Because it's cloth not leather, the bag doesn't have much weight at all of its own, which I appreciate. When fully loaded for travel, it holds a surprisingly large amount of stuff, at which point the backpack option becomes very helpful. And I can clean it in the washer and dryer, which it needs every now and then (have you ever seen those articles on germy bathroom floors?). Just enough sections and pockets that I can organize stuff to find quickly.