Take, if you must, this little bag of dreams...

I really don't think day packs were what Yeats had in mind when he penned the title for this entry, but I'll abuse it nevertheless.
I've been scouting for a good day pack for our travels this Spring, and it's been a kind of exhaustive search.  I have a lot of criteria:

1. Must be extremely resistant to abuse (e.g. ballistic nylon - 800D or higher)
2. Must be water resistant (e.g. Teflon coated)
3. Must provide a good degree of organizational potential (not just a big sack into which everything is thrown)
4. Must be comfortable to wear for a number of hours
5. Must be convenient to wear either walking or sitting
6. Should hold sufficient materiel to suit a family of four for one full day (e.g. passports, communication equipment, [mini]laptop, camera, snacks, water etc.)
7. Should be something that will be used before and after the trip
8. Should be versatile enough to use in urban, suburban or rural environments

Part of my reasoning is that I don't want to invest in a cheap bag that will disintegrate upon our return from South Korea.  I want something that we can have for years afterward.  A good pack is like a friend on a long trip, and for me, lots of memories will be embedded in its scuffed surface when we get home.

Initially I looked at backpacks, since they seem like the most commonly used choice for carrying significant amounts of stuff around.  I like the comfort of backpacks, but not their inconvenience of access.  Most of the time, you have to completely remove a backpack to reach its contents.  The same thing that makes it extremely wearable (two big, padded straps) makes it hard to reach with one arm, let alone two, into the storage area to retrieve anything.  Since we will definitely be spending time on the South Korean mass transit system (subways, buses, trains etc.), I wanted a solution that would allow me to keep the bag slung on my body, but still allow me to get to my camera, water or mini laptop.

For about thirteen seconds, I considered a messenger bag like this...

...but quickly realized it violated too many of my "Must..." requirements for a pack; most notably item 3, relating to organizational potential.  Most messenger bags have no real organizational potential.  They also tend to suffer from thin straps, making them excruciating to wear for prolonged periods unless you're transporting cotton balls.

I settled, at length, on Maxpedition gear.  I have several of their products, and have been exceedingly satisfied with their quality.  They have a relatively new line of single-strap gear bags called "Gearslinger" packs.  Really, the line isn't that new, but the bag I decided upon is a recent addition.  The Kodiak bag seems like it should be perfect for our needs.  It's got a lot of space (1100 cubic inches, give or take), and an impressive organization system: pockets, straps and bungies galore.  The thing that most attracted me to it, though, is the fact that it has only one shoulder strap, and is intended to be worn cross-body.  The advantage, which Maxpedition has capitalized upon through clever zipper and pocket placement, is that the bag can be rotated to the front of the wearer's body, where he/she can directly access the pockets without removing the pack.

I have one friend who has recently bought this bag, and is ecstatic about it, so I have high hopes and expectations for its quality.  Once I have a chance to load it and wear it a little, I'll try to post a follow-up on my impressions.

Has anyone else out there purchased this bag for a day pack?  If so, what did you think?  If you chose something else that you really liked, what was it?