A small day backpack that slims down to a compact size is the perfect companion when traveling light!
The STM Banks is a well designed compact backpack that is made with hard wearing material and, it has lots of compartments to help you sort out cables, chargers, a battery bank, a headphone carry case, a portable console, tablet, laptop and other electronics.
There is also plenty of space too inside the STM Banks for non-electronic items such as books, sunglasses and, even a clean change of shirt to change into.
The STM Banks backpack features two internal pass-through loopholes and an orange cable management clip to neatly route a cable or cord between compartments from the laptop compartment all the way to the small zip pocket on the front.
There is no pass-through loophole to the outside of the bag though; hence you won't be able to run a headphone cable or charging cable from the inside to the outside of the bag.
The small front zip pocket integrates a non-removable plastic keyclip, two small padded open pouches and a zip pouch that can double as a school pencil pouch. The padded pouches are large enough to fit a smartphone or powerbank.

The small front zip pocket is also large enough for small bulky items such as a lunchbox, a small water bottle and/or sandwich baguette.
The zip seams have hidden teeth with YKK number 8 golden brass zips with eyelets and webbing pull tabs with durable, reinforced stitching that won't easily break. YKK number 8 zips are heavier duty than, say, YKK number 5 zips.
The side pockets are solidly stitched up. The side pockets measure 21cm long and 11cm wide so, they are large with good depth. That said, the side pockets are non-elastic and only have an internal expansion of 3cm.
The side pockets being so narrow, they are very small to store a water bottle, especially when the bag is full of gear.
The base of the STM Banks is made of the same material as the rest of the bag so, it doesn't integrate  PU leather or PVC material to make the base more rugged, especially when placing the bag on a wet surface. That said, the base of the STM Banks and the rest of the bag have a water resistant coating on it.
The backside panel of the STM Banks is nicely padded with foam and covered with breathable fabric stitched up in a cross-section pattern. This cross pattern creates light grooves for air to pass through and ventilate your back so, it doesn't get as sweaty.
The backside foam padded panel measures 43cm high and 25cm wide. The outer dimensions of the backpack are 45.5cm tall, 31.5 wide and 16.5cm deep (thick).
The shoulder straps measure 46cm long and 7cm wide and have a curvature to them that allow them to fit more securely on the shoulders.
The STM Banks shoulder straps integrate the same polyethylene foam found on the rest of the bag. Polyethylene foam is closed-cell and the same type used for shock absorbing, packaging and thermal insulation applications.
Not all backpacks use closed-cell, which also has the advantage of being more durable and longer lasting because it is impenetrable by mold and bacterial agents which would decay the foam otherwise.
On the front of the shoulder straps, there is a plastic chest strap built-in with adjustable buckle and adjusting rails to allow you to position the sternum strap higher or lower on the chest. The webbing excess of the shoulder straps are managed via elastic bands.
The dimensions of the laptop space are 25.5cm, 37.5cm and 3cm so, it will fit most 15-inch laptops and larger thinner laptops such as a 16-inch MacBook Pro.
The laptop compartment is reinforced with extra padding around the corners and designed to be suspended within the bag itself, further from the impact areas of the bag (sides and bottom of the bag).
The middle compartment features two open sleeve pockets with the same quilted stitch pattern found on the laptop compartment. There is also a school pencil type zip pouch attached to a detachable webbing clip.
The middle compartment also features a small zip pouch compartment on top, which is lined with soft fleece-like material.
The middle compartment is larger with a roomier bottom than the laptop compartment so, most of the 18-litre capacity of the STM Banks resides in this middle compartment.
Aside from being able to fit a tablet or A4 binder, you will be able to fit larger bulkier items like a pair of shoes and/or gym gear.
As mentioned earlier, the STM Banks is hard wearing. It is made with 100% MVS polyester yarns, using Murata vortex spinning (MVS), which is an air-jet spinning technology different to the traditional process most polyester backpacks undergo where the polyester yarns are twisted (or ring spun) together to the make the yarn and then, woven to make the material.
With Vortex spinning, the polyester yarns are formed by air pressure flows and then, knitted to make the fabric. This makes the STM Banks outer-shell have a rugged denim-like texture to it, while being lightweight, weighing just 990 grams.