Patk Aero Travel Backpack Review. Over the years, we’ve tried out…

Over the years, we’ve tried out hundreds of backpacks ranging from small EDC packs around 10L to large trekking backpacks around 70L in volume. During this time, I’ve found myself developing an affinity for backpacks in the 28–35L range because of their versatility. I can use them as an EDC backpack for work, as an office-to-gym backpack, and as a travel backpack. So, when the opportunity came to try out Pakt’s new Aero Travel Backpack, I happily accepted. While we’ve tried Pakt’s duffel bag before, this is their first backpack that we’re using.

Disclaimer: Our Aero Travel Backpack was provided to us by Pakt. We are hugely grateful for the chance to try it, but we also caveat that we strive to provide our honest opinions in the reviews, both the positives and the negatives.

Overview

Key Specs: 35L, 20 x 12 x 10 inches dimensions, 2.3 lbs, Aeroweave fabric (750D polyester, 210D ripstop nylon, 65D polyester taffeta laminated together with DWR coating).

The Pakt Aero Backpack is a lightweight, 35 L, well-organized pack with top notch weather resistance. There are two main compartments with standard U-shaped zipper openings at the top of the bag. In between those two compartments is a clamshell opening zipper that lets you open the backpack like a suitcase. From this middle section, you can access the front main compartment with a zipped, mesh partition. The middle section also contains a laptop sleeve in the divider and can be used as a separate compartment, essentially giving you three main compartments. In addition to these, there is an elasticated water bottle pocket on the side and two smaller compartments on the front panel — an admin compartment at the top and another zipped compartment at the bottom half.

These compartments and openings make the Aero backpack perfect as a travel carry-on and for one-bag travel. With 35 L of volume, you have plenty of space to pack for a week and can bring 5+ sets of clothes (including socks and underwear), a toiletry kit, basic electronics like a laptop, charger, and headphones, and still have space for some personal entertainment like a book or a Nintendo Switch.

In the workplace, I frequently used this as an office-to-gym backpack, bringing a laptop with charger, notebook, headphones and wireless mouse, a Tupperware container of snacks, other basic small EDC items, plus a change of gym clothes (t-shirt, shorts, underwear, socks, and even a pair of sneakers).

Space is plenty. Organization tends to err toward the more minimal side with few internal pockets in the main compartments and focuses more on maximize packing volume. But the front panel’s compartments help. Durability is strong with technical materials and great craftsmanship.

Pros

• Great packing capacity (35L feels pretty accurate) — big enough for one-bag travel, small enough to use for office-to-gym
• Lightweight for a bag this size, but doesn’t compromise on durability
• Versatile backpack — use as large EDC or one-bag travel with stowable shoulder straps and compression straps, and removable sternum and waist straps.

Cons

• Relatively thin padding on the shoulder pads (but not terribly uncomfortable either)
• Luggage passthrough orients the bag horizontally, which means your water bottle will also be horizontal and can potentially fall out.
• Front panel is a bit floppy due to lack of padding

Organization

The main storage compartments are divided by a partition in the middle that also acts as the laptop sleeve. You can open the backpack like a suitcase and access the two large compartments by unzipping the middle partition.

• Rear main compartment — Aside from being accessed while the Aero Pack is opened up like a suitcase, this compartment also has a top U-shaped zipper. This compartment has about 3.5 inches of depth. There is a small, zipped pocket across the top of the back panel for important items/valuables that you don’t need quick access to — a good place to keep extra cash or passport if you’re concerned about pickpockets. The small pocket is about 7 inches in height, though the zipper is 1.5 inches down from the top of the back panel. I would treat this as the main packing compartment, particularly for any heavier items since it’s closer to your back (keeps the center of gravity closer to your body’s natural center).
• Laptop sleeve — The central divider between the two main compartments can be unzipped along 3-sides and is padded. It also acts as a laptop sleeve and has an opening at the top that is covered with a slightly elastic mesh flap. I really like this over Velcro straps as it’s easy to use, not in the way like the straps can be, and not abrasive like the hook field on Velcro straps. The sleeve is padded on both front and back and has a false bottom. Though because the bag’s bottom is not padded and not firm, if you drop the bag, the laptop will still feel an impact.
• Front main compartment — Also about 3.5 inches deep but may lose some of that depth if you’ve got bulky items in the front panel’s small pockets. Similar to the rear main compartment, you can also access this compartment by opening the central partition or with a U-shaped zipper at the top of the bag. Unlike the rear main compartment, the front main compartment doesn’t have any internal pockets. There are four lash points, though, that are compatible with Pakt’s clip-in pouches. Additionally, the front main compartment has a mesh layer that separates it from the laptop sleeve. The brilliance of this is that it allows you to use that space between the mesh layer and the laptop sleeve as a whole new compartment. And if you don’t have a ton of stuff in the front main compartment, you can fit quite a lot in this new faux compartment. Love it.
• Front admin compartment — Includes a key leash and three slip pockets: a large one that goes across the width of the compartment and is about 5 inches deep with a magnet to keep it shut, and two smaller ones that are half the width of the front panel. Aside from these slip pockets, the compartment itself is quite tall (about 9 inches in height) and due to the convex shape of the front panel, it has about 2 inches of depth and its own volume. So, feel free to throw bulky things like your headphones or glasses case in there. Even a 1L Nalgene bottle fits in there.

• Front dump pocket — On the bottom half of the front panel is a zipped dump pocket. No additional internal features. Just a quick stash pocket. Also has about 2 inches of depth and is about 6.5 inches in height. The zipper is kind of hidden by a flap which helps keep that pocket less obvious and keeps rainwater out.
• Water bottle pocket — On the right side (when looking at the front panel), is a large elasticated and gusseted water bottle pocket. I think the opening’s design is perfect. It keeps the pocket out of the way when not in use but allows it to expand to accommodate large bottles very easily, like a 1L Nalgene. The pocket is 7–9 inches in height, depending on which side you measure. The only issue I’ve had with this pocket, is that the fabric is quite water resistant. So if your water bottle leaks a bit, which can easily happen with reusable bottles as you’re shuffling around (especially if the contents are carbonated), the water will collect at the bottom of this pocket. I would add a small drainage hole at the bottom, and I think that would make this my ideal water bottle pocket.

Additional Features

• Sternum strap — This adjustable and removable sternum strap is attached via the daisy chains along the shoulder straps and uses a normal side-release buckle.
• Waist strap — The removable waist belt clips onto the same anchor points as the shoulder straps, but is just a piece of webbing, no padding. Though it provides stability if you’re running through the airport with the backpack, it doesn’t really take any of the weight off your shoulders and I generally remove these types of waist straps and don’t use them.
• Compression straps — The front panel has 4 lash points on the sides and hidden beneath the exterior sidewall’s fabric are cords with hooks on the ends. The hooks attach to the lash points and you can use them as compression straps or attachment straps. There is a cord lock on each cord that allows you to adjust the tightness. It’s a pretty unique design that maybe takes up a little less space than webbing straps with adjustor buckles.

• Stowable shoulder straps — The bottoms of the shoulder straps have gated rings that clip onto some folder webbing loops at the bottom corners of the back panel. When you unclip them, you can stuff the should straps under the back panel’s exterior padding. I do love anything that helps travel bags look cleaner and less strappy. Also prevents the straps from getting snagged on anything as you toss the backpack in and out of cargo holds or overhead bins during your travels.

• Grab handles — Four grab handles in total; all made from nylon webbing. A padded one on top. A padded one on bottom. And two unpadded handles on the left side of the bag (when facing the front panel). These side handles are on both sides of the clamshell zipper, allowing you to grab and close the clamshell more easily.
• Additional lash points — On each shoulder strap is an additional lash point to hook your sunglasses or a carabiner.

Construction and Comfort

The Aero Travel Backpack is 35L, 20 x 12 x 10 in (H x W x D) and comes in at 2.3 lbs. This is very light for a travel backpack this size, which is one of the key marketing points. Much of this is due to the Aeroweave fabric they use. Pakt describes it as a laminate of 750D polyester in a diamond grid pattern, sandwiched between a 210D nylon ripstop face and 65D polyester taffeta backing, plus a DWR coating. Based on this description, it sounds like it’s not too dissimilar from X-Pac. Both laminate layers together and are similar to sailcloth. This material is light but seems to provide great water resistance and durability. On the interior, the liner separating the front main compartment from the front panel’s smaller compartments feels quite thin, so you can even feel the corners of items through the liner.

The zippers are YKK #8 Rcz on the exterior and #5 Rcz on the interior. This isn’t as burley as #10 that you see in some other travel backpacks but is still a solid choice. The anchors for the shoulder straps, sternum strap, and waist strap are all metal. Feels like anodized aluminum. The side-release buckles and adjuster buckles are all plastic components, though they still feel durable enough that I don’t have any qualms.

The craftsmanship has seemed superb so far and I can see bartack stitching to reinforce key stress points. All said and done, this lives up to the premium quality that Pakt usually delivers and I’d expect this backpack to last for many years.

The back panel has a thick closed-foam padding, but there is no airmesh layer and no airflow channel. So, while there is good structural support, there is not really true ventilation for your back. The shoulder straps are contoured and use a thinner layer of that same foam, so they aren’t very cushy and aren’t super comfortable, but they’re certainly not uncomfortable either. The shoulder straps are a nice width — about 2.5 inches at the top, tapering down to 2 inches at the bottom.

Overall, not the most comfortable travel backpack, but not the worst. I can definitely see myself getting really sweaty wearing this while running around an airport or while walking outside. But these tradeoffs help keep the backpack light and allow the shoulder straps to be easily stowable.

Additional Usage Notes

• The Aero Travel Backpack is able to stand on its own quite well, particularly when packed out evenly (i.e., not having all the weight in the front main compartment or all in the back main compartment). If it’s not packed out or the weight isn’t balanced well, it tends to fall forward.
• There are zipper pulls on every zipper of the bag made of paracord with heat wrapped ends. But depending on where you leave the interior zippers, they might stick out of the bag and get in the way of the exterior zippers.
• Lastly, while the back panel has padding, the front panel does not and is just the Aeroweave fabric. So, when the front compartments are relatively empty, the backpack can look a bit frumpy.

Summary

Overall, I really like the Aero Travel Backpack for its versatility. I can use it in many different scenarios ranging from one-bag travel, to carrying a dozen bags for my family but just keeping all of my things in one bag, to everyday work and gym situations. It’s light but still well built and will last you a long time. It also has a relatively minimal look, through the grid of the Aeroweave fabric detracts from that slightly. The backpack is easy to use and intuitive.

As always, thanks for reading. Drop a note in the comments if you have any questions about the Pakt Aero Travel Backpack and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on what bags we’re trying out.