Troubadour Apex 4.0 laptop backpack review: Smart bag with clever compartments

Price When Reviewed

$249

Best Prices Today: Troubadour Apex 4.0 Backpack

One of Macworld’s favorite backpacks, fine enough to carry our beloved MacBook, is the Apex from premium bag maker Troubadour. The company doesn’t just make a bag and then move onto the next one. Like a technology company, it makes regular product updates, refining the design based on customer feedback. The Apex backpack is now up to version 4.0 with multiple small enhancements, although we miss the 3.0’s hidden AirTag pocket. The Apex 3.0, by the way, is still available and a little cheaper, although we’d expect the older version to disappear from the shelves when stock is gone.

First, let’s look why we liked the previous Apex versions so much. All bags we recommend must keep our (and your) technology safe as we move it around with us—whether that’s carried on the daily commute, slung by café tables, dragged around airport departures halls, or stuffed into overhead compartments.

The Apex is one of few laptop backpacks that looks great even with a suit. It’s chic as well as a premium build for comfort, and—most importantly for MacBook owners—full of laptop and tech accessory organizer compartments.

Inside is kept just as smart, with the zips and clips matching the bag’s outer color, of which there are six: a classic Black, Ink Blue and a similar Basalt, a maroon Bronze Red and a unique Smoke Green.

Three main Apex designs

Apex 4.0 Backpack

• Fits up to 17-inch laptop
• Height: 19 inches (48cm)
• Width: 12.6 inches (32cm)
• Depth: 6 inches (15cm)
• Capacity: 22L
• Weight: 2.7lbs (1.22kg)

Apex 4.0 Compact Backpack

There’s also a Compact version available that’s less tall:

• Fits up to 16-inch laptop
• Height: 16 inches (41cm)
• Width: 11.5 inches (29cm)
• Depth: 5.5 inches (14cm)
• Capacity: 15L
• Weight: 2.5lbs (1.13kg)

Apex Travel Backpack

And for longer journeys away from home, a Travel version is taller, wider and can expand significantly:

• Height: 22 inches (56cm)
• Width: 16.5 inches (42cm)
• Depth: 6.3 inches (16cm)
• Capacity: 42L
• Weight: 3.04 lbs (1.38kg)

The Apex 4.0 is built around three major sections that host a total of 10 cleverly designed pockets and enclosures. At the front for quick, easy access there’s a zipped pocket with a handy, long-strapped key fob tucked inside. This front section is usable even when the main compartment is full.

If front-loaded fast-access storage is a priority you might consider Troubadour’s smaller everyday 22L Neo backpack that features a zipped pocket with three compartments and a small, concealed zipper pocket to keep your valuables—a passport just fits. Below that there’s a neat even-easier-access pocket with a magnetic closure and (similar to the Apex 4.0) key fob.

The Apex 4.0’s 22L capacity is less than the Apex 3.0’s 25L but it feels generous enough for a day trip and easily enough for a packed commute. It’s not one for the weekly shop, however. For that you might consider its more capacious sibling, the large yet attractive 42L Apex Travel backpack.

The main section features a generous three zipped pockets (one mesh) that are large and deep enough for your tech (and other) essentials—good places to keep your charger and cables. These are boosted by three identical flexed leather-tabbed pockets for faster access. This section keeps its shape even when full.

The 3.0 had an AirTag pocket, but this is gone from the 4.0, so you’ll have to just drop one in a pocket if you want to use this method of locating a backpack away from your grasp.

Behind the main section, your MacBook is very well protected by what Troubadour calls a “Crashpad Cocoon”, which suspends and cushions not just any laptop up to 17 inches in size but an additional smaller laptop or more likely iPad. The Compact version of the Apex fits a laptop up to 16 inches so even that model would still be large enough for Apple’s biggest MacBook.

This laptop compartment is right at the back, making it easier to extract at airport security or blindly in a darkened conference room. Interior contrast lining doesn’t just add some sophistication, it enhances visibility and facilitates pocket and item discoverability.

At one side of the backpack is a sturdy bottle holder, expanded by 2cm to carry up to a 1-litre container.

Opposite, the other side upright pocket is now zipped for added security but will still accommodate a water bottle or flask if you need two or maybe an umbrella to keep the water off you and the backpack. The exterior eco-engineered FortiWeave fabric— spun from recycled plastic bottles—of the Apex 4.0 has fluorocarbon-free weather-proofing and abrasion resistance.

The Apex 3.0 featured a hidden, secure zipped phone pocket on one of the shoulder straps that could be reached without taking off the bag. The Apex 4.0 swaps this for a non-zipped but crafty new Quiver Pocket, a magnetic origami-inspired opening with high-tension strap webbing and adjustable backstop.

The Apex 4.0 backpack is comfortable to wear and features a new and rather lovely leather-bonded grab handle with soft padding for one-handed carrying carry comfort and durability.

Other Apex 4.0 upgrades include: re-engineered back straps; newly designed adjusters to eliminate slippage; a sculpted 3D mesh back (with a discreet over-luggage sleeve) for more breathable support.

Which Apex backpack should you buy

All three Troubadour Apex backpacks are comfortable with padded S-curve shoulder straps, stylish looks with eco-friendly materials and water-proofing, smart section and pocket organization, and robust laptop protection.

The Apex 4.0 is the sensible middle choice in terms of size with its 22L capacity, but if you fancy a smaller pack on your back the Compact Apex 4.0 (15L) is three inches shorter with a little less space inside.

The Apex Travel is an easier decision as the capacity is so much greater, and it has significant travel features such as a side handle so it can be carried like a duffle bag plus the fact that it packs like a suitcase with a fold-out-flat lid design. It’s designed for long weekends and one-bag travel and meets the carry-on requirements on most major airlines—although it’s worth checking against your favorite carrier’s maximum limits.

Just to make your decision more effort, Troubadour has a non-Apex backpack, the Neo. The company states this is more for everyday use with its light weight, and it weighs 0.4lbs less than the Apex 4.0 and has the same capacity (22L). We’ve put them side by side and each has its points over the other (the Apex’s Quiver Pocket is a nice touch but so is the Neo’s magnetic-closure front compartment). I’d pick the Apex 4.0 over the Neo just on smarter looks, not that the Neo looks shabby—although that price difference will tempt many.

Someone described the Neo as having more of a “start-up feel” compared to the Apex’s “boardroom” looks. That doesn’t stop start-up founders buying the Apex or CEOs slinging on a Neo, but you get the idea, I hope.

And to confuse matters further Troubadour has an even smarter backpack, the more expensive $279 Matrix. At 20L, this slimmer bag is notably smaller than the Apex 4.0 but does boast a great open-flat vegan leather front pocket. The Matrix may tempt you if your load is smaller, and it makes a great commuter bag for the smart set. Read our Troubadour Matrix review for more details.

Price

There’s no disguising the fact that the Troubadour Apex 4.0 Backpack is a premium laptop backpack not just in looks and organizational savvy but price ($249/£249) too. If you want a cheap backpack, look elsewhere or see if Amazon is having a sale.

The slightly smaller Compact Apex 4.0 Backpack is priced a little cheaper at $229/£229. You won’t choose the Compact just to save a few bucks. That decision will come down to size, with the 15L Compact being three inches shorter than the 22L Apex 4.0 but much less capacious.

At $329/£329 the Apex Travel Backpack costs a decent amount more but at 42L expanded it could save you bags of cash in cabin-vs-hold luggage fees.

An alternative from the same company is the lighter Neo Backpack—a tempting cost saving priced at $179/£179 compared to the Apex 4.0’s $249/£249. With its vegan leather elements, the Apex looks smarter. That’s not to say that the Neo looks cheap—far from it—but there’s certain luxe to the Apex that sets it aside. That said, the Neo is a well-organized good-looking backpack that will suit many, and the price saving will be appreciated.

Finally, from Troubadour, the $279 Matrix is another fine backpack that will suit discerning MacBook owners.

If you just want a backpack that protects your laptop but doesn’t have to look the business and comes in cheaper, consider the many cheaper alternatives in our best laptop backpack feature. Remember though that trusting your precious laptop to something from the bottom shelf of a department store luggage aisle may not offer the device protection and user comfort that you gain from a premium backpack.

Coming in cheaper than the Apex is the $159 Alpaka Bravo Backpack, which is around the same size (23L) and has a fold-down front section for easy access to your essentials inside. We think the Apex looks smarter but the Bravo design might better suit your needs and pocket.

Should you buy the Troubadour Apex 4.0 Backpack?

Smart enough to be worn with a suit and full of smartly considered features, but still with space for a middle-distance traveller, the Troubadour Apex 4.0 repays its high price with style and on-the-go easy-access, secure storage.