I have a North Face Recon that I like very much. It is not overly large, but it has a laptop sleeve, decent waistbelt/sternum strap, and two side pockets (one carries coffee thermos, one carries pump/flat kit). It also has a expandable mesh pouch that has fit, individually, a loaf of bread, a helmet, a pair of birks, and a wide variety of other things. I appreciate the straps on the bottom also. On a large backpack they'd hold a sleeping pad. I'm not sure what they are intended for here, but they hold my rain jacket nicely, with the added bonus of a rolled up piece of hi-vis yellow hanging at driver's-eye-height.
While the fabric is waterproof, the seams are not taped and the big, easy-to-use zippers only deter light rain. I have added a pack cover (a Hump, by these guys:
http://www.respro.com/products/urban...ty/hiviz_hump/) for use in rain and low-vis conditions.
I've had this pack for a number of years, it traveled world-wide with me at a previous job, and I'm in my 3rd year of commuting with it. I've been very pleased with it.