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traveling around the world with the aeronaut and large cafe bag

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    traveling around the world with the aeronaut and large cafe bag

    hello,

    i just returned from a 10 day trip to india. i wanted to carry 4 changes of clothes (layered clothing because it's in the 40's at night and as warm as the high 60's during the day), toiletries, a pair of flip flops, a large point and shoot camera (canon g7), iphone, ipod, and headphones. i also wanted to carry a bag that i could use while there, but one i would not have to carry separately along the way. i was transiting through 3 airports on the way there, each of which required me to go through security (this is after the initial security screening at the originating airport). i didn't want to worry about delayed or lost luggage - everything had to come onboard.

    i packed everything in the aeronaut, and it was up to the challenge! everything fit inside, along with some trail mix and lara bars for the trip (in case the airplane food did not work out :-).

    i packed my toiletries in the clear quarter packing cube, with the liquids on one side and solids on the other (see my other post about the liquids). the packing cube was in a side pocket of the aeronaut, and the liquids were in a plastic bag within the packing cube so i could take them out easily for security checkpoints. this proved unnecessary for the return trip because the person at the security scan said it was fine for me to leave it all in the packing cube.

    i also packed my large cafe bag inside the aeronaut, and i used this while in india to carry my stuff with me (including an ever present 1 litre water bottle). the large cafe bag came in very handy when i was shopping for stuff because i avoided having the items purchased provided to me in plastic shopping bags - i could carry them right in my large cafe bag.

    i was able to run up the stairs with the aeronaut on my back as i moved through different airports while others struggled with rolling carry on's on escalators. changing terminals was also made easy with this one very comfortable bag (weighing about 20 lb with my gear loaded inside) on my back.

    i think i caused some problems when i was checking in at jfk for my flight to india because they kept having to re-check me in. i didn't have any checked luggage - just a carry on aeronaut. i joked that their system was not designed to allow for zero checked baggages because everyone checks in 2 huge suitcases. between 2 people at the check-in desk assisting me, i was asked at least 6 times whether i was sure that i wasn't checking in luggage, or whether i had checked my luggage through at my point of origin. i kept saying, no - i just have this one carry on :-).

    when i arrived at my destination, i had to walk a bit a short distance to get to the place where i was staying. i also had to climb two flights of stairs to get to my room. this was another place where the aeronaut on my back shined where a rolled carry on suitcase would need to be lugged up.

    i've reviewed the aeronaut before, but i just wanted to share my experience with this bag on this most recent trip.

    i was uncertain in the past whether i could go on a trip to india with just the aeronaut, but i have clearly proven myself wrong with this trip!

    maverick
    -m

    #2
    Congratulations Maverick on a successful trip! I really enjoyed your post, it was really informative!

    Dave in Hong Kong

    Comment


      #3
      I'm not ready to write my own review of the Aeronaut yet but I already feel inferior to you since so far I've only used it for a weekend driving trip. I'd like to hear more about the clothing you packed. I'm having trouble finding the room for all my stuff and I feel as if I'm cutting it pretty thin already.

      I am finding the Cafe bag to be more interesting the more I read. I still think it's on the feminine side but it's starting to sound like that's more of a problem with me than most others.
      Owner of : Imago, Aeronaut, Brain Bag, Smart Alec, Synapse, Co-Pilot

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by pretzelb View Post
        I'm not ready to write my own review of the Aeronaut yet but I already feel inferior to you since so far I've only used it for a weekend driving trip. I'd like to hear more about the clothing you packed. I'm having trouble finding the room for all my stuff and I feel as if I'm cutting it pretty thin already.

        I am finding the Cafe bag to be more interesting the more I read. I still think it's on the feminine side but it's starting to sound like that's more of a problem with me than most others.
        hi,

        if i recall correctly, i had 8 pairs of socks, 8 underwear, 2 patagonia long long johns (is that what they're still called - anyhow, they add an amazing amount of warmth), 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of fleece pants, 4 long sleeves shirts, 2 fleece tops, 1 mountain hardwear softshell, 1 pair of smartwool gloves, 1 wool hat (the last 3 items only while walking through the airport and while on the airplane - i was wearing it when outdoors). i also had the large cafe bag. these were all in the main compartment.

        in the side compartments, i had 1 pair of flip flops in a packing cube, various toiletries all fitting in the clear quarter packing cube, 2 lara bars, 1 huge bag of trail mix, and the canon g7 camera in a soft case.

        also, i had an extra battery for the canon g7, iphone charger, keys, shure in-ear headphones, and other junk in the pocket on the flap for the main compartment.

        oh, and i had a large moleskine notebook, tickets, and passport in the pocket on the top side of the aeronaut. the large moleskine notebook is well sized, by the way, to hold your passport and boarding passes in its back pocket.

        all of this fit nicely in the aeronaut.

        my aeronaut was full, but it didn't feel overstuffed. i had easy access to all of my stuff.

        on my return trip, some sweets (for bringing back, not for eating on the way :-) fit in the side compartments as well. i also purchased 4 steel cups that fit nicely into the side compartment.

        i had my clothes washed after 4 days and got them back the next morning. i used to travel with enough clothes for every day of my trip if my trip was going to last 2 weeks or less, but that is a lot of clothes to carry. i prefer to just take enough clothes for 3-4 days and have them washed while at my destination.

        with regard to the cafe bag, yes - i thought also that they were feminine. but i got over that and bought one and i don't think that to be the case anymore. it is just a really well made and stylish bag. it holds a good bit of stuff and packs well, taking very little space. if i had a medium or small cafe bag, i probably would have packed that for the purposes of this trip. but i couldn't justify getting a medium or small cafe bag just for that purpose. my wife is kind enough to let me buy the bags that i do - i don't want to press my luck :-).

        let us know how your trip goes with your aeronaut.

        maverick
        -m

        Comment


          #5
          plans have been made, tickets have been bought. I am making another trip in march - 2 weeks. 1 aeronaut, maybe a ristretto inside, otherwise a large cafe.

          no bulky winter warmth this time - t-shirts, thin pants, some shorts - that sort of thing. oh yeah - no unlabeled shampoo and conditioner this time.

          more trail mix, more bars, some fresh fruit - avoiding food inflight.

          oh, and traveling by train while I am in India this time. i'll take some pictures :-).

          maverick blogging on his iPhone
          -m

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by maverick View Post
            oh, and traveling by train while I am in India this time. i'll take some pictures :-).
            Yes!! Pictures!
            Have a question? @Darcy (to make sure I see it)

            Current carry: testing new potential materials in the form of Original Large Shop Bags.

            Comment

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