I went bag shopping in the spring and looked at a bunch of different bags, both brands and models. I do lots (way too much maybe) research, and LeisurePro is local to me, so I had the opportunity to look at lots of bags (thanks Brett and Ben
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The Akona <10 bag looked nice enough on the website, but I was disappointed that it overall seemed a tad flimsy. My main quip though, was that the internal compression straps, that are supposed to hold the gear steady, were were just stitched to the outer fabric of the bag. If they had run the straps "all the way around" behind the handle uprights, I would probably have bought the bag. Granted, I haven't done a long term test and put this bag through the wringer. It's entirely possible that I'm just imagining issues, and that the bag would hold up perfectly.
As it was though, the Jamaican Smuggler, to me, seemed like a much sturdier bag; zippers are huge, fabric is very strong, the handle uprights are padded/covered inside the bag, the bag is lined and has a separate, collapsible compartment for wet gear. Double/tripple stitching everywhere, and the inside compression straps are solidly secured to the "tub" that creates the bottom of the bag. The outer compression straps are stitched in with the handle straps, that wrap along the outside of the fabric and secures to the "tub" as well.
A nice feature, that I don't recall if the Akona has, is that the bottom (when bag is standing upright) of the Smuggler is secured with an inner "plate", which enables the bag to stand upright by itself, even if the bag isn't completely full/stuffed.
The Smuggler is a bit pricey, but a great piece of gear. I weighed the Smuggler (me on bath scale with and without bag), and found it to weigh about 9 lbs. Not very accurate - granted - but at least a point of reference.
So in short, I'm very happy with the Smuggler and for my $$ would recommend it over the Akona.
Hope this helps
Henrik