Juggernaut (?)

[Pangifone]

Provided you don't fill it with knives or tetrahedrons

New favorite phrase.

[Janine]

That's not exactly what I'm talking about. When I first started on this forum, I was told that the Aeronaut, Tri-Star, and Western Flyer could indeed be worn on the back, but that they weren't built to be full-time backpacks. Backpacks have padding for occasions other than travel. (Maybe for EDC you would carry non-travel, non-clothing items that would be bulkier.)

Oh, I know that wasn't what you were talking about. It just seems like you are perceiving a gap in the product line from the armchair perspective. I wonder if that gap would disappear if you actually had experience with either the Brain Bag or the Aeronaut. Since I don't have a Brain Bag, I can't speak about that bag. I do have experience traveling by air and land with my Aeronaut, and in my experience, the backpack straps and light padding on the Aeronaut are very effective. I like being able to tuck away the backpack straps or clip on a shoulder strap as needed, too.

If you want the openness of an Aeronaut but refuse to compromise on true backpack design, there's the Smart Alec. Its capacity is less than the A30 but that might actually be a plus for some folks. I have a Smart Alec and I've taken it as my carry-on bag on a plane before. It was quite nice, though I should have removed the bungee before travel (it snagged when I wedged the Smart Alec in the overhead bin). Packing cubes organized the interior so effectively that I almost forgot I also had side pockets to work with.

This excellent blog post has some info and links about maximum carry on sizes and the Smart Alec fits. Nice!

[tpnl]

I like your idea @MtnMan. A slightly bigger (taller) Brain Bag would look very good IMHO and reduce the "bulky" look when filled to the brim. You could do a bag in bag thing if you needed to use a briefcase at your destination. Perhaps a second removable "mini-me" brain bag too for when you do not want to carry everything.

One clarification - the Aeronaut 45 does have significant padding at the back (as does the Western Flyer and TriStar) - just not of the Dri-Lex® Aero-Spacer® mesh back type that the Brain Bag, Synapses and Smart Alec (latest version) has. The padding is very similar if not the same as on the previous version of Smart Alec (that I have). I have found my version of the Smart Alec to be the most comfortable despite not being as breathable. As @Janine has said, the A45 is very comfortable to wear as a backpack and I agree. The only thing I would say is that the backpacks are stronger as backpacks than the "convertible" luggage. The "convertible" nature necessitates some small compromises - but not much.

Love the ideas!

Cheers!

[MtnMan]

That's not exactly what I'm talking about. When I first started on this forum, I was told that the Aeronaut, Tri-Star, and Western Flyer could indeed be worn on the back, but that they weren't built to be full-time backpacks. Backpacks have padding for occasions other than travel. (Maybe for EDC you would carry non-travel, non-clothing items that would be bulkier.)

[Janine]

Have you ever tried the Aeronaut? I've owned one for years (A45 - the biggie). It is extremely comfortable to carry on the back, even when loaded. Provided you don't fill it with knives or tetrahedrons or other pointy things, of course - but if that's what you are carrying, I doubt any backpack would be comfortable.

There are lots of photos on the forum of happy people carrying fully-packed Aeronauts with huge smiles on their faces!

[MtnMan]

I have an unusual suggestion for a new travel luggage product that would (in my mind) compliment the Aeronaut 45. I like the Aeronaut as a concept, and I have no doubt at all it will continue to sell well for years to come. But the Aeronaut's basic design raises some issues for me, and I wanted to air those issues here:

I really like the idea of a "maximum carry-on" duffel that offers multiple modes of carry BUT...

It has been readily pointed out that the Aeronaut, unlike the Brain Bag and other dedicated backpacks, lacks back-padding for when one uses the Aeronaut in backpack mode. The result is that the Aeronaut may be good for carrying on your back for short periods of time while in an airport terminal (or arriving/leaving a hotel) but not for extended carry. The Aeronaut, by its very design is, essentially, a provisional short-term backpack.

The Tom Bihn Brain bag has the reputation as an excellent EDC backpack, hiking pack, and even provisional travel luggage pack, BUT...

The Brain Bag is not a maximum carry-on, nor is it as well set-up to be used as travel luggage as an Aeronaut.

What I'm proposing is a hybrid of the Aeronaut and Brain Bag, which I call the Juggernaut. The Juggernaut would be a true backpack like the Brain Bag, capable of functioning as an EDC, but it would be a true travel-oriented maximum carry-on like the Aeronaut.