WooOOoOOO!!! I absolutely LOVE my Osprey Nova daypack!!! I just returned from its "trial run": a grueling, 3-week trip in Japan, which involved planes, trains, automobiles and LOTS of walking with all my luggage - a crazy-busy mixup of every kind of transportation that really put the Osprey to the test. SO many things to LOVE about it. Only TWO things are not optimal, so I may as well get them out of the way first: 1.) The hip strap is a joke! It's so skinny that it provides almost zero comfort or load assistance. Even so, I used it every single time I had the pack on. Being 63 (and active) I need to take care of my back. But I wondered why a more substantial, padded strap wasn't provided. Granted, this is a "daypack", but mine was about 20+ lbs fully loaded with laptop, electronics and liquids.

2.) The mesh side pouches meant to hold water bottles or small items is simply TOO short, and lacks a secure mechanism (bungee cord, something to close off the pouch?) to hold things in. There are straps, but they are so low down that they actually extrude water bottles OUT. I ended up losing a couple bottles of iced tea en-route when placing the daypack in the overhead compartment. By contrast, the side pouches on my larger Kelty bag (which my husband was using) hold a 32-oz bottle NO PROB! That's where I ended up putting liquids for the trip.

But I niggle!!! In every single other way, shape, form I LOVE this daypack. Beautiful color, VERY comfy shoulder straps, LOTS of pockets inside and out to store everything from keys (on a secure keyring), to credit cards, to flat gift items & paperwork, to my laptop, to bulkier items in the middle, to smaller bags of things in the front zip pouch, to my scarf or light jacket in the open pouch at front. This bag has clearly been put through the testing wringer to get optimal use. That's why it's puzzling that the hip strap and mesh side pouches were added like an afterthought?

The #1 reason I bought this daypack was for the stated benefit of NEVER having to remove my laptop when going through airport security. Um. Which country does that apply to? In Japan, the laptop had to be taken out at both domestic AND international airport security checks. But since I mainly travel in the US, I'm hoping to put that convenient feature to the test later this year. This feature - being able to unzip the bag and lay it flat to run through the security scanner - is FABULOUS, and could really save time & hassle in those long lines.

Henceforth, this Osprey Nova will be my go-to pack for travel - both near and far. I had found it first at REI, but the color selection was limited, so I surfed up to Amazon, and VOILA! Got the pack of my dreams for the most part.