We review quite a few hardware devices including laptops here at Techaeris. But what do you do use when you are transporting your laptop to and from work, school, or a friend’s house? Our STM Velocity Haven review takes a look at a laptop backpack with a cable routing system and multiple compartments for protecting and transporting your laptop.
Specifications
The STM Velocity Haven Laptop Backpack includes the following features and specifications:
- Main material(s): 300d dobby with water resistant coating
- Lining: 200d poly
- Device space: 10 x 14.8 x 1.2 in / 25.5 x 37.5 x 3 cm
- Capacity: 20L
- Weight: 1.87 lbs / 0.85 kg
- Dedicated SlingTech section – external access, zippered compartment for your laptop and tablet, suspended off the floor of the bag for extra protection
- Cable Ready – STM’s proprietary cable routing system with purpose-built pockets, ports between sections, and integrated cable management to store, access, and charge your devices while keeping your bag organized
- Internal fleece lined sunglasses pocket
- Internal document sleeve – your paperwork is stored safely
- Stretch bottle pocket
- Front overflow pocket for quick storage
- External zippered pocket with cable pass-through for easy charge and access to your phone
- Air mesh harness and channeled back system for comfort and ventilation over the long haul
- Adjustable sternum strap lightens the load
- Elastic power pocket for stowing your laptop’s charging brick and cards
Design
As far as looks go, the STM Velocity Haven backpack is pretty non-descript, and looks like most ordinary backpacks. It is available in a number of colours which include black, frost grey, Moroccan blue, and steel. The only branding on the backpack is the STM logo stitched in white on the upper right hand area of the front of the backpack and on the left shoulder strap.
The front of the backpack features an open pouch for quick storage. Just behind this pouch is a zippered compartment (we’ll call it compartment one) which has four mini-compartments inside for storing pens, pencils, rulers, smartphones, and anything else you can think of to fit in them. This zippered compartment also features another zippered compartment roughly the size of a pencil case and includes a plastic clip on a piece of fabric. Compartment one also features a tiny triangular hole in the upper left hand corner which is part of the CableReady™ Organisation system for threading cables through to other compartments.
Behind compartment one is a second zippered compartment (compartment two). On the flap facing towards the front of the backpack is a zippered fleece lined pocket to carry your sunglasses, or other items you want in a softer pocket. Below this is a sling type pouch for storing cables, chargers, and other accessories. On the opposite side of compartment two is a document sleeve for storing your paperwork. Finally, another CableReady hole is in the upper left corner of this compartment.
Next is compartment three — the compartment for storing your laptop. I had no issues fitting the Dell Inspiron 15 5000 with its 15.6″ screen in this backpack. If you reach all the way down, you’ll get the feeling that your hand isn’t reaching the bottom of the outside of the backpack, and it’s not thanks to the SlingTech technology STM uses to help protect your laptop. The front inside of this compartment includes another sleeve for storing more papers or documents.
When looking at the backpack from the front, their is a pouch on the right which has an elastic material near the back for storing a water bottle, and a zippered compartment on the left. The compartment on the left is big enough for a decent sized portable battery pack, and has a hole near the front at the top for the CableReady system. The hole feeds into compartment two, and from there you can feed it into compartment one or three and charge whichever device you wish to charge.
The back of the backpack has a cushioned back panel which features 3D foam cores with soft mesh for added comfort while carrying it on your back. The cushioned panels are on the left and right side of the back, leaving the middle open which provides an air channel for ventilation. The inside of the adjustable straps is also padded, and are connected with an adjustable sternum strap. Finally, at the top of the back of the backpack is a carrying handle for one handed carrying.
The STM Velocity Haven Laptop backpack is very well constructed, and even though it looks small can hold quite a bit of gear. The zippers are decent quality as well, and each one has a lace threaded through it to assist with zipping and unzipping. Pulling at the individual compartments and feeling how sturdily they are stitched together definitely gives the impression that this laptop backpack will last quite a while and stand up to well to wear and tear.
Protection
I mentioned the SlingTech technology used by STM in the backpack to help protect your laptop. This is achieved by using a suspended sling with extra corner padding on the bottom of the laptop compartment to keep your laptop off the floor and padded on the edges. There’s even a bit of extra padding on the edges and the outer shell that isn’t stitched directly to the inner padding which allows for some give from the inside towards the outside.
I wouldn’t be tossing this backpack with my laptop in it off a roof, but for the daily commute or regular jostling of the backpack one would expect in a school environment, I’m confident that this bag offers enough protection for your laptop.
Price/Value
The STM Velocity Haven Laptop backpack comes in at $99.99USD, which is a decent price. Considering the materials used, SlingTech technology, ample storage, and CableReady system for on the go charging, the backpack is a very good value for the price. The backpack also comes with a lifetime warranty, and that definitely adds more value.
Wrap-up
If you have a 15″ or smaller laptop and are constantly on the go with it, the STM Velocity Haven Laptop backpack with its solid construction, durable water resistant materials, and storage space will keep your laptop protected.
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