I'm giving this two stars because I didn't totally hate the bag. I got it for a trip to Australia where I thought it'd be helpful to have a small backpack to have under my seat for things I needed for a long overseas flight while not getting hassled about too many carry-ons.

It didn't work out so well.

First, I packed the bag. Contrary to what they'd have you believe, it didn't hold nearly as much as my old standard 22" carryon suitcase. Because of the configuration of the two backpacks, things didn't fit as well. I was expecting this, however, so it was no big deal. I liked the idea of just zipping off the bag once I was on board. The first part of the trip went well. Packed, the bag looked just like the picture and I was able to zip off the front, have my small bag, and actually lift the other bag into the overhead bin with no strain.

Then the problems started. When I went to get off the plane after a long overnight flight, I couldn't easily get the front pack zipped back on but I simply slung it on my back. When I went to pull the bag, I noticed that the metal handle was kinked--badly--and wouldn't retract. This is a problem for a carryon bag. When I got to my hotel, the maintenance person pounded it into the bag so it was at least usable. I was prepared to use it was a full backpack but loaded with camera stuff and other items it was pretty heavy. So, I attached a camera strap around the soft handle on top and dragged it around from airport to airport for two weeks.

The other problem was the size. While the folks on the 747 didn't hassle me (I ended up throwing it away before the return home flight), the domestic flights were a real problem.
Packed (but not stuffed), it didn't fit into their "measurer" and, although there were certainly folks with larger bags, the width seemed to be a problem, ewven though I explained that I could put part of it under my seat, which caused them to want to charge me for an extra bag (I also had my purse). Being resourceful, I finally stuffed the front backpack and my purse into a large canvas bag. Problem solved, but not very well, because I still had a pillow, jacket, and other junk to carry on board.

Bottom line: I think the idea is a good one but the handle was suprisingly cheap causing it to fail on the first trip. The zippers and extra pockets were great (I like pockets) but made the bag too "fat" to fit in the overheads unless disassembled, which was problematic for the reasons I already mentioned. The size might work if you aren't deluded into thinking it'll be the same as a regular sized 22" bag. Finally, they should have the instant attach fucntion for all of these bags (see the AT6)as trying to find the zipper after taking the bag out of the overhead compartment just isn't workable (you can visualize holding up an entire row of people trying to get off a flight while zipping on the front backpack). I would not buy this bag again.