This backpack is very large and it fits my books and my lunch bag with some room to spare. My previous backpack was a Teton Bookbag, which was a great backpack but it was much smaller than this one. The laptop sleeve is very nice, but it is too large for my 13 inch mac book.

The straps are very stiff, which makes it awkward to put on and take off when it is full. They also kind of cut into my shoulders sometimes, but all I have to do is adjust them.

Part of the added volume of the backpack is due to it's height. I'm 5'8" and it fits me fine, but if I was a few inches shorter, it probably wouldn't work for me. Sometimes the added height makes it difficult to reach down into it to find stuff, but I'm much happier having a backpack with plenty of room.

I haven't had the backpack long, but it is well constructed and durable.

**** UPDATE ****

I have had this backpack for a couple of years now and it has held up incredibly well. It got me through the last half of my education, and I had to carry some large heavy books. There are no tears or worn fabric.

I got a new computer since writing this. It's a 17 in. Lenovo and it fits the sleeve much better, but it's still kind of roomy.

An additional note on the straps...after a while, I got used to adusting the straps when I was putting on/taking off the backpack. It doesn't seem like such a big deal to me, but there are probably some people that will be annoyed by that. I think there is an advantage to the stiff straps and that is that they stay in place nicely.

Really good durable bag, worth the money, but then I got it for less than $30.