Patagonia  Black Hole 32L Travel Pack

This backpack will be your best friend. It does it all, and it does it capably and confidently. It's light and versatile enough to function capably as an everyday bag, and isn't too big when not packed full. When fully packed, though, it'll hold everything you think you need and more; you could conceivably travel for weeks with only this bag. The materials and quality are exceptional; it feels like it'll last decades. It is of course somewhat organizationally lacking, but the pockets it does have are generally good enough for most uses. The brain pocket alone is the size of a purse, which is extremely helpful. The laptop compartment works really well to hold your laptop and tablet without taking too much storage space, and it's nice to be able to slip them in and out without worrying about moving stuff around inside. However, the laptop sleeve is a tight fit for my 15" laptop, and especially if my tablet is also in the compartment, it can be a bit tough to zip it closed; the compartment would benefit from being just a touch wider. Also you wouldn't easily be able to take your laptop out while wearing the bag, which may be annoying if you've got to get to it quickly, but generally it's not a problem. The TSA-approved design seems to have a decent success rate in US airports, but internationally you'll probably still have to take out your laptop and tablet. The front handle is surprisingly useful, and also is good for holding your bag on a suitcase handle when traveling. The water bottle pockets are cavernous and super elastic, and can handle pretty much anything you throw at them; long-term durability, however, may be an issue. The only major issues are the lack of a waist strap and the quality of the back panel. The absence of a waist strap is confounding; for a bag this size it would be extremely helpful, especially when hiking or running to catch a train, and wouldn't add much weight or space. The foam back panel is not raised much at all, and because there is no rigid frame, it smushes against your back and can get very sweaty very quickly. Both of these are extremely simple but significant issues, and hopefully they can be fixed in future designs. The addition of a rigid frame would be nice, as the bag is very large and soft, but it'd probably add size and weight and if you have a laptop in the compartment, it basically works as a frame anyway. It is convenient how wide the top compartment opens, but it would be nice if the zipper went all the way to the bottom of the bag, at least on one size, for full side access. Regardless, it's still easy enough to access the bag without taking everything out as it is. The daisy chains on the strap are another very nice touch, though the chest strap is just a bit too long. Even with these issues, this backpack really excels at doing what it has to do. Its beauty is in its simplicity, and if you just want to carry a lot of stuff without worrying about the durability of your bag, this is the one for you.

this bag is well made and everything i expected, but i was disappointed that my 15" laptop was too wide for the sleeve by quite a bit.