For the past two and a half years I’ve been using a Targus laptop backpack to haul my iBook (and later MacBook) and assorted school goodies. It’s gone on trips to Southern California and UC Davis and has come with me to school and work on a daily basis. I had to retire my trusty Targus backpack after the zippers on the laptop and main books compartments failed. Since I no longer have to haul monster-sized textbooks with me, I decided to go with something a bit smaller than my large Targus backback. I take the bus to Berkeley on a daily basis and it’s often crowded; there’s nothing more difficult than moving on an already crowded bus than having a giant bag strapped to your back. Today I took a visit to UC Berkeley’s on-campus computer store (which isn’t a hard thing to do being I work there) and bought myself a small STM Sphere backpack.

In case you haven’t heard of it, STM is an Austriallian company specializing in cases and bags for laptops and iPods. Their products tend to be Apple- and Mac-friendly; their Rebound and Glove sleeves come in Mac-specific sizes and STM advertises the Sphere as MacBook compatible. I already owned an STM Glove sleeve for my MacBook, which is part of the reason why I opted for an STM backpack as well.

A good place to start is the overall appearance of the bag. The small Sphere comes in two variations, chrcoal+light gray (various shades of gray accent the diferent components of the bag) and charcoal+pink (a soft salmon color, not bright “Barbie” pink). The Sphere takes on an egg shape when looking at it straight on. Overall I found the design to be clean and attractive without being too showy. The bag itself feels like it’s well made; simply put, it doesn’t feel cheap at all.

The Sphere has three main compartments: one for books, folders, or whatever else you need to take with you; one for the laptop; and one for other electronic goodies with special pockets for a PDA, cell phone, and CD player, and opens up wide for easy access to all your stuff (see photo to the right).  There are a few other smaller pockets on the backpack as well for other miscellaneous goodies. The laptop compartment features a water-resistant zipper so you can feel safe when you take your lappy out into a torrential downpour. I wouldn’t try dunking the bag into a swimming pool, though; it’s not a Lilipod, after all. By itself the laptop compartment is pretty well padded, and is soft enough that I feel fairly comfortable with putting my MacBook in there without a sleeve. STM includes a couple extra pieces of padding and shock protection with the bag. One is a fairly conventional foam insert that you can place at the bottom of the laptop compartment. The other is an “inner sole” that can be inserted into the bottom of the laptop compartment, and is designed to absorb impacts caused from everyday carelessness. The inner sole stays in place thanks to two velcro strips that run on its bottom and sides. Both the inner sole and extra foam are optional, but I suggest using the inner sole at least. Since it is a small backpack--that’s the point of the small Sphere, after all--don’t expect to be able to haul large textbooks with you. For people like me who carry a couple folders, a notebook or two, and some paperback novels, it’s enough space. And it’s great on crowded busses--no more whacking other passengers in the face!

STM bags tend to be a little difficult to find in stores outside of Austrailia, unfortunately. Your best bet would be to visit Radtech’s web site since they sell most if not all of STM’s product line. STM does list stores that carry their products on their web site. Regardless, I highly recommend giving an STM a try as your next laptop bag. It’s awesome. Five out of five.