I have come to the tragic realization that my tote bag days are officially numbered. After years of happily throwing my laptop, water bottle, charger, snacks, and approximately 17 more things I don’t need into a tote and hauling it on one shoulder, my body has finally said: enough. I recently suffered a rotator cuff tear, so carrying a heavy bag on one shoulder has been basically impossible. And I’m not the only one on the Women’s Health team who has started questioning the tote life.
The obvious solution is a work backpack. Weight gets distributed across both shoulders, your hands are free, and there’s no awkward bag-sliding-off-your-shoulder situation when you’re running for the train. The problem? Finding one that doesn’t look like you’re heading to a college lecture or a three-day camping trip. I still want to look cute walking into the office.
So, over the past month, I recruited a handful of WH editors to put a bunch of stylish work backpacks through their paces. We carried laptops, gym clothes, water bottles, chargers, lunch, and all the other random stuff that somehow ends up coming with us to work, paying close attention to comfort, organization, durability, and style. The result: a list of work backpacks that are worth breaking up with your tote.
The Troubadour Apex 4.0 has made me a backpack person. I’ve been carrying it almost every day for the past three months, and the biggest surprise is how much better my shoulder feels at the end of a long day. The padded shoulder straps are super comfy and do a great job of evenly distributing the weight across both of my shoulders. Plus, I love the somewhat futuristic look with the structured shape and (vegan) leather details that never clash with my office clothes.
And it holds a lot. The standard Apex is 22 liters and fits laptops up to 17 inches, with plenty of room in the main compartment for lunch, a sweater, shoes, or whatever else I’ve decided to bring to the office that day. There are also two expandable water-bottle pockets (one zips closed), a flat front pocket for smaller essentials, and a bunch of interior compartments for chargers, cords, and other little things that turn into a tangled mess at the bottom of a bag.
I love that the laptop compartment is padded, sits toward the back of the bag, and suspends your computer above the bottom for extra protection. The straps are cushy and curve slightly inward, making it comfortable even when I’ve packed it pretty full. There’s also a padded top handle for carrying it by hand and a luggage sleeve for travel.
It’s worth noting that the standard Apex is a hefty backpack—I’m 5-foot-6, and while I like all that space, it can feel like a lot of bag when I’m not carrying much. For something more compact, there’s also a 16-liter Apex Compact that fits up to a 14-inch MacBook or 15-inch PC. For me, the extra room has been worth it.
For an affordable bag perfect for work and travel, this Amazon pick is your gal. I can’t even keep track of how many times I’ve seen this bag out in the wild (on the streets of NYC, the airport, the train) since I bought it on a whim over three years ago.