A45 thoughts after test-packing

[ejvc]

I find the A45 cavernous but I am really used to packing for all lengths of trips in the A30 now. What makes the difference for me is how much OTHER stuff I have to bring -- laundry? kids clothes (up to half my main interior can be kid stuff)? electronics? food? But all clothes can fit in one packing cube, I usually do put them in that way because it benefits my brain to know that everything is "done" with clothes when the packing cube is zipped.

[snowbot]

I’ve had my A45 for a long time (i.e. it’s an older model) and only really started using it within the last year and a half. I do more traveling now without a laptop than I used to do, so I’ve reached for the A45 more. Two things really transformed my impression of the bag and make it easy to “live out of”.

• I no longer try to use the large main compartment packing cubes - rolling clothes into logical bundles works better for me with this bag. Examples of bundles for a recent trip: lounging clothes, conferences dresses/sweaters to hang up in the hotel, clothes for visiting friends after the meeting.

• I can under-pack the bag. It’s so much easier to live out of the bag when there’s space to hunt around for item. The type of trip determines the degree of under-packing. For a recent car trip, I stuffed the bag since I didn’t need to carry it for long distances. For a recent 6-day plane, car, and train trip where I didn’t sleep in the same place twice, I really under-packed the bag. This made it easy to access binoculars and reading material ad also meant that I could walk a mile with the bag in backpack mode. And gave me room to pack up on snacks for the two-day train trip.

[BihnBag]

I too am glad I got the 45 after a lot of contemplation about 30 vs 45.

What I find best, is to pack it enough to be able to leave at least a side pocket free, then with any surprise extras for the return trip you have plenty of room to space out the main compartment or just use the pocket.
This has “saved” me on a few trips now where either surprise swag/equipment was given for a work trip or some shopping was done on personal trips. I would have been in a tricky spot if I only had the 30.

The slip pockets on the outside also provide a surprising amount of space to use up. I slip a Deuter collapsible day-pack in there to use at destination.

I haven’t had any issue with putting in overhead bins, it just fits exactly in one of those smaller short flight jets and travelling europe no-one pulled me over on a close to a month trip with multiple flights involved.


That said, I’m 6ft with broad shoulders and a 45 does just about make it as a backpack for me, on someone smaller it would probably look huge fully packed.

[bartleby]

Great thread! I am also a dedicated A45 fan! Being not a minimalist traveller at all I love the extra space. I love to have a bit of a choice on what to wear even if I bring home some unused clothes which to some minimalist travellers is certainly a no go

When I started my TB experience I wasn‘t convinced of packing cubes but that has changed completely. I never travel without anymore because it is so convenient to pack and unpack the bag. I just put the whole packing cube in the hotel closet and I am done. The laundry cubes are my favorites but perhaps I suffer form over organization syndrome

[Bogiesan]

Funny, I went the opposite way : I had an A30 that I love and still use a lot, but wanted a bit more room for longer trips. So I recently bought an A45. It’s crazy how much more I can fit in and it can get much heavier than the A30 when full. Good thing I also bought the internal frame and padded hip belt. For me they don’t seem to transfer that much weight, but the difference is still very noticeable.

Yar, I’ve got Patagonia’s MLC45 and my Aeronaut 30 fits inside it with lots of room to spare. 45 liters is crazy huge.

[Mr. Zapato]

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With a number of trips coming up this fall, I'm looking forward to traveling with this new bag!

I am currently on an 8-day trip in Asia with my Aeronaut 45. I love it for weeklong trips like this, but find it a little too big for 4-day trips like yours. That said, it’s still easy to use with less stuff packed in it. Although it’s soft, it doesn’t get all floppy when not fully packed out. I don’t use the internal frame and it’s still fine.

Definitely consider packing a daypack inside the A45. I travel mostly for business, so I pack the Daylight Briefcase inside the A45. After going through security at an airport, I take the DLBC out. Then I put the A45 in the overhead bin and the DLBC under the seat with me. I also use the DLBC for my business meetings at my destination.


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[theedge]

> I think it's because it's too easy to overpack it It gets pretty damn heavy (specifically for backpack mode).

Exactly. In that regard, this could be a good reason to choose the A45 in Ballistic vs Halcyon for people who can’t decide.

[linh.n]

> Many people here have called the Aeronaut 45 too big or even huge

I think it's because it's too easy to overpack it It gets pretty damn heavy (specifically for backpack mode).

[Tony G]

Thanks, that's a really useful post. I have a Tristar and I'm considering adding an A45 for longer trips.

[theedge]

Love my A45, and Synapse 25 travel combo. Want to eventually get an A30 and try to pare down even more.

Funny, I went the opposite way : I had an A30 that I love and still use a lot, but wanted a bit more room for longer trips. So I recently bought an A45. It’s crazy how much more I can fit in and it can get much heavier than the A30 when full. Good thing I also bought the internal frame and padded hip belt. For me they don’t seem to transfer that much weight, but the difference is still very noticeable.

[ndtexaminer]

Love my A45, and Synapse 25 travel combo. Want to eventually get an A30 and try to pare down even more.

[carlesque]

Thank you for your review!

Just wondering, did you get the internal frame given that you got the padded hip belt?

And just an off topic question but by any chance do you have a synapse 25? And if so would it fit (unpacked) into the main compartment of the a45?

No I didn't get the internal frame, just the padded hip belt. Looks like I can get away without the frame. I wanted to be able to compress the bag if needed.

[carlesque]

If you fold the synapse once, it will fit just fine in the main compartment, but it will certainly take up a bit of space. I suppose you could also sacrifice the side pockets and lay out the S25 on the bottom of the bag. I'll send a photo later.

[carlesque]

@Kevin I guess the true test will be when I go out traveling in September, but my plan is loose clothes, with the tie-down for the 'bottom layer', and a big packing cube + a stuff stack for the top layer. The thinking being that you can easily lift off the top layer and live out of the combo of the packing cube and the bag without unpacking anything else.

[Kevin]

Thank you for your review!

Just wondering, did you get the internal frame given that you got the padded hip belt?

And just an off topic question but by any chance do you have a synapse 25? And if so would it fit (unpacked) into the main compartment of the a45?

I was sitting next to this combo when I read this post, so I checked. The S25 with its frame sheet fits flat in the A45 but both of the interior main compartment zippers that make the the side pockets wider have to be undone to fit the length of the bag. If you didn’t have the S25 frame sheet, you might be able to zip one of the sides back up but not both.


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