I bought this bag for a two-week trip to Europe. I wore it every day I was out and about -- both front-facing and as a backpack. It was light enough to carry around and did not get in the way of my shopping (leaning down, etc.), or eating at restaurants, yet had individual slots and compartments for my passport, ID, credit card, emergency cosmetics, water bottle, and even an umbrella!

I ended up preferring to carry it slung across my back because it was more comfortable that way. The strap is designed to be thicker as it nears the top of the bag. This design feature, while super for back-wearing, made the strap rub the side of my neck when I carried the bag on my chest. So that was the only negative. Wearing the bag on my back didn't worry me though, because both the zipper closures lock with carabiner-style locks.

I mentioned the water bottle. You can fit an entire 20-oz bottle of water inside the middle compartment of the bag and zip it up. This was a happy discovery after I received the bag and tried it out. This left the outside mesh compartment for my compact umbrella, which I needed almost every day!