I wanted a replacement for my Northface backpack, and was worried that I wouldnt find anything nice looking that had the same size. This is as big, if not a bit bigger (taller) than my old pack. It doesnt have as many inner pockets, which is a bit of a bummer, but I do like the well-padded laptop slot and the fact that the front pocket has a zipper under the buckles. I haven't seen how well it holds up in the rain yet, but I hear these bags are pretty rugged. I like it a lot so far.