Petite person's take on the A30
I checked out the A30 today and was hugely disappointed to find that I both LOVE the bag and that it does not love me.
I have just returned from a business trip, so I had the opportunity to pack an actual load right in it. As I'd hoped to use the A30 for leisure travel (taking dolmuses thru Turkey for a month will teach you something about traveling light and being the jerk with the heavy rolling bag!), I left out the heavy binders, manuals and computer gear loading down the roller I'd taken, and only swapped a couple items to reflect leisure travel - heels for Birks, blazer for rain jacket, etc. This left me with a 13 lb load consisting of mostly clothes (packed into 1 A30 large packing cube, 1 A30 small packing cube - ordered previously), a baggie of toiletries, handbag full of first aid/meds/supplements, kindle, ipad and shoes/jacket.
I still had a mostly empty end pocket on one side and could have fit a few more items in the main compartment and other end pocket. So again, folks who are worried about the space in "30 liters" - well all I can say is it feels closer to 40. In fact, the same load fits less well into my Osprey Farpoint 40, which is purported to be 8L larger! I think it must come down to the way the space is laid out because the A30 is smaller overall than the Farpoint.
Unfortunately! What TB have said about it not fitting differently than the A45 is true - in order for it to sit comfortably on my back, I had to cinch the shoulder straps all the way. In that position, the top of the straps dug into my neck and I had some sore spots after walking around for only 5 minutes.
In my search for the One Bag To Rule Them All, I have been measured at REI, and know my torso measurement to be just short of 16". I know most backpacks are sized for 17"-20" or thereabouts, and it seems like maybe that inch makes the difference. And of course, height does not necessarily correspond to torso length, so I can only assume that my fellow shorties who are satisfied with the A30 (or 45 for that matter, since they fit the same) have longer torsos than myself.
I'd be curious to hear from anyone who does have a <16" torso who likes their A30 on how they wore it, strap-wise. I've got a bit of a nerve thing in my shoulders so I can't really wear it with the shoulder strap and have all the weight on 1 shoulder - not to mention that the bag is is still a bit unwieldy on me as a shoulder bag, extending nearly from my hip bones to my knee.
I'd still love to keep it if I can figure a way to make it work for me, as I love the clean lines and organization, but right now I'm feeling like it's going to need to go back :'-( <cry>
Also, in case anyone is curious, my ipad Air fit perfectly in an end pocket.
I have just returned from a business trip, so I had the opportunity to pack an actual load right in it. As I'd hoped to use the A30 for leisure travel (taking dolmuses thru Turkey for a month will teach you something about traveling light and being the jerk with the heavy rolling bag!), I left out the heavy binders, manuals and computer gear loading down the roller I'd taken, and only swapped a couple items to reflect leisure travel - heels for Birks, blazer for rain jacket, etc. This left me with a 13 lb load consisting of mostly clothes (packed into 1 A30 large packing cube, 1 A30 small packing cube - ordered previously), a baggie of toiletries, handbag full of first aid/meds/supplements, kindle, ipad and shoes/jacket.
I still had a mostly empty end pocket on one side and could have fit a few more items in the main compartment and other end pocket. So again, folks who are worried about the space in "30 liters" - well all I can say is it feels closer to 40. In fact, the same load fits less well into my Osprey Farpoint 40, which is purported to be 8L larger! I think it must come down to the way the space is laid out because the A30 is smaller overall than the Farpoint.
Unfortunately! What TB have said about it not fitting differently than the A45 is true - in order for it to sit comfortably on my back, I had to cinch the shoulder straps all the way. In that position, the top of the straps dug into my neck and I had some sore spots after walking around for only 5 minutes.
In my search for the One Bag To Rule Them All, I have been measured at REI, and know my torso measurement to be just short of 16". I know most backpacks are sized for 17"-20" or thereabouts, and it seems like maybe that inch makes the difference. And of course, height does not necessarily correspond to torso length, so I can only assume that my fellow shorties who are satisfied with the A30 (or 45 for that matter, since they fit the same) have longer torsos than myself.
I'd be curious to hear from anyone who does have a <16" torso who likes their A30 on how they wore it, strap-wise. I've got a bit of a nerve thing in my shoulders so I can't really wear it with the shoulder strap and have all the weight on 1 shoulder - not to mention that the bag is is still a bit unwieldy on me as a shoulder bag, extending nearly from my hip bones to my knee.
I'd still love to keep it if I can figure a way to make it work for me, as I love the clean lines and organization, but right now I'm feeling like it's going to need to go back :'-( <cry>
Also, in case anyone is curious, my ipad Air fit perfectly in an end pocket.
) is that it not be a top-loader, as I am a fairly disorganized person, and compounding that with a heavy dose of impatience and a dash of neuroticism, I like to be able to re-pack quickly and see easily that I haven't forgotten anything 
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