Choosing a travel pack is hard

I went down this rabbit hole myself. It's hard because advertising drowns out authentic reviews. Many of the reviewed bags are ridiculously overpriced. That money is spent in marketing wars.

A classic US-made(!) bag that doesn't have an outdoor bottle holder but will work for many people is the MEI Voyageur. They get lost in the noise because they don't appear to pay for ads and fake youtube reviews, but I've carried mine all around the world. Has an excellent hip belt, which is much more important than a laptop compartment. (You can buy a laptop case.)