The Airport Commuter is my second camera bag from Thinktank. While there are many styles of camera bags, including backpacks, Thinktank is particularly adept at identifying the needs of urban (and suburban) photographers, at home or on the road. The design and workmanship is of the highest order heavy fabric, self-healing, water-resistant zippers and efficient use of space. Camera backpacks are usually designed for active sports like hiking and climbing, with weight concentrated low, shape-molding construction and a complicated harnesses. Thinktank caters to travelers, with a rectangular design, a well-defined shape, stiff outer construction and three handles. It fits in an overhead compartment. The harness is fairly simple, but effective. Best of all, the harness can be tucked out of the way until you need it. You can carry it by one strap for convenience, or two for serious schlepping. In either case, the weight is borne by your hips, not shoulder, and it stays put better than any shoulder bag. This configuration is perfect for use in public transportation. In practice, all your gear is in one layer, not stacked up as in a shoulder bag. If you are uncomfortable with a shoulder bag exceeding 15 pounds, you can carry 35 pounds in a backpack. That's easily reached with a pro DSLR, three or four big lenses and accessories. I bought the Airport Commuter for an Hasselblad kit with 8 lenses (no zooms).
There's room for a 15" laptop, but I find it better to carry a slim computer bag, with accessories, as my "personal" carry-on. I've never yet needed a laptop in the field, and extra memory cards are a lot lighter than a computer.
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