Some of you followed my search for an elegant and functional travel backpack (Is it possible to find an elegant/professional backpack?). I was beginning to think that a sharp looking, lightweight, well organized backpack might be a pipedream although there are a couple of Tumi backpacks out there that might be contenders. I was hesitant, however, to spend hundreds of dollars as an experiment and I wasn't completely satisfied with the options-some seemed too large, others too small and I sound like Goldilocks! A few months ago, however, I came across the Knomo brand online and was intrigued. Then one of the travel bloggers flagged a new AMEX Platinum card benefit-$100 credit at dell.com (it's actually $200 per year but divided into two $100 credits). And there it was: the Knomo Beaufort on the Dell website (https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/acce...s/apd/aa404815). I paid $179 plus tax and later got an AMEX statement credit of $100 so I am very happy with the cost.

I ordered the bag and have used it on two trips and I am pleased to give it a big thumbs up with one reservation. Let's start with the shortcoming: there is no slip pocket on the back for sliding the bag over the handle of my roller suitcase. I can not understand why this was overlooked as it seems like a simple rectangle of fabric and two seams but the designer missed it. This almost killed the deal for me but I am glad that I bought the bag anyway. There is, fortunately, a leather grab handle at the top of the backpack so I sat the backpack on top of my rolling carry on and held the handle that way. Not as good as a slip pocket but functional. The good news is that there is quite a lot to recommend in this bag:

• there are several organizational pockets including a separate laptop/ipad section, three zippered pockets on the front with slots for cards, pens, etc., a water bottle pocket inside, multiple pockets and compartments on the interior
• the inside is red so I can find things!
• the straps are padded and comfortable
• one of the front zippered pockets has RFID protection
• it is elegant enough that when I arrived at my destination, I could lighten the load and use it for touring around the city, seeing the sights, going to meetings, etc.
• the nylon is attractive, lightweight (lighter than the leather version) and stain resistant (my seat mate on the plane spilled her coffee right on my new bag and it cleaned easily)
• the bag is slim but holds a lot. I would call it a large day bag size. I packed an iPad pro, a folder of travel docs, magazine, my bag containing my 3 oz liquids, my small cosmetic case, wallet, water bottle, scarf, toothbrush, small pouch with earbuds, vitamin case, sunglasses, keys, phone, altoids and a few other small goods.

The only other learning from carrying a backpack is that it is weird to have my phone on my back when I am traveling thru the airport. I ended up carrying my phone in my pocket instead. I decided that, for me, it was worth the tradeoff to have my hands free and the weight of my bag on my back instead of on one shoulder (as with my previous tote).

I hope that my research and experiment might help some of my fellow travelers!