aeronaut 45 novice! Any help appreciated!!

[sdw.woods]

Hey guys! I'm new to TB. I know I am going to order the coyote aeronaut 45. I am confused after reading so many posts about packing cubes. can you fit 2 large cubes and 2 end cubes in the main compartment? There needs to be a formula or something! I have a few trips coming up and the longest is 7 days. Being a TB novice I will appreciate any help! I'll need to bring 2 pairs of Jeans, 2 pairs of shorts, 5 shirts, charger, under garments, sneakers and toiletries. impossible? I hope not!

[Rocks]

Everything you need to pack will fit in the Aeronaut with room to spare. I use the end cubes in the end pockets, but I believe one large cube and two end cubes will fit in the main compartment. From the sound of your packing list, I don't think you'll need two large packing cubes. Though if your clothes are large, maybe you do.
One thing to consider is making the large packing cube a Packing Cube Backpack. They are very handy and can double as a day bag. Actually, consider a Packing Cube Shoulder Bag, too. That also can double as a day bag.
I hope I haven't confused you. Good luck!

[Miking]

The way I think about packing cubes in the aeronaut is:

Aeronaut large packing cube and aeronaut packing cube backpack= full cubes

Aeronaut small packing cube, end pocket packing cubes and packing cube shoulder bag= half cubes

Clear quarter packing cube, spiff kit deluxe and Night Flight packing cubes= quarter cubes

The aeronaut will fit the equivalent of 3 full cubes but only two of them can actually be full cubes (main compartment) due to layout of the bag.

Right now what I am using for my typical setup is: main compartment-packing cube backpack- pants, hoodies, collared shirts.
2 small packing cubes- tshirts, underwear, socks etc.
Side pocket #1 Packing cube shoulder bag- **not filled** plane stuff (any valubles, ipad, external battery, headphones, camera gear, notebook, inflatable pillow, eye mask, earplugs etc.
Side pocket #2 Spiff kit deluxe: toiletries
Clear quarter packing cube: one side- tech stuff: power bar, multiport charger, Bluetooth speaker, travel router etc, other side- first aid, medications and other small things that don't fit in elsewhere.
And if everything isn't too stuffed you can fit various things like side effects and clear organizer cubes and whatever else you may need in the gaps. If you have bulkier shoes and less tech than I have you could devote one of the side pockets to them, my sneakers are very minimalist so they fit in the gaps but I make up for the space saved by travelling with enough electronics to stock a Best Buy.
Also nice to have: medium double organizer pouch-nice for documents
Small double organizer pouch or passport sleeve- for passport
Padded pouches-as needed for fragile items
Lots of keystraps, assorted clear, mesh and fabric pouches for small things.
Hope you enjoy your new bag when you get it!

[giuliof]

I would like to add that the main compartment, filled with either 2 large packing cubes or 1 large packing cube and 2 small packing cubes, will also fit 2 3D organizer cubes (next to each other) along the top or bottom side.

[Bijouxandbeads]

Wow Miking, that is really, really helpful!

sdw.woods - I am also relatively new to the A45, and started with one large and two small packing cubes for the center section, and two end cubes. The large packing cube has been much larger than I need, and I found I like to separate out my items more so have shifted to using four end cubes in the center section, slid in like books on a book shelf, with color coding on each pull handle to identify what's in each (when they are vertically oriented you only see the sides - pull handles up). That way I don't have to remove something to get to something else, which I found worked really well for me.

In the end cubes I have the travel laundry sack in one end pocket, with underwear and socks to start, and toiletries in a spiff kit in the other. There's usually plenty of room for random items in small stuff sacks or other organizing aids around and among everything else, in addition to an empty DLBC or DLBP as a destination bag. As Rocks said, you will likely have room to spare given your packing list.

If you have the initial $$, purchase a few options, don't remove the tags, try out different packing configurations, and send back what you end up not using. It will cost $10 for the return, but cheaper in the long run than trying one thing, then trying another, then another, like I did.

[bradnd99]

I'd highly recommend this thread because it has every conceivable configuration of packing cubes in the A45: http://forums.tombihn.com/packing-li...bes-setup.html

[AlaskaGirl]

Miking, thank you! Your description is so great that I can easily visualize those options in my head. Well done! elisa