Enter the Chrome Age. Chrome is much better. More comfy, more stable, longer lasting, the buckles never slip under the heaviest load, and don't forget MADE IN AMERICA. Plus they're used by fewer people, so you won't feel like a tool when you see some 37 year-old soccer mom wearing a timbuk2.
But the stash pocket? Kinda overrated when the bus comes and you're wondering where you put your money whilst at the beach.