Thule Aion 28L decision
Why a new bag
Recently, I was preparing to go on a trip to Japan and after the post I made about the bags I use, I started to look at what I was going to take with me to Japan. I had a few goals in mind in that I wanted to travel lightly and I really wanted to achieve this with a single bag while bringing my laptop.
I have a stroller bag that works great, but we were going to be going from Tokyo to Hakone to Osaka to Kyoto to an Onsen and back to Tokyo all within a two week period. On my previous trip, my brother had lugged around a giant stroller bag that he had checked and it was a bit of a menace to bring place to place. Avoiding that was a priority for me. The laptop bag I use for a daily carrier to and from work has done well for short trips in the past, but given that this was a longer trip, it did not really strike me as a good choice.
So, I decided to pick up a new bag. Oh no, more freaking travel gear.
Researching bags
I started off my search with a quick stop to Reddit’s r/onebag. I have followed it for a while and there is always great discussion around bags people are using, the short comings and benefits of certain bags, and a lot of pictures of what people have packed and fit into their bag. I picked out a few that looked promising and started looking in depth. There is a tremendous bag list that is fairly exhaustive and has a shit ton of options pinned in the group. It is here: Big Ass List of Bags
My main wants from a bag were as follows:
- Can carry what I planned on bringing
- Will keep my laptop safe
- Has easy access to electrical gear, laptop, and my passport
- Is not in overly garish colors
- Will carry easily and the straps will not cut into my shoulders
- Can be used as a carry on without issue
Narrowing the search
I wandered off to REI to look at their bags and get a better sense of what I had seen online. There, I largely looked at bags from Thule, Pategonia, North Face, REI’s house brand, and a couple others. While there, I was able to get a sense of what I liked and did not like for how some of the bags were laid out, their compartments, and the general feel and look of them. I weeded a few out and looked deeper at a few choices.
Grabbing my top four choices, I found an area that was unoccupied and got a few of the weighted bags for hiking to test out the gear. I loaded about thirty pounds in the bags and put them on. Doing a couple laps around the store with each gave me a quick sense of how I thought they would feel and whether or not I would find the straps comfortable or not.
I dropped one bag from the search because of this and took a closer look at each. Another bag looked kind of beat to shit on the rack and had marks on it and generally looked like the lighter color of it was going to pick up a lot of mileage quickly, so I dropped that from the search as well.
Picking a favorite
My favorite bag was a Thule Airo 40 Liter, I did however think it was a bit big for my needs. I really wanted to be able to use it for a carry on for travel both domestically and internationally. Some of the European carriers have smaller carry on allowances than the US-based carriers and while I have never had an issue in past, I would like to keep it that way. The 40 Liter was just going to be too big to meet that standard.
Being not a dumb ass, I had seen that there was a 28 Liter version. Thanks again giant list of bags on Reddit that you really should look at if you’re thinking about buying a new bag. I decided to read up on the 28 Liter some more. The Onebag group had positive things to say about it and so did other reviews I had seen online. It being a smaller version of the 40, I was kind of sold.
Buying the bag
I opted to pick the 28 Liter up, but the closest one from REI was ninety minutes away. I decided to order one online and if I didn’t like it in person, I would return it. I got the black version as I can never say no to just about anything that is black on black.
When it showed up, I did a quick prepack to see if it would accommodate everything for me. I was happy with it and while I filled it to the brim, it met all the needs I had set out for it. Was able to cram two packing cubes with 2 pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, 3 pairs of wool ankle socks, 4 long sleeve shirts, 1 button up shirt, and 4 pairs of underoos. I also got a clothes string, my toiletry bag, an electronics bag, a notepad and pens, my laptop, a book for train stamps, a book for work, my passport,a laundry bag, and a couple of travel RDF blockers. Again, filled to the brim.
Results
The trip went really well with the bag. I overpacked it a little and honestly didn’t need to bring all the socks I did. While in Japan, I grabbed a few shirts while I was in Kobe to give out as gifts and was successful in packing the three shirts I picked up in the bag as well.
On the way through Tokyo a few days before we left, I picked up a tote bag and carried a bunch of stuff back with me. I loaded up on another half dozen shirts to bring back as gifts.
I really like the 28. It was great for what it is. I am happy with the bag and how well it is constructed. I have used a few times since Japan as well and continue to like it.