This is a good travel backpack with a lot going for it, but I don't think it's quite in the same class as some of the slightly more expensive bags I've used. The difference isn't that this one is poorly made—it isn't. It's more that you can see where some of the cost savings went.
I recently used this for a weekend trip by car, and it worked very well. I packed it fairly full with clothing, books, a MacBook Air, and some work-related items, and it held everything I needed for the weekend. Even when fairly heavily loaded, it remained comfortable to carry. The shoulder straps are well padded, and the back padding made it comfortable even with a decent amount of weight in it.
There is a lot of storage capacity and organization here. There are both large compartments for clothing and other bulky items and numerous smaller pockets for keeping accessories organized. There's also a compartment with what appears to be a waterproof or water-resistant lining that should be useful for things like a wet bathing suit. I didn't actually test that feature, so I can't say how well it keeps moisture contained, but the design clearly appears intended for that purpose.
The laptop compartment worked well for my MacBook Air, and there are plenty of other places to organize smaller items. I don't think it suffers from having too many pockets, although I did notice that there aren't as many good options for things like books or other awkwardly sized items. That's a relatively minor point, since you can't design every compartment around every possible type of luggage.
The TSA-style opening is an interesting feature. The bag can open very widely so that the contents are easy to see, which makes sense when you're going through airport security. Personally, I don't find that particularly useful for ordinary packing. I'd generally rather have the bag stay more contained instead of having it splay open, although you can simply avoid unzipping it all the way. For someone who travels by air frequently, however, I can certainly see why this feature would be valuable.
The bag is attractive overall. My only aesthetic complaint is the gold/brass-colored zipper hardware. That's obviously subjective, and some people will probably prefer it, but I think simpler nickel-colored hardware would look better.
The zippers are adequate but not exceptional. They work properly, and I haven't had any problems with them, but they aren't quite as smooth as the larger, better-made zippers I've encountered on more expensive bags. One of the larger zippers is slightly sticky and doesn't feel quite as finely made. The handles and stitching, on the other hand, feel very good. The bag doesn't feel poorly assembled or like it's going to come apart because of sloppy construction.
The biggest difference between this and the better bags I've used is the material. The nylon is somewhat thinner, and some of the padding and smaller design details aren't quite as substantial. None of this makes the bag feel unusable or particularly fragile. It just doesn't have the same substantial, refined feel as a bag that costs another $10 or so.
That's really my overall impression: the designers have incorporated a lot of the features found on better travel backpacks, but they've cost-reduced some of the materials and details. At around $40, I think that's a reasonable tradeoff, especially considering how much capacity and functionality you're getting. But there are bags around $50 that, in my opinion, justify the additional cost with thicker nylon, better padding, smoother zippers, and somewhat more thoughtful pocket layouts.
I haven't tested the bag's water resistance or used it extensively enough to make any claims about long-term durability. Based on the use I've given it so far, though, it is comfortable, holds a lot, is well organized, and is put together properly.
Four stars. I think this is a good value if you want a feature-packed travel backpack without spending a lot of money. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for weekend travel or general-purpose carrying. Personally, though, if I were buying another travel backpack, I'd probably spend a little more for the better materials and small refinements offered by some of the competition.
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