Filson Ripstop Nylon Backpack

I bought mine elsewhere (in 2022, for £185 from a reputable retailer, so shop around!).After a lot of research I chose this as my only luggage for a month-long overseas trip. I haven't been on my trip yet but ripstop nylon is durable, and quite light, the bag's tastefully designed with minimal logos, although I really could have done without the Cordura tag (it's pretty small though) - I love the way the bag looks. It's too big for an everyday carry but if I'm going away for a week it will fit right in with my usual style.The zippered compartment is very generous with three different sections (the one next to your back is padded on both sides, which is a nice touch), great for laptops etc. without eating into space in the main compartment for the rest of your stuff. The padding is on all sides and the bottom and you could easily fit a couple of 15" laptops, chargers and more.The main compartment has a zippered pocket - not very deep but wide - with an elastic material but is otherwise just a hole, and it has two of the problems taking it down a star: The cord lock is so ridiculously small, and the button depresses so little, that it's actually quite difficult to pull it tight. Ordinarily it's fine because the flap covers it anyway, but I've been doing a lot of trial packs, carrying it around with me a lot, and when you really fill it to capacity (and why shouldn't you use all the space in your expensive bag?) it needs to be pulled as tight as possible, in which case it's way harder than it needs to be. That cord lock is the worst thing about the bag by far. I hope I'm explaining it well enough but you'll know as soon as you use it.Second problem is there's something of a bottleneck where the main body of the bag meets the softer part. I really struggled to get a large packing cube in and out through it but once it was inside there was a good inch spare. Careless design.The final thing I'm knocking off points for is that when the excess webbing is folded away the elastic bands often can't cope and slide off. So if you're not using something and the entire thing is excess, don't be surprised if it unravels with normal use. Also I don't have much faith in the flimsy-looking stitching on those bands! It's nothing major but it's something you'd expect to find on a much cheaper bag.Some great design is the grab handle which is adjustable and can be opened. So you can put something bulky through it or hang it from anything.Carrying it the straps are quite comfortable but not very. Each one has webbing with six points to attach something and a D-ring.Things that haven't affected the rating because everyone's body is different and your mileage, but that do annoy me: Folded webbing/buckle is uncomfortable under arms, and the sternum strap's too tight for me so it's useless for taking the load off my back.So not quite great but close enough and I'm absolutely delighted with it.PS: In the photos the stains on the back are from wearing it with wax jackets. I mention it because they look like sweat stains. It doesn't feel particularly hot to wear so I think the ventilation stuff is doing its job just fine.