After reading the recommendations here and doing some surfing online, I purchased a Tom Bihn "brain bag" to replace my shot-to-heck six year old Tumi bag. The combination of the bag, the "brain cell' for my laptop, the "freudian slip" paper organizer for the second pocket, and the "snake charmer" cable bag cost $267 shipped. What I liked about it is that the laptop and cable accessories fit into their Zephyr briefcase for trips when I do not want to show up someplace with a backpack. So for $425 total, I can have both types of bags and switch off as needed.

My first impression is that this thing is HUGE. It's a good 2" taller than my Tumi, and it's expandable. I can fit my CPAP unit (but not the tubing) in there on top of the laptop, which means it's now much easier for me to pack my 22" Kirkland rollaboard. There are a few more straps than I'd like for a work backpack, and I need to figure out how to tie them up.