When I opened up the shipping bag, I was was pleased to see they’d sent over the so called windsor wine colour scheme. The bag is also available in black, granite black and slate blue. I definitley think the windsor wine is the best of the bunch.
The windsor wine is mostly an off-white colour combined with fantastic looking grape coloured accents. The accents include things like the zips and grab handles.
Once I’d removed the STM Myth from it’s branded see-through plastic bag it hit me just how sturdy this thing is. The sheer high quality of the material was also a surprise. The only way I can think of to describe it is, it feels really thick. But, it’s not rough and ragged, it feels really nice.
Circling back round to plastic. There wasn’t much single use stuff, the branded plastic bag it did come packaged in was useful as it was pretty much a large fancy carrier bag, so could be re-used as a ‘bag for life’, which is what I’ve done. It’s been put with the rest of them for when I do my weekly food shop!
So far, so good then. Let’s take a look at the build quality and how this performs at it’s number one job, being a backpack!
Build Quality & Features
I mentioned above that the bag material feels thick, it really gives me confidence in the fabric quality. I’ve reviewed a handful of backpacks and bags on the blog and a common theme among all of them is that interior stitching, when compared to exterior is often not as well finished.
My opinion on that is manufactures think they can get away with it as it won’t be seen. However, having said that, the STM Myth doesn’t suffer from the same poor quality interior stitching, it’s just as good as the outside and it’s really well done.
The stitching is super high quality, it’s really tight with no frayed or missed stitches which I’m really impressed with. Even the key chain holder in the front pocket, which is another area that’s often over looked, is put together extremely well.
STM have coated the material in C6DWR, which is a water repellent coating to ensure the stuff you carry around is well protected from the elements.
The straps are super strong and really nicely padded as is the back of the bag. It’s got really thick padding where the small of your back would press up against the bag.
I wanted to see just how comfortable this would be, so I loaded up the bag with a full days work gear and went on a short walk in my village. Here’s what I put in the bag:
- Surface Laptop
- iPad Air
- Notepad
- Pen
- Water Bottle
- Glasses
- External Hard drive
- Headphones
I’d also usually carry some lunch and a few other bits and pieces, but the above list was plenty heavy enough for the short test I wanted to perform.
The above list of items also gave me an idea of the usable space inside the bag, the one I’m reviewing is the 18L, which I think is big enough for my day to day work needs.
So, what’s the comfort verdict? In a word, great. I think because the bag is quite ‘stiff’ the bag has internal support structures, sorta like a hiking backpack would have which gives you enhanced lumbar support.
Within that lumbar support there is a sort of hole where the handle of your suitcase could pass through, you can sit the bag on top of your suitcase and then wheel the suitcase around as normal, the bag won’t budge, which is a nice touch.
This is the first backpack I’ve reviewed on the blog that has that feature, I’m surprised I haven’t seen it before as it’s really, really useful.
It also has a front chest strap to further distribute the weight around. This means that even when the bag is at it’s heaviest, it doesn’t feel like a chore to carry. It’s really comfortable.
The zips are strong and feel like they’ll last a life time. I really like that STM have styled the zipper cover in the grape colour, it really makes the bag stand out, the contrast with the off white is stunning. It’s functional too, the zipper cover will help stop those awkward moments where things get caught in the zipper and it gets jammed!
Pockets
There are two pockets on the front for quick access to either your keys, phone or wallet. The one at the top of the bag is lined in a super soft material. I’d imagine you can use that one for your phone or other belongings you don’t want to scratch.
Having gone back and re-read the blurb on their website, it’s actually a sun glasses pocket. But, use it for whatever you like, I’m sure STM won’t mind.
Inside the bag there’s the main storage compartment aswell as an abundance of pockets for just about every conceivable thing you could imagine you’d need to carry with you. The STM Myth has been really well designed, they’ve managed to make the 18L bag feel a hell of a lot bigger with clever use of of the space available to them.
The laptop pocket is fleece lined and slightly suspended so the laptop doesn’t touch the bottom of the bag, a good design element that really helps protect your expensive laptop.
I’d still like to have seen an inch or so of foam aswell though, just to give that bit more confidence that if you do drop the bag, the laptop would be fine.
I won’t go into detail about every single pocket, you can see for your self on the photos. I did count them though, there’s 17 pockets in total, including the external ones.
How Much & Where To Buy
The STM Myth 18L backpack will set you back around £89 / $120. I did manage to find a discount code using Honey, which saved me over $20! Hit the button below to buy it from Amazon. If you wanted to sign up to Honey, click here.
You’ll also received a discount if you serve in the military or are a First responder.
STM Myth Backpack Review Summary And Verdict
As you can tell from the review above, I really like the STM Myth Backpack. It does everything it sets out to achieve and does it well. I have every confidence in the STM Myth to protect my belongings from whatever I throw at it.
I’m glad they haven’t included an external water bottle holder, I think that can sometimes ruin the symmetry of a great design. The contrasting colours look great together and it’ll suit most settings, business meetings, casual office or day to day use.
Score: 9.5 / 10
The only thing I’d like to see changed is the inclusion of a bit more foam padding in the laptop sleeve. So it doesn’t quite get a 10/10 but it’s damned close!
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CodeWithMike is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com.
