I agree somewhat with the buying U.S brands, as i have a freight baggage. It's a medium i load up all my books, netbook, clothes, etc and it' so damn comfy and really distributes the weight evenly. The timbuk2 custom bags ARE made in the US. there is one that has a nice pad on the back but the rest don't have anything, so if you have weird shaped loads then it's going to pierce your back.