Full confession: I am on a seemingly never-ending quest to find the perfect set of travel gear and luggage for my expeditions. In my perfect dream world, I have a dedicated set for adventure, one for luxury holidays, one for business trips and another one that’s a fusion capable of multitasking and keeping me from having a packing meltdown. The latest piece added to my collection is the AER Travel Pack, which not only looks sophisticated and sleek enough for city jaunts, but acts like a high-tech backpack with comfy, adjustable padded straps and a mesh back panel for air flow. Best of all, it works as a carry-on for domestic and international flights and actually has enough pockets and compartments to fit all my essentials in an organized, easy-to-access way.

There’s even a built-in ventilated shoe slot and a generously sized, suspended, turbulence-protective space for a 15.6-inch laptop; and the side pocket for a water bottle is zippered (one of my pet peeves dealt with at last). Turn it sideways, and this superbly functional bag opens like a traditional zippered suitcase; use the side compression straps, and presto: your carry-on becomes a daypack. Weighing in at a featherweight 3.9 pounds, the AER Travel Pack is 21.5 inches long, 13 inches wide and is 8.5 inches deep. Personally, I love the soft, textured gray version, but the pack also comes in black.