Island Hopper

Which airline(s)? Look at the AER Go Pack. The ones you list are rather large for under seat. The Allpa 35 is actually oversized on depth for overhead let alone under a seat. It is 22 x 12 x 10in (56 x 30 x 25cm). The AER TP3 is 19" (48 cm) 13" (33 cm) 7.5" (19 cm). It will squeak by on some US lega

The Cotopaxi is great, but I can't justify the price personally... plus I saw it in person at the REI store and it didn't impress me for some reason. Maybe it's not my style For the REI, the one in this post is the 30! But that's great to know. I do notice the REI is well-loved in this subreddit so

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