Troubadour and MUJJO are well known around these parts for delivering high-quality accessories for Apple gear and other tech. The former of which debuted its new Apex Everyday Tote a couple of weeks ago and we have been lucky enough to test drive it in person to see if it deserves to carry around your precious tech cargo. Head below for our hands-on impressions of the Troubadour MacBook Apex Everyday Tote in the latest entry to our Tested with gadgetnewsonline series.
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Hands-on with the Troubadour MacBook Apex Everyday Tote
The new Troubadour Apex Everyday Tote is ready for your MacBook or laptop with dedicated compartments for your daily driver and an item tracker alongside a few other bells and whistles to get you to where you’re going with everything you need in a water-resistant shell.
It ships in three colors and carries a $195 MSRP.
Features at a glance
- FortiWeave fabric, spun from recycled plastic bottles, for lightweight, waterproof carrying
- Waterproof, tear-resistant lining to protect your gear
- Waterproof zippers help to keep your gear dry
- Lightweight vegan leather trim for durability
- Padded laptop pocket with neoprene hood to keep your computer secure & optimise space
- Packed with clever storage for easy access to your wallet, passport, phone, keys, water bottle, snacks, cables, chargers, iPad, AirPods and AirTag
- Mesh pocket gives you an at-a-glance view of your tech essentials
- Two internal pockets for bottles or umbrellas
- Exterior rear pocket transforms into a luggage sleeve for seamless transitions between city and airport
- For all-day comfort, the non-slip detachable shoulder strap is triple bonded with vegan leather, neoprene and lightweight fabric
- Recycled metal zipper pulls for a refined, luxe finish
- Refined structure works equally well for work and casual trips
gadgetnewsonline’ Take:
The new Troubadour MacBook Tote is a well made one. It might be made from recycled plastics and vegan leather, but the whole thing presents itself in a more premium, luxurious manner. I can certainly appreciate the environmentally-conscious build we see from plenty of brands these days, but it doesn’t always result in something that feels quite as lux as the Troubadour FortiWeave fabric on display here.
The vegan leather accents on the removable shoulder strap, carry handles, and lip of the bag also help the cause, adding a touch of premium look and feel, but also some durability – it is intelligently used in high-traffic areas of the bag where a woven fabric might not be able to hold up over years of use. Whether or not this remains the case with extended packing and un-packing for years is impossible for me to say – I have only been using the bag for a couple weeks now – but it seems a smart choice to me.
Before we move inside let’s look at exterior storage options. One one side you’ll find a simple pocket for quick access to, let’s call it, medium-sized object with a zipper release along the bottom – this is so you can use the pocket as more of a large strap for larger sweaters and as a luggage. The other side contains a more typical zipper pocket for smaller accessories with another inner pocket, a slot for an Apple pencil or pen, an integrated keychain on a strap – it’s long enough to leave keys attached while you’re opening the door, as well as a dedicated AirTag or item tracker pocket. I would like to see more of a tougher elastic approach on the flaps that enclose the AirTag here, but it is otherwise quite functional and a nice bonus to the overall carrying experience.
As for the interior, I have come away mostly impressed here as well. You’ll find a pair of simple pockets on one side for accessories alongside layers of pockets on the other – a padded laptop sleeve with a weather hood to keep rain or anything else out and a magnetic closure; a smaller basic one in front of that; and a zippered mesh compartment in front of that.
On either side of the interior there are a pair of magnetic side pockets – think water bottle holder-shaped. They are really just more pockets, perhaps a good option for folks that like to carry a tumbler inside of their bag, but they have been mostly useless for my needs. The magnetic closures here aren’t of much use with something as large as a bottle in them, and there’s no elastic lips to keep things particularly secure. They are perfectly functional, likely a welcomed addition for some, but nothing overly remarkable for me.
In the end, this is a solid bag. it’s hard to fault it for much. Everything just works, it looks and feels great, and I really love the Livid green colorway on display here – it’s a sort blueish emerald tone to my eye.
The real problem with this bag is the price. It feels like it’s worth as much as the $195 sticker tag suggests it is, but it does seem as though it would do (sell) a lot better in the $140 range to me. I do think it’s fairly priced, but I think many are going to have hard time forking over anything over $200 for a tote bag they don’t plan on using everyday. If you, however, do plan on using this thing as your daily driver, say to and from work, or even just on the weekends for running errands like I have, and don’t mind paying that sort of price tag, you’ll likely be happy with your purchase. And probably for years to come.
Buy the Troubadour MacBook Apex Everyday Tote
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