Island Hopper

Good comparison! I get what you mean about the look of the REI vs the COR Surf, which just looks like a standard suitcase backpack. But the thing about the exterior pockets taking space from the main compartment is a dealbreaker for me. I recently experienced that with a random bag (impulse buy at t

I do think quality-wise the REI is better, the straps seem thicker and it's more comfortable to wear, there's small details (probably because its a hiking bag) that make it feel higher quality, like the attachment points. I do feel like even though the REI was tougher to zip, the zipper could go thr