Just wanted to give an update cause I had commented about 2 months ago about a trip and was wondering which bag to take. I ended up going with the Aer go pack 2 for my 14 day trip to Japan. It was AWESOME! Super lightweight and had a great amount of space. My daily carry during the trip was: light jacket, some meds, portable charger, wallet, passport. And then each day I usually ended up buy some water/snacks, and did some light shopping in the neighborhoods I visited. I would 100% recommend this bag to anyone else who is looking for a good packable day pack. ONE FLAW: I ran into rain for 1 single night in Tokyo. The bag got soaked pretty good actually but nothing got wet inside (I wouldn't trust this though and would still bring a cover for it if you know you're gonna get a lot of rain.) But the one flaw that happened to me - the outer dump pocket with the clasp got wet inside. I didn't have anything in there, but because there is no drainage in that pocket, the next day I shoved some stuff in there and it ended up still being soaked in there. It was my own fault because I forgot to let it air out overnight and therefore that pocket stayed wet and never dried out. Other than that, this is my new go to packable bag! I love it and would highly recommend.
I have the Aer Go Pack 2. In the same colour. Love it to bits. It is my favourite daypack for travels. Can take it anywhere. Perfectly usable pockets and layout. I would call this the best backpack from Aer. I added a Fidlock sternum strap. Add a Hero clip or a S-biner/carabiner and one is ready for almost anything.
Just sold my MPL22 and wanting to try the AER Go Pack 2 as my check in bag and pull out once arrive for some day trip. I’ve had the Aer Go Duffel 2 which I sold before and planning to repurchase once I arrive in SF again in two weeks.
Hey, thanks for this nice review! For Aer Go Pack 2, did you test how much load it can handle before shoulders or back starting to feel uncomfortable? My use case is 2 bottles of water (1.6kg), macbook pro 14" (1.6kg), 2-3 kg of other stuff (extra layer, raincoat, organiser bag, etc) - around 5-6kg of total load excluding bag's weight.
Hey there - I did not do any specific measurements to find when it started to become uncomfortable but I did schlep 2 12-packs of hard seltzers in this (which I was amazed fit) for about a mile and by the end I was glad to have the bag off my back. If you’re planning to use this as a daily bag, I’d recommend something with better straps and weight distribution but if your scenario is not a regular occurrence it would probably be ok.
I had the matador refraction and it was just too small for me, I gave it to a friend who is like half my size, she loves it. My favorite packable is a Cotopaxi Batac, its not really marketed as a packable but it be scrunched smaller than the Aer and its straps are better, thing is the crazy colors will not agree with some people. Its listed as "16L" like the refraction but its way bigger. I think that refraction is legit like 12-14L and the Batac is like 18ish.
hey eric. have olive version of azimuth. Love the olive over black imo and comes in at 15oz and is x42(strongest material used outta these + the black azimuth.)
Very useful, thanks! Ended up going with the go pack 2 for my upcoming trip!
Good choice! That’s a great bag!
Just wanted to give an update cause I had commented about 2 months ago about a trip and was wondering which bag to take.
I ended up going with the Aer go pack 2 for my 14 day trip to Japan. It was AWESOME! Super lightweight and had a great amount of space. My daily carry during the trip was: light jacket, some meds, portable charger, wallet, passport. And then each day I usually ended up buy some water/snacks, and did some light shopping in the neighborhoods I visited. I would 100% recommend this bag to anyone else who is looking for a good packable day pack.
ONE FLAW: I ran into rain for 1 single night in Tokyo. The bag got soaked pretty good actually but nothing got wet inside (I wouldn't trust this though and would still bring a cover for it if you know you're gonna get a lot of rain.) But the one flaw that happened to me - the outer dump pocket with the clasp got wet inside. I didn't have anything in there, but because there is no drainage in that pocket, the next day I shoved some stuff in there and it ended up still being soaked in there. It was my own fault because I forgot to let it air out overnight and therefore that pocket stayed wet and never dried out.
Other than that, this is my new go to packable bag! I love it and would highly recommend.
Awesome update, and thanks for sharing!
Was just searching for a good packable pack! Thanks dude!
Glad I could help!
I have the Aer Go Pack 2. In the same colour. Love it to bits. It is my favourite daypack for travels. Can take it anywhere. Perfectly usable pockets and layout. I would call this the best backpack from Aer. I added a Fidlock sternum strap. Add a Hero clip or a S-biner/carabiner and one is ready for almost anything.
100% and might agree with you about it being Aer’s best backpack. Really punches above its weight class.
Definitely the best backpack from Aer of all the backpacks I've tried
All others have pockets/segments that dig into each other unlike the go pack 2
Just sold my MPL22 and wanting to try the AER Go Pack 2 as my check in bag and pull out once arrive for some day trip. I’ve had the Aer Go Duffel 2 which I sold before and planning to repurchase once I arrive in SF again in two weeks.
Good choice!
Hey, thanks for this nice review! For Aer Go Pack 2, did you test how much load it can handle before shoulders or back starting to feel uncomfortable? My use case is 2 bottles of water (1.6kg), macbook pro 14" (1.6kg), 2-3 kg of other stuff (extra layer, raincoat, organiser bag, etc) - around 5-6kg of total load excluding bag's weight.
Hey there - I did not do any specific measurements to find when it started to become uncomfortable but I did schlep 2 12-packs of hard seltzers in this (which I was amazed fit) for about a mile and by the end I was glad to have the bag off my back.
If you’re planning to use this as a daily bag, I’d recommend something with better straps and weight distribution but if your scenario is not a regular occurrence it would probably be ok.
@@ECsEDC got it. thanks mate
I had the matador refraction and it was just too small for me, I gave it to a friend who is like half my size, she loves it. My favorite packable is a Cotopaxi Batac, its not really marketed as a packable but it be scrunched smaller than the Aer and its straps are better, thing is the crazy colors will not agree with some people. Its listed as "16L" like the refraction but its way bigger. I think that refraction is legit like 12-14L and the Batac is like 18ish.
Thanks for the tip. I didn’t have this one on my radar and I’ll definitely check it out!
hey eric. have olive version of azimuth. Love the olive over black imo and comes in at 15oz and is x42(strongest material used outta these + the black azimuth.)
That olive xpac sure is nice. Thanks for sharing!
Does your macbook 16 fit in the matador refraction 16L?
While the current MacBook 16” does fit into the bag, there’s no sleeve or padding anywhere so it’s unprotected against the ground or impacts.