The STM Myth backpack is designed with two things in mind: Style, so it looks good, and storage, so you can grab a ton of tech inside it when you’re on the move. And it pretty much nails it on both counts…
You know what? I’ve never reviewed a backpack before. I’ve owned plenty over the years, but never have I actually sat down and reviewed one. All that changes today, however, as I’ve just spent the last couple of months testing and using the STM Myth, a premium backpack designed with technology lovers in mind.
Let’s get a few key things out of the way first, however, things like its features, size, dimensions, and materials. Once we’ve done this we can then get down into the nitty-gritty of what this backpack is like to use and travel with on a regular basis. And find out whether it’s worth $119.
STM Myth Review: Design & Key Features
The big deal about the STM Myth, or why it costs so much, is the fact that it has pockets, holes, and pouches for just about every piece of technology you’re every likely to own – from portable phone chargers to dedicated pouches for your AirPods, this backpack has it all.
Best Place To Buy | STM Store | $119.95
Not only that but ALL your gear is held in place securely so that it doesn’t bump and move around. This makes the process of transporting a bunch of technology from A to B a hell of a lot nicer. I’ve never owned a backpack that was specifically designed for lugging tech around, but now that I’ve experienced it I know for a fact I could not go back to my old one.
The STM Myth backpack itself is available in the following colors: Granite Black, Slate Blue, and Windsor Wine. My review unit was the Slate Blue option, though I think I’d probably go with the Granite Black given the choice. In terms of look and feel, the STM Myth is a good-looking backpack, it comes neatly packaged, and looks as premium as you’d imagine.
It’s smart and unique-enough, with respect to design and aesthetics, to stand out from the crowd and, thanks to its 18-liter internal capacity, it’s got plenty of room for your gear, as well as a spare pair of clothes and underwear, inside it. From the outside it’s great, I love the way it looks and I like the use of premium-feel materials inside and out. But what’s really cool about the STM Myth is what’s on the inside.
This backpack is designed for heavy tech users; the guys and gals that use a range of devices in their day-to-day. If you’ve got a phone, a tablet, a laptop, AirPods, and a camera and you want to move them all around in a single place, the STM Myth has you covered with room to spare. And while that all sounds rather heavy, the STM Myth’s strap design, thanks to some engineering voodoo I don’t really understand, manages to evenly distribute weight across your entire back which makes lugging your gear across massive airports a hell of a lot easier.
It’s also got an air channel back panel system that is designed to keep your back cool in warm and hot environments. As someone that isn’t averse to working up a sweat, this aspect of the backpack was easy to test. I loaded up the STM Myth and took my dog for a 90-minute walk in the sun. Did my back get sweaty? Yes. Was it better than my other backpack? Yes – and while it is impossible to gage sweat levels (there’s just so many variables), it was infinitely better and a lot more comfortable than my usual backpack which, FYI, I paid almost $130 for.
As noted in the intro to the post, I’ve never reviewed a backpack before. Similarly, I’ve never really thought about things like comfort or weight distribution when buying a backpack. Usually, I take a look at a backpack in a store, eyeball it to see if I could stash all my gear in it, and then I buy it – that’s been my entire process since I was at school.
The STM Myth showed me that I have been doing backpacks totally wrong for, like, my entire life. Not all backpacks are created equal or, as I have now learned, with the same things in mind. Some backpacks are great for books and a pair of jeans, like my current one, while others are specifically designed for transporting all your technology in a comfortable manner like the STM Myth.
From a design perspective, the STM Myth is a good-looking, stylish backpack that not only looks awesome doing its thing but is also super-comfortable to wear – even when it is chock full of tech. Again, though, there’s yet more to this story. I now need to tell you about how the STM Myth’s storage works because it is unlike any other backpack I have ever owned.
Storage – How It Works
There’s a lot to get through here, so I’ll get right to it. The STM Myth’s main compartment is accessed via a zipper that runs along the entire outer edge of the pack. This means that when you open it fully, the backpack opens like a pair of jaws, exposing all the compartments inside it which makes it super easy to load up and organize. Ideal if you got OCD.
The back of the STM Myth’s interior is felt-lined and soft to the touch. The main compartment at the back is where your laptop goes; once your laptop is in there, it sits flush to your back when you’re wearing it. Below this compartment, moving downwards, you have a series of smaller compartments where you can put things like your Kindle, a spare mobile phone, documents, pens, and stationery, as well as things like spare batteries for your camera.
Best Place To Buy | STM Store | $119.95
All told, there are 9 compartments of varying size located inside the backpack which means you can fit pretty much everything you need inside it – from your laptop to pens and pencils and notepads and spare batteries for your DSLR camera. Honestly, I have a lot of tech as part of my job and I have never managed to fill them all – even on overseas trips. Still, as anyone that lives in a city will tell you, it’s always nice to have more than you need when it comes to storage.
Do you still use wired headphones? If so, you’re in luck. The STM Myth has a special cable tie located right at the top of the front panel of the backpack. You can use this cable tie to ensure your headphones, when not in use, don’t get all tangled up inside your bag. Below this, you have even more storage compartments, as well as a dedicated pouch for a portable charger that features a hole that lets you connect and charge your phone and/or laptop/tablet inside the backpack itself.
On the front exterior of the STM Myth, you’ll find two additional pouches, one right at the top, this is where you can put your phone and, thanks to the hole we just talked about, charge it while it is in your bag. The larger compartment, located slightly below, is for, well, whatever you like I guess – it’s big enough to accommodate a Kindle and your wallet, although I probably wouldn’t store my wallet there (hello, pickpockets).
Traveling With The STM Myth
OK, we’ve talked about pretty much everything the STM Myth can do. The next obvious question is what’s it like to travel with? Luckily for me, I was lucky enough to get out of the country before the entire world shut down. I took the STM Myth with me, loaded with technology. My flight was a long one – 10+ hours – and the STM Myth was the perfect companion.
I had my phone, my laptop, my AirPods, my iPad, and my Kindle, as well as a portable charger, so I could juice up anything that needed a top-up during the flight. Traveling with the STM Myth was great too; it’s really comfortable to wear, it doesn’t take up much room despite its myriad compartments, and, as a nice side bonus, it looks really great doing it.
And this isn’t just me being nice; the dude sat next to me, after seeing my unloading and loading stiff into it, asked me where I got it from. Apparently he’d been looking for something similar but could not find anything that suited his needs. As I said, it’s a good-looking backpack.
STM Myth Review: Conclusion & Verdict
Should you buy the STM Myth? It depends. As a standard backpack, it’s probably not worth the asking price. Plus, the entire interior is geared towards transporting technology, not spare clothes and underwear.
If you’re the type of guy or gal that travels a lot, however, and has to lug around a lot of technology with you whenever you do, the STM Myth is a damn-near perfect backpack for this exact circumstance.
It looks gorgeous, is available in a range of colors, and it can literally hold more technology than most people own comfortably. On top of this, it is super comfortable to wear, even when it’s fully loaded. I use mine all the time when I’m traveling for work and it is has been bloody marvelous, a proper eye-opener for me.
Previously, my laptop and phone and peripherals were just wedged into a standard backpack. This made the backpack extremely uncomfortable to wear for even short periods of time. With the STM Myth, everything has its own compartment and, thanks to the design of the straps, the weight is perfectly distributed across your back.
Can you tell I’m a little bit in love with this thing?
Best Place To Buy | STM Store | $119.95
Richard Goodwin
Richard Goodwin has been working as a tech journalist for over 10 years. He is the editor and owner of KnowYourMobile.