Personal Item within Carry-On

[PreXisE]

Good Evening, everyone!

As per my daily obsessive research of Bihn bags, I've taken a liking to the whole "marsupial" bag concept, especially since watching that cool video with the brothers packing for their trip to Japan. I will also be traveling out of country to Dominican Republic for 1 week, and have been eying travel bag options. The struggle occurs between the Aeronaut 30 and 45, mostly due to deciding which one allows me to pack a considerate amount of clothing and shoes, along with stuffing a carryon within said bag. Now, although I admire the DLBP (thank you for the past help on my other thread!) I was thinking on how well a Synapse 19 would fit within an Aeronaut 30 or 45.

Possible personal plane items:
Google Pixel C w/ case
Wiiu pro controller + adapter and charging cable
Nintendo 3DS XL and a couple games (probably in Travel Tray)
Ralph Lauren wallet
Passport in Kipling passport holder thingy
Denim jacket
V-Moda headphones and in-car headphones
Glass water bottle (empty until in airport)

With these items (more or less) inside, would the Synapse 19 or DLBP be able to fit within either of the Aeronauts? I will try to come up with a packing list, as I haven't figured that out yet... But I usually pack check in bags, so I will be very new to the carryon lifestyle. All input is welcome, and again, thank you all for reading! Sorry to post another thread with all these doggone questions!

[Aeon]

I store my (cordura) Synapse 19 inside my (ballistic) Aeronaut 30. I do have to unzip both zippers to make it fit easily, so you'll lose some space in both end pockets. I wouldn't want to travel this way unless I was packing very lightly because the S19 takes up more room than I like for it to. I'd choose the Daylight Backpack which easily slides into the backpack strap compartment and takes up minimal space of either bag.

The Aeronauts are definitely bags that accommodate a lot of stuff, but I can't imagine a packed DLBP or S19 fitting into either size Aeronaut that's already packed with a "considerable amount of clothing and shoes." Also, I think this would make the Aeronaut uncomfortably heavy to carry, but your mileage may vary. Just something to consider.

Why not shoulder or hand carry the Aeronaut and wear the S19 or DLBP on your back? I find shoulder carrying the Aeronaut uncomfortable so I don't, but if I wanted to use my S19 as my daybag/personal item, that's what I'd do.

[terayon]

My usual set up is to carry my S19 (moderately packed, definitely not stuffed) inside my A45, along with two small A45 packing cubes. It fits quite nicely and there are still a few nooks and crannies in the main compartment. And the end pockets are wide open. It really is impressive how much the A45 can carry! I don't have an A30, though.

Depending on the trip, I may replace the packing cubes with PCSBs, and the S19 with either my Swift or a Large Cafe bag.

[PreXisE]

@Aeon Curses I figured! I just wanted to try the whole "one bag" transit within airports because it seems so streamlined! And you're right, it would be in my best interest to not add more weight to the bag with another bag, but I really like the idea of fitting another bag within the carry-on without the marsupial bag being a Co-Pilot or any messenger bag for that matter (may change my mind). Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!

Wait, @terayon, do you mean there is hope? I figured the backpack fits fine without anything in it, but it is fantastic to know that the synapse can fit nicely with the A45 with some items in it! But then, how much packing do you do for the aeronaut? In terms of how many days did you pack for that allowed space for the synapse? If I filled an A45 with 2 small packing cubes and used 2-3 stuff sacks (sizes 2, 3, and/or 4), would the synapse still fit? If not, could that leave a little room for the DLBP? And thank you for sharing your thoughts as well!

[mrbrown]

I fold a DLBP into the backpack straps compartment of my A30 and deploy it when I need it as a day pack. A S19 is a little too big to be carried inside the Aeronauts, I feel.

[pammy]

I fold a DLBP into the backpack straps compartment of my A30 and deploy it when I need it as a day pack. A S19 is a little too big to be carried inside the Aeronauts, I feel.

I also carry my DLBP in the backpack strap compartment. It's dyneema and it works great and takes up no space. It is so handy to whip it out for my day use stuff. Maybe I am not proficient enough in packing because I did try test packing my S19 in my A30 and it seemed to me to take up too much space even though it was empty. Maybe I was packing too much clothing to make it work. But since I started using the DLBP with the A30, I haven't felt the need to try anything else since it works so well.

[PreXisE]

Thank you kindly for the replies! I suppose trying to pack in a S19 might be a bit much. For those who have utilized aeronaut with backpacks in general, is it uncomfortable toting the aeronaut and a S19 or S25? I can handle it, but would like to know if it may be cumbersome. And two more questions:
1) Could a slightly packed DLBP fit in the aeronaut at all? Assuming I use 3 small A30 packing cubes and a few stuff sacks.
2) Is using the DLBP as a personal Item weird at all? Does it qualify as a personal Item?
Thank you all again for reading. I am really excited for my trip! Assuming I purchase these bags before I leave, haha!

[CathyB]

I recently traveled with an Aeronaut 30 for the first time, and while it would certainly be possible to carry it in your hand while wearing a backpack, I think that if you're doing any amount of walking/loitering, you're going to want the Aeronaut on your back. For example: when I arrived at my destination I had to walk a very short distance from the gate to the rental car, so it wasn't worth it to take out the straps. Coming home, I had a couple hours hanging out in the airport, and was very glad to have the backpack option!

I don't have a DLPB (and I had to look up what that was) but I don't see why you couldn't carry it as a personal item - I suspect it would depend on the airline, but I carried a bike helmet in a bag on my flight with my Aeronaut without any trouble, and that would be around the same size.

What about one of the knapsack packing cubes? They seem pretty low profile and are specifically designed to use as a packing cube as well as a backpack, so you could cut out one or two of the other packing cubes you were going to use. I've got one on order but haven't gotten it yet. Maybe some else has used them and can chime in?

[Badger]

1) Could a slightly packed DLBP fit in the aeronaut at all? Assuming I use 3 small A30 packing cubes and a few stuff sacks.
2) Is using the DLBP as a personal Item weird at all? Does it qualify as a personal Item?
Thank you all again for reading. I am really excited for my trip! Assuming I purchase these bags before I leave, haha!

Given the packing list you provided in your first post, you could get everything in the DLBP, everything minus the jacket into a DLBC, or everything minus the jacket and tablet into a Packing Cube Shoulder Bag (which would be very full). I think that if you packed the DLBP so its contents were flat and arranged in a rough square shape, it would fit fine into the A30 if you don't have the rest of the main compartment overpacked. In this case, you could just fold your jacket and pack it separately.

The DLBP can definitely function as a personal item, though your airline may have its own particular rules. If I was going to use an A30/DLBP combo, I would try to underpack the DLBP to fit it in the A30 and then rearrange a few things at the gate; then, I'd hand-carry the backpack to my seat. If I had to carry both the A30 and DLBP (i.e., two-bag carry), I'd wear the A30 and carry the DLBP by the grab handle, which would be much less fatiguing if I had to go any great distance.

[PreXisE]

Thank you for these replies! I had a wonderful trip to Dominican Republic, although I couldn't acquire all the bags I wanted beforehand. I did tote a DLBP and S19 along .At first, I discounted how much I would utilize the DLBP, but after I learned to pack it, I couldn't leave it alone. It's a great choice to out towards my goal towards one bag travel. I will hopefully snag an Aeronaut 30 in the future and try one bag travel with it (will take me a long time to learn to pack it!). I think I'll ditch trying to fit any Synapse in the bag and just use an S25 separate for laptop travel. Otherwise, A30 (or quite possibly 45) and DLBP should suit me well as suggested. Thanks everyone!