I use this bag for work-- it's much better than a breifcase.  Briefcases  have too many sections and are usually too heavy before you put anything inside.  This bag is less than 4 pounds I believe.  I keep my 15" laptop in a protective sleeve, so don't need a separate section for it.  I can shove my laptop, notebook, work papers, lunch, etc... into the big open space with ease.  The pockets on the inside and outside are very handy--good for things like vitimins, hand sanitizer, pens, etc...  I especially like the pockets on either side--perfect for water bottles.  You can kinda push all the stuff inside the bag to the other side if you decide to put something thick in one side pocket.  The handle seems stronge enough and goes up and down smoothly.  You can stuff the bag to the max and there's no threat whatsoever of it tipping over.  I was looking for something with big ripley wheels.  This bag has small, smooth wheels--hopefully they will hold up okay.  Finally, this bag looks really nice--nice design and color (blue).  Great alternative to the boring, ugly, usually all black briefcase.