This pack has an internal frame that makes it really nice to carry fully loaded. It also has its own rain cover and extra straps for securing a tent or sleeping bag to the bottom of the bag. I love the day pack that can be removed from the front; I actually used it for a weekend trip to a friends house. I am a little confused about the "conversion to a duffle" but the other features of the pack make up for that.

If you use this pack for recreation it is a fine pack. I've been using it to carry my gear at work on a day-to-day basis. After a couple of months of hard use the seam near the top handle has seperated. I admit that I put a lot of stress on my gear and this pack has held up better than a lot of the stuff I have bought, but for the money something for half-as-much would have held up just as long.

I used this backpack on a recent trip to Europe for a month. It held up great! By the time I came back, there was a small tear on the top seam, but nothing big. The detachable daypack was perfect for the trip, not to mention if there was a problem fitting the backpack into a compartment, I would just remove the day pack and the bigger pack would fit comfortably. Didn't have a problem getting on planes and it fit most of the time in the overhead compartment. The rain cover and back cover were great when I needed to use it as a duffle bag. Overall, great pack for a great value!