Responding to something from a couple of months ago, but still relevant so don't mind me

I have the Minaal and love it. I was using the traditional packing cube set (sm, med, lg) with it for a while, but switched over to a set of slim packing cubes and that has made a world of difference with not feeling like I'm jamming things in there and trying my best to zip it shut. The eBags Pack-It-Flat toiletry kit also shines in helping to make the room in the Minaal go a long way.

Like aabrock, I also don't make enough use of all the pockets in the laptop compartment, but I do love that there is a dedicated space for my laptop/iPad/whatnot. I also throw my kit of chargers in there and store my multi-country adapter there as well. Nice to have that space to keep tech-related stuff already allocated so I don't get to the end of my packing and curse myself for not making room for that stuff (plus it's a lot more protective).

One thing I will say that I LOVE about this bag, which may be very specific to me I fly to LAX (from OAK) on WN nearly every weekend, and I very consistently time my arrival to show up as boarding is wrapping up so as to avoid dead time at the airport. If I used my wheeled carry on for those weekend trips, I'd be consistently SOL showing up that late for a WN flight with regards to how far back I need to sit to find space in the overhead bins for my bag (or - heaven forbid - I might be forced to check it). However, I never worry - because the Minaal, even stuffed, fits perfectly under the seat in front of me!! Makes it so worth it in the long run if only to save all that time, not just with being able to show up close to departure, but also with consistently getting to sit in the first few rows (albeit in the middle seat - but on a 55 min flight, I couldn't care less) and therefore deplane much more quickly. Again, this HUGE benefit is very specific to my situation, but I LOVE it for that.