What's In Your Aeronaut 30? Packing Lineups & General Tips

[platisc]

Hey gang,

I'm going click-happy while trying to outfit my soon-to-be ordered Aeronaut 30 (black/iberian), and would love to hear some packing lists/general packing experience with your A30s.

Followed by underlined intended placements and parenthesized (intended usages), here is my...

Wish List for my incoming Aeronaut 30:

• Clear Quarter Packing Cube – Steel – Left End Pocket (hoping to get all of my tech in here. Cables and chargers in one half. Nook, Camera, Jambox in the other. I like the option of being able to use half for tech and the other half with toiletries during lighter trips. Am super curious how this fits in the end pocket, as I know they were designed to nicely fit half of an A45 end pocket)

• Travel Tray – Black – Left End Pocket, or Main Compartment (Don't have many actual applications in mind for this during travels, outside of an airport security belt savior, but have been eying it for a while and know that I'd love it as an everyday piece and on the hotel bureau)

• #2 Travel Stuff Sack – Solar – Right End Pocket (Socks)

• #2 Travel Stuff Sack – Wasabi – Right End Pocket (Underwear)

• Small Yarn Stuff Sack – Iberian – Main Compartment (Attached to an Iberian Key Strap, this will house miscellaneous Tom Bihn attachments like webbing clips, waist straps and such–going all Iberian so it blends in. Chosen over stuff sack because it can clip. Advice?)

• Q Kit – *hoping for Indigo* – Main Compartment (this falls into the "why not?" category, but it just looks like a goody bag for your bag).

--------------------------------

You'll notice my main compartment looks rather empty...

Other envisioned main compartment contents:

• Small (15") Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder (to hold 1-2 pants and 3-5 shirts)

• Medium eBags Packing Cube (to hold any other clothes during longer trips. I already have it and looks like it'll fit nicely)

• 11" MBA (currently iN a cache case)

--------------------------------

A few accessories I already have but am not sure where they'll fit and work best in this prospective setup...

Loose Ends

• Side Effect – Navy Parapack – (would probably be a toiletry kit? I love my workhorse SE, and don't doubt that I can make use of it)

• Small Double Organizer Pouch, Small Clear Organizer Pouch, Nook sized Protective Case (really just listing these as a technicality to list all of the bag's prospective contents. Will come back to edit after real world usage)

• Noise Cancelling Over the ear headphones (these have always been a luxury item, but I think coming from a smaller bag during travels, I'll enjoy the ability to be taking these more often).

--------------------------------

Also Considering:

• Aeronaut 30 all fabric End Pocket Packing Cube – Steel – (to transport shoes? I would like a shoe bag instead of the recommended newspaper plastic wrap and other suggestions, although they do come much appreciated. Have been considering this end pocket packing cube really just because it's sized to fit this bag specifically.

• A30 Travel Laundry Stuff Sack – steel – (this would replace both my #2 stuff sacks, and would house both socks and underwear during travels. Thoughts on this solution vs 2 individual stuff sacks?

--------------------------------

Let me know what you think of my setup! I'm still trying to work everything out, and would love to hear feedback/your own packing lineup and tips. Hoping to put the final click for this (HUGE) order in the next few days, so it's all waiting for me as my own welcome home package next week.

Peace and love, friends!

-Chris

[Rocks]

I'd also consider an Aeronaut Packing Cube Backpack and a Packing Cube Shoulder Bag. Both make excellent day bags in addition to being great packing cubes.

[PaulT00]

• Clear Quarter Packing Cube – Steel – Left End Pocket (hoping to get all of my tech in here. Cables and chargers in one half. Nook, Camera, Jambox in the other. I like the option of being able to use half for tech and the other half with toiletries during lighter trips. Am super curious how this fits in the end pocket, as I know they were designed to nicely fit half of an A45 end pocket)

I'd recommend being careful how full you pack a CQPC to go in an A30 end pocket. My grooming kit (at the moment...) is in a Solar CQPC which I put in the RHS end pocket of my A30 on its maiden voyage. The main difference is that in my A45, it sits short edge against the back of the pocket and there is room for two of them stacked one atop the other with long edges together. In the A30, I had to pack it long edge against the back of the end pocket, i.e. pull tab toward the front of the bag, and there was only room for a 3D Clear Cube next to it packed short side against the back of the pocket. That's the difference in capacity between the A30 and A45 dimensions.

Here's a photo or two I just snapped to demonstrate.
In Situ:



Top view of packed pouches out of the A30:



And side view:



If you look at my post http://forums.tombihn.com/photos-vid...a30-hotel.html you can see my Wasabi side-effect which I packed in the left hand end pocket. It's about the same length as the long dimension of a CQPC, but not as tall or thick. My Nordic Travel Tray ended up in the right hand end pocket. And if you want to see the effect of an A45 packing cube backpack in the A30, as per @Rocks suggestion, that's shown there too. Fitting an 11" MBA in a cache should be no problem at all - my 13" macbook in a cache fits with room to spare.

BTW: I'm planning to downsize my grooming kit!

[bchaplin]

So many great Aeronaut 30 threads with tips and photos!
I would love it if someone rounded up all the links. I have already forgotten where they can all be found, and a search on "aeronaut" pulls up too many.
I'd planned to look them all over again before next month's trip, when I'll be using my A30 for the first time.

[blackbird]

Hey gang,

I'm going click-happy while trying to outfit my soon-to-be ordered Aeronaut 30 (black/iberian), and would love to hear some packing lists/general packing experience with your A30s.

Followed by underlined intended placements and parenthesized (intended usages), here is my...

Wish List for my incoming Aeronaut 30:

• Clear Quarter Packing Cube – Steel – Left End Pocket (hoping to get all of my tech in here. Cables and chargers in one half. Nook, Camera, Jambox in the other. I like the option of being able to use half for tech and the other half with toiletries during lighter trips. Am super curious how this fits in the end pocket, as I know they were designed to nicely fit half of an A45 end pocket)

• Travel Tray – Black – Left End Pocket, or Main Compartment (Don't have many actual applications in mind for this during travels, outside of an airport security belt savior, but have been eying it for a while and know that I'd love it as an everyday piece and on the hotel bureau)

• #2 Travel Stuff Sack – Solar – Right End Pocket (Socks)

• #2 Travel Stuff Sack – Wasabi – Right End Pocket (Underwear)

• Small Yarn Stuff Sack – Iberian – Main Compartment (Attached to an Iberian Key Strap, this will house miscellaneous Tom Bihn attachments like webbing clips, waist straps and such–going all Iberian so it blends in. Chosen over stuff sack because it can clip. Advice?)

• Q Kit – *hoping for Indigo* – Main Compartment (this falls into the "why not?" category, but it just looks like a goody bag for your bag).

--------------------------------

You'll notice my main compartment looks rather empty...

Other envisioned main compartment contents:

• Small (15") Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder (to hold 1-2 pants and 3-5 shirts)

• Medium eBags Packing Cube (to hold any other clothes during longer trips. I already have it and looks like it'll fit nicely)

• 11" MBA (currently iN a cache case)

--------------------------------

A few accessories I already have but am not sure where they'll fit and work best in this prospective setup...

Loose Ends

• Side Effect – Navy Parapack – (would probably be a toiletry kit? I love my workhorse SE, and don't doubt that I can make use of it)

• Small Double Organizer Pouch, Small Clear Organizer Pouch, Nook sized Protective Case (really just listing these as a technicality to list all of the bag's prospective contents. Will come back to edit after real world usage)

• Noise Cancelling Over the ear headphones (these have always been a luxury item, but I think coming from a smaller bag during travels, I'll enjoy the ability to be taking these more often).

--------------------------------

Also Considering:

• Aeronaut 30 all fabric End Pocket Packing Cube – Steel – (to transport shoes? I would like a shoe bag instead of the recommended newspaper plastic wrap and other suggestions, although they do come much appreciated. Have been considering this end pocket packing cube really just because it's sized to fit this bag specifically.

• A30 Travel Laundry Stuff Sack – steel – (this would replace both my #2 stuff sacks, and would house both socks and underwear during travels. Thoughts on this solution vs 2 individual stuff sacks?

--------------------------------

Let me know what you think of my setup! I'm still trying to work everything out, and would love to hear feedback/your own packing lineup and tips. Hoping to put the final click for this (HUGE) order in the next few days, so it's all waiting for me as my own welcome home package next week.

Peace and love, friends!

-Chris

Now that you've switched from the SA to the A30, what do you think? Are there SA features that you miss, or is the A30 everything you need/want it to be?

I'm a new-to-me black dyneema SA owner, and am fully enjoying it, but am curious as to how the A30 works in comparison, and also how you've been packing it. Do you feel you're able to fit more in your bag, or is it how the A30 is configured that suits you better?

(Forgive me all my questions... I am just a very curious cat!)

[GoStanford]

I have a dyneema A30 and I highly recommend the end pocket packing cube. I have packed the end pocket cube with clothes or clothes/medicines and still have had room for flat folded papers, tickets, or other thin items in the end pocket. I sometimes wish I had gotten a second end pocket cube, but I leave the other end pocket free-form to accommodate whatever I need to throw in that is oddly shaped. The packing cube loop handle makes the end pocket cube very easy to pull it in and out. I somehow keep forgetting there also are those flat zipped pockets just outside the end pockets, and those also give a little more space for the last minute things one might forget - a watch, ID tag, keys, etc.

I just got some Strapeez because the extra material from the shoulder straps dangles and can drag on the ground when hoisting the bag up; haven't played with the Strapeez yet.

I had an A30 travel laundry stuff sack but rehomed it; I decided I'd rather use smaller stuff sacks with more options to rearrange, or the packing cubes. For the main pocket I have one large cube and two small cubes and still have room to put in more stuff depending on how fully these cubes are packed.

Highly recommend at least one Q-Kit - so handy for chargers/cords/spare change, easy to clip onto one of the many O-rings. Yes, ask for a bright color for contrast and do tell us if you get turquoise!

I like my A30 a lot!

[platisc]

Now that you've switched from the SA to the A30, what do you think? Are there SA features that you miss, or is the A30 everything you need/want it to be?

Hey there! Interesting debate between the A30 and SA. It was SO very hard letting go of my beloved Smart Alec, but a necessary transition. Indeed, the packing style of the A30 is what makes me prefer it over the SA. Upon getting the A30 I immediately knew it was what I needed. I primarily travel with my bags, and frequently take 3-7 day trips. Practicing minimalist packing makes the A30 perfect for me. Where I could have gotten mostly everything into the SA, my contents are just where I need them now. When I arrive at my destination, I unzip every pocket on the A30 and leave it on my dresser and live out of it--love it! (will return to add some pics).

Two small things I miss from SA to A30 :

--Pen and misc. stuff organization that I had in the SA's upper modular pocket.
--Carrying my laptop in the A30 isn't so great. It's not bad, but it just doesn't feel like it was primarily designed to accommodate a computer, as the SA with cache and rails did.

One larger thing that I miss about my SA after the change:

--the ability to carry large, odd-shaped items. Admittedly I never had the chance to use my SA for this as much as I hoped (not like my MW Rambler that I had and loved for years), but the SA can definitely accommodate a variety of different shaped cargo a bit easier. This is the one area that I feel the A30 lets me down a bit, but of course it is not the bag's intended usage, so I am willing to live with it.

ALSO, the A30 isn't as nice for daily carry. The squarish design is sexy and works wonders for packing, but I find myself not wanting to reach for it on day-to-day duties.

Having said that, the A30 is THE duffel I've been looking for. It's NOT the backpack I've always wanted, but in terms of a shorter-carry duffel, or even long-term travel if you're a disciplined minimalist, it's a great bag that I definitely recommend anyone to invest in. After a month of usage I'm very satisfied with it.

[blackbird]

Hey there! Interesting debate between the A30 and SA. It was SO very hard letting go of my beloved Smart Alec, but a necessary transition. Indeed, the packing style of the A30 is what makes me prefer it over the SA. Upon getting the A30 I immediately knew it was what I needed.

That's great, @platisc! So glad you found a bag that works for you. I've been eyeing the A30, but I don't think I'd be able to part with the SA to make it happen. I am *that* attached to it already.

But since you're using the A30 as both duffle and dresser in your hotel rooms, what are you now using as your day bag?

[casun]

do any of you have any experience packing a suit into an A30? i wasn't able to do it on my first attempt without creating what i could tell was going to be a wrinkled mess.