Originally Posted by
artemis
The Osprey Porter 46, perhaps? Osprey backs up their products, and the build quality is excellent. It also has a great, functional hip belt, and both the hip belt and the backpack straps can be securely hidden away should you ever need to check the pack.
You can get the Osprey Porter 46 from eBags, so you could always order a Mother Load TS Weekender and a Porter 46, check them out side-by-side, and keep the one you like best and return the other.
I actually did that very thing. I left the tags on and loaded up both bags with stuff and carried them around the house. I decided, in the end, that I preferred the Porter 46. While I enjoyed all of the pockets in the Mother Lode, I realized that I wouldn't actually be using them while I was flying so it didn't really matter how well organized things were.
I took the Osprey Porter on a week long trip and it did really well for me. I used the backpack straps while moving through the airports and trains, used one of my other shoulder straps for quick-toting, and then tucked everything in and carried it by the handle when I wanted to convince the gate agents that my overstuffed bag wasn't really all that big.
If what you need to do is comfortably shlep stuff then the Porter 46 is the way to go. If you need a little more organization for business travel, then the Mother Lode is probably the way to go.