I bought this as I was travelling to the US and I generally used a messenger bag for trips. The messenger was not ideal and switched to the ruck sack. This on was perfect for me. I like to travel light so there was enough pockets and space for the stuff I needed (passport, notepad, Macbook Pro 17", power supply and phone.. plus any other stuff I pick up along the way when you are bored waiting for planes). I found it lightweight but strong enough for the amount of crap I could ram into it.
I would highly recommend if you are looking for as simple enough rucksack, but with the necessary pockets and storage you need. Thin-ish.. perfect for me.