Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is a perfect travel companion for my eBags Mother Lode TLS Mini 21" Wheeled Duffel, which has been my go-to carry-on bag for the last four years. Large enough to carry a substantial amount of luggage but clean and professional looking. Too large for everyday use but ideal for plane/train/bus travel. I was torn between the Weekender and the Laptop Slim, unsure whether the Laptop Slim could carry enough to make it worthwhile when traveling, and unsure whether the Weekender was small enough to work as a personal item when boarding a flight. I ended up purchasing both (the Laptop Slim through Amazon and the Weekender through eBags directly, which is why I am not marked as a verified purchaser). Here is the quick and dirty now that I have had a chance to test each one out: ***The size difference is not as great as I would have expected. See pics. ***My previous travel backpack was a North Face Surge, which did not ever seem too large for a backpack. Notice how close in size it is to both the Slim and the Weekender. The rectangular shape of the eBags backpacks makes them seem larger/bulkier than they actually are. ***The Weekender is almost as large as the Mother Lode TLS 21". However it still fits comfortably over the Mother Lode handle when fully extended. ***The Weekender DOES FIT under the seat in front of you. If stored long-ways it juts out as far as the seat's metal frame with a narrow bit of space just wide enough to get one foot next to it. If stored sideways it is a very tight squeeze (window seat) but does still fit. You get an extra two or three inches of room but no space to stick a foot under the seat. In either configuration there is plenty of room between the top of the bag and the bottom of the seat. The pics illustrate the fit on a Boeing 737. ***I had no problem wearing the Weekender as a backpack when boarding. Nobody questioned my "personal item" or asked me to check (gate or otherwise) either of my bags despite it being a very full flight. In terms of practical packing volume, I was able to pack the following comfortably (still had room for a bit more if needed): -2 pairs of pants, rolled up -2 polo shirts and 2 button-down shirts, folded -Underwear for four days -2 T-shirts and 2 pairs of basketball shorts, rolled up -4 pairs of socks -13 inch laptop -7 inch tablet -In the hard compartment: computer charger, computer mouse, two phone chargers -In the front organizational pocket: passport, checkbook, gum, keys, earbuds, wallet, necktie. ***I did not have an additional pair of shoes and my toiletries bag went in my duffel. Including either of those items in the Weekender would likely have meant getting rid of some of the other packed clothes. All in all a well-designed, quality-made backpack for travel. Too large to use daily, but the Professional Slim offers similar styling and functionality for everyday purposes, and stands in well as a personal item if you don't need much additional luggage capacity beyond your carry on suitcase when flying.