Deciding between Aeronaut 45 vs 30

[dzebas]

Hi,

Me and my wife are planning 5.5 weeks holiday this May-June, 18 days in Spain and the rest in East Europe. We've never tried minimalistic travelling and want to try it on this trip.

We don't own any of TB bags and I was looking at buying Aeronaut 45 for myself and 30 for my wife. Problem is that we will be flying Emirates from Australia and they have strict one bag policy (no personal items) and 7kg limit, which makes me think that perhaps A45 could be too big in this case and A30 would be more appropriate for both of us?

OTOH, as we never traveled light, I'm afraid that A30 could be too small for ~6 weeks trip? We prepared to do washing (staying in apartments with washing machines in Spain, staying with family in East Europe), will also buy some lightweight clothes like merino wool etc. Gadget wise only taking iPad mini and Sony RX100 III camera, plus iPhones.

So what do you think, considering 7kg weight limit should I get A45 or A30 for myself? Also A30 has less chance to be forced being checked in as it can sometimes happen with A45?

Thanks in advance!

[mrbrown]

Ah @dzebas, that 7kg weight limit is such a pain. I have experienced it before though they don't enforce is very aggressively where I am.

That said, it can be done.

The weight difference between the A45 and A30 is only 100grams for the ballistic nylon versions, and negligible between the two for the Dyneema versions. So if weight is a concern, go for the Dyneema versions. The A30 is adequate for most of my trips, provided I don't carry a second pair of shoes. I reckon the A30 in Dyneema will draw less attention at the airport when they decide whose bags are too big or too heavy.

Looking at your gadget list, the iPad mini and the RX100 Mk III are both excellent choices for keeping it light (I have both too, and used the RX100 Mk III last week for a trip). The less tech you carry, the less supporting accessories you will need too.

You can save some weight from the bags by wearing your heaviest items, jackets and jeans and what have you.

If you need a day pack, a Dyneema Side Effect, or a Dyneema Daylight Backpack or Briefcase, will do the job, and will fit inside either Aeronauts. The Packing Cube Backpack is also a good option.

If you pack wisely, and make sure the items in your wardrobe can be mixed and matched, and you are willing to sink wash or visit laundromats, one week of clothing is going to be fine for six weeks of travel.

I also tend to pack easy-to-dry fabrics, and yes, merino wool rocks. I also like to pack an ultralight down jacket for cold weather. A polar Buff is also a versatile hat/scarf/face mask.

Hope this helps.

[noodles]

I'm having the same dilemma (first world problem) but will probably go with the A45 because it holds a significant 50% more volume at 45 litres vs 30 litres.

Having an A45 doesn't mean you have to pack it full all the time plus having a bigger bag gives more options and you can always check it in on future trips because of the 7kg rule. I have no problem packing one bag for a trip but it's usually around 10-12kg (20-25 pounds) if I include my dive equipment (mask, snorkel, regulator, camera). I can easily get under 7kg if I'm not diving.

I believe the design, zips, pockets and layout of everything is identical so the A30 is just a smaller version of the A45 but I could be wrong (haven't watched the videos). I'd buy an A35 if they made one as this would be more practical than the A30.

The size difference between A30 and A45 is only 2.3 x 1.4 x 1.8 but holds 50% more volume. Not sure how that works mathematically but I think it's correct!

A30:
Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.6 x 7.9" / 500 x 320 x 201mm
Weight: 1050d high tenacity ballistic nylon: 2 lbs, 14 oz
400d Dyneema®/420d nylon ripstop: 2 lbs, 5.6 oz / 1066 grams
Volume: 1830 cubic inches / 30 liters (ASTM Standard Measure)

A45:
Dimensions: 22" x 14" x 9" / 555 x 355 x 230 mm
Weight: 1050d high tenacity ballistic nylon: 3 lb 1 oz / 1395 grams
400d Dyneema®/420d nylon ripstop: 2 lb 7 oz / 1095 grams
Volume: 2700 cubic in / 45 liters (ASTM Standard Measure)

[bermudajes]

OTOH, as we never traveled light, I'm afraid that A30 could be too small for ~6 weeks trip? We prepared to do washing (staying in apartments with washing machines in Spain, staying with family in East Europe), will also buy some lightweight clothes like merino wool etc. Gadget wise only taking iPad mini and Sony RX100 III camera, plus iPhones.

So what do you think, considering 7kg weight limit should I get A45 or A30 for myself? Also A30 has less chance to be forced being checked in as it can sometimes happen with A45?

As a relatively new convert to light/one bag travel, I cannot imagine keeping an A45 under 7kg... filling that bag to capacity would certainly way more than that, and I remember how hard it was to pack light the first time I tried. (I actually failed miserably that first time, and ended up checking a larger bag for a trip about a week long.) It's only recently, after four or so years of trying to pack light, that I've successfully underpacked a bag. That's just me, though.

I don't usually weigh my bags, but I have on two occasions. The first was when I traveled for a long weekend trip with my S19. With three days worth of summer clothes (women's L) and very little else in the bag, I weighed in at 11lbs (5kg). Last time was a two-day work trip with my MCB - managed to pack that 8 liter bag with 8lbs (3.6kg) of stuff.

All that to say - if I had to be concerned about weight, I'd definitely go with the A30.

Regardless of which bag you choose, one tip I've seen around here is to carry the bag backpack-style. Travelers tend to look less conspicuous/bags tend to look smaller when carrying them this way.

[Pokilani]

When I went the one-bag route for London last year, I practiced wearing, re-wearing, and washing my clothes for one week. I made sure I only picked out clothing that was both travel friendly AND clothes that I really liked. Let's face it, if you're going to wear the same thing repeatedly, you want to like it. I'm small, but I under packed the A30 and it was 11 lbs. This included an iPad mini, ballet flats, sandals, a messenger purse, and a DLBP, plus all my clothes, toiletries, makeup, adapters, jacket, etc. While I love the Aubergine ballistic, if I had seen 400d Dyneema before I bought, I would have bought the A30 in dyneema for the weight savings.


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[Rocks]

Having an A45 doesn't mean you have to pack it full all the time plus having a bigger bag gives more options and you can always check it in on future trips because of the 7kg rule. I have no problem packing one bag for a trip but it's usually around 10-12kg (20-25 pounds) if I include my dive equipment (mask, snorkel, regulator, camera). I can easily get under 7kg if I'm not diving.

I agree. I have never packed the Aeronaut 45 to capacity, but I like to know it's an option. I under pack on the way out, and have room to add things during the trip. You can pack any size bag till it's too heavy to comfortably carry. I always test pack and walk around. If it's too heavy for me to carry, I figure out what needs to go.

Either bag will work for you, really.

[BJ Nemeth]

It sounds like your wife is definitely going to get the Aeronaut 30, so I would order that ASAP and test it out in person. See if you can get your clothes and gear packed in there, and then check the weight.

That way you'll have actual experience with your stuff and be able to make a clearly informed opinion. If you can successfully pack your stuff in the Aeronaut 30, then that's what I'd recommend.

[dzebas]

It sounds like your wife is definitely going to get the Aeronaut 30, so I would order that ASAP and test it out in person. See if you can get your clothes and gear packed in there, and then check the weight.

That way you'll have actual experience with your stuff and be able to make a clearly informed opinion. If you can successfully pack your stuff in the Aeronaut 30, then that's what I'd recommend.

Thank you, only thing preventing me from doing this is expensive shipping to Australia, it's $65 AUD! If I ship two bags I think it's still $65, but if separate I have to pay for each. Don't know why it's so expensive, we buy a lot from other places in US, but this must be one of most expensive I'v seen.

[flitcraft]

One thing to consider is that bags work best when they are reasonably full, so that contents don't shift around as much. (Not overstuffed, just comfortably full.) I can't imagine a full A45 would come close to being under the weight limit, at least for summer travel. Because of that, I only use my A45 (I don't own an A30) in the winter when I'm taking along a winter jacket, hat, scarf, gloves, etc. that are too bulky to fit in my WF or Tristar.

That said, if you imagine traveling in the future where you'd want more stuff with you and weren't tied to the strict Emirates carry-on rule, the A45 gives you that much more flexibility, especially in packing large or unusually shaped items. I once transported a large size Christmas pannetone in mine, and it arrived safe, sound, and delicious.

[dnarud13]

I know that I've flown a few EU airlines in the last year and not once have they checked the size/weight of my A45. The extra space does come in handy ... like last month in Praha, my wife insisted on bringing back 4 long stemmed crystal wine glasses ... in their boxes! I thought it had been full going there, yet I was still able to fit them in. ... it's weird .

[djjr]

My husband and I both have A30's and he manages fine with it for most trips of up to 3- 5 days. He prefers the smaller size overall, especially for travel on Australian domestic and European flights. The downfall for him though, is that he not only loves shoes (and likes to travel with several pairs!) but he wears a US11/UK10 and the A30 is limiting in this area as they only fit in the main compartment. For this reason, at some time in the future, we'll be adding a Dyneema A45 to our TB collection.

We will also be travelling with Emirates to the UK and Europe this year for 4 weeks and the 7kg weight limit is a dilemma for us too. I think I would find it easier if a Personal Item was also allowed but as it isn't, we will probably struggle to keep below 7kg. Some good advice we did receive though was that Duty Free is not included in the weight allowance so buy yourself some Duty Free and place your personal item in the Duty Free bag.

At the moment, I plan on just taking my A30 as my clothes and shoes are light and small but both my husband and sons (all over 6ft tall) will most likely check in an additional bag to allow for their shoes/larger clothes etc and souvenirs/extras that we purchase while there.

And try not to worry about the $65 shipping to Australia. The quality of TB is superior to any luggage I have seen in Sydney and the $65 is a small price to pay for something that will give you pleasure each time you pack it and something that will last you a lifetime. And yes, it is a flat rate $65 so think about whether you want to invest in packing cubes (highly recommended), Absolute Strap and other accessories and suddenly the $65 doesn't seem too bad after all.