This backpack is probably different from what you're used to. It does exactly what it says it will do and it seems to be extremely well made. This is an excellent travel backpack.I was getting ready to travel for about a month. My old backpack is worn out and has too many outside accessible areas where people could easily get into it or steal items out of it. This one is more buttoned up. It did very well on my trip.Pockets/sections: it has 3 main pocket areas and a pockets inside one section, and a smaller pocket on the top which is inside the main section. (Probably not describing this well.) All the areas are easy to access. I hesitate to say the storage is surprisingly large, because 30L is 30L. But it seems to hold a lot of stuff.My favorite things: the straps stow away! This is fantastic. When you get on a plane and want to put this under a seat (ugh - airplane floors are disgusting) or in the overhead you get pack up all the straps. It's a little fiddly to get them in and out, but this is minor. It's about 20 seconds to store them and 5-10 seconds to get them out. This is a HUGE feature for me. You can store the shoulder straps and the waist strap separately, so you don't need to get out both. This is just fantastic.The laptop/document slot at the very back of the backpack is excellent. it securely and safely holds a laptop, note books, or other items in a thin compartment. I could not be happier with this feature.The two larger pockets/sections are nice and can be filled up with whatever you want. I mostly used these for clothes and toiletries. There is a small zippered pocket on top for items commonly needed items. I used this for my passport, toothbrush, and other stuff I needed to access frequently. The zipper has a security loop so that when it's zipped closed the zipper won't accidentally open and it makes it a little more challenging for somebody to get into it. This is a minor but nice feature. Great attention to detail.The clamshell straps across the front of the pack allow you to compress is and save some space. This is especially helpful when it's full of clothes and you're getting on a plane. It seems to do this fine without putting too much pressure on the laptop area.The front is essentially a clamshell with flaps coming around the front and straps to compress the backpack. The only negative is that you need to undo this straps to get into it. I was able to get what I needed from the laptop pocket and the small top pocket without loosening or unclipping the clamshell straps.Note that as you load it up it can get very fat on your back and that you'll be bumping into things and people with it if you're not careful.