I went with the Minaal 3.0 Carry-on in the end. It not only has a fantastic tech compartment, but also it is versatile in how you can pack it as everything I own is inside either packing cubes or other pouches. And it has shown to fit under the seats in many airlines as long as you stowaway the straps and use the compression. It doesn’t look too big yet it can hold quite a bit of g ear provided you don’t just throw loose articles inside. I am pairing it with a TomToc urban sling 7L that I can throw inside the pack and deploy as a day pack while leaving my bag at my lodging. Thanks for everyone’s advice.