I searched for weeks for just the right suitcase to take with me on a month-long trip to Southeast Asia, and after reading reviews of this bag from several different sites and visiting it in person at Macy's, I bought this from Amazon (best price, of course).  It was perfect.  I am a mid-thirties woman, and I was able to pack everything I needed in the bag, with room and weight to spare for the return trip.  It travels very well by plane, train, and van.  The trip involved several flights through several countries and it was a sturdy, great suitcase.  I even walked it across the Cambodia-Thailand border-- it took a beating and still looks and functions great.  I did try the backpack function and I was able to put it on, fully loaded, but I didn't ever need to use it that way while travelling.  The divider was really effective for packing, and using packing cubes and envelopes helped me fit just the right amount of clothing (did laundry once mid-way through trip, and wore my pants more than once between laundering, fyi).  The only minor thing I worried about were the zipper pulls.  They did fine, but they looked like they could fray or break over time which would make using a luggage lock impossible.  You will need two luggage locks for this one.

I highly recommend it for man or woman.  Very functional, very high quality.