Troubadour Apex 4.0 EPX review: the backpack that thinks it’s better than you

Verdict

The Troubadour Apex 4.0 EPX is what happens when a backpack goes to finishing school. It stands up on its own, it shrugs off rain like it’s mildly offended by the concept, and it will make your gym bag look like something a raccoon dragged out of a skip. What it will not do is hold as much as the label promises, forgive you for shoving a banana in at the last minute, or come with a chest strap, because apparently that’s an indignity too far for a bag this smart. If you want a backpack that looks like it bills by the hour, this is it. If you want one that just quietly does backpack things without an ego, keep reading for the alternatives.

Pros

• Looks like it costs more than it does, which is genuinely rare in a world of bags that look like they cost less
• EPX laminate fabric shrugs off a downpour like it’s simply beneath its notice
• The CrashPad Cocoon laptop sleeve suspends your 17-inch machine like it’s precious cargo, because to you, it is
• Keeps its crisp, ironed-shirt silhouette whether it’s empty or stuffed to bursting

Cons

• Advertised as 22L, behaves like 15-17L once you actually try to live in it
• Once it’s full, retrieving anything from an inside pocket requires the patience of a bomb disposal technician
• No sternum strap in the box, on a bag proud enough to charge a premium price for the privilege of adding one yourself
  

Quick specs

Style	Structured EDC backpack
Fabric	EPX laminate, waterproof, eco-friendly construction
Laptop compartment	CrashPad Cocoon sleeve, fits up to 17-inch devices, dual lockable zippers
Claimed capacity	22L
Real-world capacity	Closer to 15-17L
Straps	S-shaped, contoured shoulder straps; sternum strap sold separately
Back panel	Sculpted 3D mesh with ventilation channels
Extras	Origami quiver pocket, AirTag slot, integrated luggage pass-through

Price and availability

Troubadour’s UK pricing for the standard Apex 4.0 sits at £249, and the EPX version, with its fancier fabric, typically commands a premium of around £20-30 on top of that, putting it somewhere around £279 depending on colourway and any current promotions on Troubadour’s own site. That’s a proper “are you sure” price for a backpack, so it’s worth checking Troubadour’s site directly before buying, since exact EPX pricing can shift with colour and stock. Either way, budget separately for the sternum strap if you want one, because it doesn’t come free with a bag this pleased with itself.

Design and build: a bag with main character energy

Let’s address the elephant in the room, or rather, the incredibly structured rectangle in the room. This bag stands up on its own. Put it down on a train platform, a coffee shop floor, or the tiled expanse of an office lobby, and it doesn’t slump over like every other backpack you’ve ever owned. It just… stands there, upright, smug, like it’s waiting for someone to ask it a difficult question in a job interview.

That’s thanks to the EPX laminate fabric, Troubadour’s most advanced material yet, which is both eco-friendly (100% recycled, PFAS-free, Bluesign-approved, all the boxes ticked) and genuinely tough enough to survive weather that would reduce a lesser backpack to a soggy regret. It resists tears from spreading rather than just resisting tears full stop, which sounds like a small distinction until you’ve watched a rip travel four inches across a cheaper bag in real time.

The rigidity is a double-edged sword, though, and we’ll get to that. For now, just admire the leather-bonded handles and the refined panelling. This is a bag that has clearly spent time looking in the mirror and liking what it sees.

Pocket layout and organisation: beautifully sorted, occasionally spiteful

On paper, the organisation here is genuinely excellent. The rear laptop compartment is the star of the show: a microfibre-lined, suspended CrashPad Cocoon that cradles up to a 17-inch laptop like it’s escorting royalty through customs, complete with a weather flap and dual lockable zippers for anyone who’s ever eyed a stranger on the tube with suspicion. The main compartment offers flat-floor access with stretch mesh and zippered pockets, there’s a front vertical pocket with an AirTag slot for the eternally paranoid, and a new magnetic Origami Quiver pocket on the shoulder strap replaces the older zippered version, letting you grab your card or phone without breaking stride.

Here’s the catch, and it’s a big one: all of this beautifully considered organisation only stays beautifully considered until the bag is actually full. Pack it properly, the way you would any other 22-litre bag, and suddenly sliding a water bottle into the side sleeve or fishing your headphones out of an interior pocket becomes a genuine two-handed operation. The rigid structure that makes the bag stand up so proudly on an empty train platform is the same structure that turns “quickly grab your keys” into “unpack half the bag on a bench while people watch.”

The great capacity con

Troubadour calls this a 22-litre bag. We call it aspirational. In real-world testing, once you account for the padding, the rigid frame and the suspended laptop pocket eating into usable space, you’re realistically working with something closer to 15-17 litres. That’s not a scandal, exactly, plenty of premium bags round up, but it is worth knowing before you try to pack for a long weekend and discover your jumper simply will not negotiate with this bag’s sense of personal space.

Comfort and harness system: mostly lovely, one glaring omission

The updated S-shaped shoulder straps are a genuine highlight, contoured to follow your body line with softer padding straight out of the box, none of the usual “give it a few weeks to break in” nonsense some premium bags expect you to tolerate. The back panel’s sculpted 3D mesh does a reasonable job of keeping air moving, with pronounced channels that stop your shirt from becoming a swamp on a warm commute.

And then, right at the point where you’d expect a premium backpack to finish the job, it doesn’t. No sternum strap in the box. On a bag pushing towards £280, that’s the kind of omission that makes you raise an eyebrow, particularly on longer walks or a proper hike where a chest strap earns its keep by stopping the whole bag from swaying like it’s had one too many. You’ll need to buy one separately, which feels a bit like being charged extra for the seatbelt.

Verdict

The Troubadour Apex 4.0 EPX is a genuinely brilliant-looking, weatherproof, beautifully organised bag that will make you look like you have your life together even on days you very much do not. It excels in the office, on the commute, and anywhere you need to look sharp while carrying a laptop that matters to you. Where it stumbles is anywhere real flexibility is required: pack it full, try to grab something quickly, or take it somewhere that needs more than 17 litres of actual usable space, and its rigid structure starts working against you rather than for you.

Buy it if you want a bag that looks the business and treats your laptop like a VIP guest. Skip it if you actually need the 22 litres it claims to offer, or you’re not prepared to buy a sternum strap on principle.

Direct alternatives

Aer City Pack Pro 2: a more rugged build with a genuinely intuitive front admin panel and, notably, an included sternum strap, though it leans more tech-urban and looks less at home in a boardroom.

Waterfield Shinjuku: a proper heritage piece in canvas and premium leather, for anyone who wants luxury over laminate and doesn’t mind paying significantly more for it.

Modern Dayfarer V2: similar sleek European styling with better quick-access points at a lower price, though it feels noticeably less structured and padded once it’s empty.