Island Hopper

I'd vote the Cor Surf bag! The ease in opening it flat to pack and be able to maintain organization without the added weight of packing cubes seems like a huge plus! And I am older and taller than you, so that might affect the presentation, but I think the blue Cor Surf bag is really cute!

Late to this, but i'm between the ruckpack 30 and cor surf 28 as a travel personal item, hows the rei? I'm mainly on the fence about the opening vs the clamshell on the cor surf, but i love the style

For the last 2 yrs I’ve used a CorSurf Island Hopper 28L and I’ve loved it. It’s fits under the seat and I still have room for my legs. Plus there’s a good sized top pocket for easy access to things you might need in flight. I’m flying again next week. And this time I’m taking my new bag. A NoSurren

I have basically the same bag. Cor Surf Island Hopper in 28 and 34L. Used the 28L daily and for overnight business trips. Fits under the seat. Use the 34L for 2+ day trips. Really like the clam shell design.

I did get the Mini MLC as a gift. Yep, I prefer buckets, but still like the full unzip for packing and unpacking. The split in center really was the only issue the CorSurf island hopper had. And that’s personal, not a design flaw.