Review: AER Travel Pack 3 small X-Pac
The right travel backpack one can be a buy-it-for-life item and they can get expensive. So when I bought mine two years ago I did a lot of research, eventually landing on the AER Travel Pack 3 Small X-Pac, coming in at $259.
It's now almost two years later, and I've taken it on a multi-country trip to Europe, Poland and a two week long trip to Asia. Feels like now is a good time to reflect on the purchase and what I like and dislike about the backpack.
The Good
Build quality of the bag is impeccable. Everything from the zippers, handles, the exterior surface are just amazing. If taken care of I will be traveling with this backpack in my 50s. The engineering of the back support and straps are impressive. Even fully packed it feels so snug and comfortable when wearing it, and there is almost no discomfort or strain on the back. The handles are strong and secured. The whole backpack just feels unbreakable. It's powerfully built everywhere.
The laptop compartment is one of my favorite part of the backpack. It's tight, well padded and has a false bottom so the laptop is not banging against the ground when the backpack is dropped.
The padding on the back is firm and the straps can be tighened so it lies flat and tight against your back. Carrying the backpack is just extremely comfortable no matter how much it's packed. This might be the most important thing about this pack on multi-country trips where it will be on your back for hours on end.
The Bad
The first thing that jumps out about the backpack in a bad way is the price. At $259 it's $150 more than the Osprey 26L and more expensive than the Cotopaxi 35L. I don't have experience with those other backpacks but considering so many others are happy with them it's tough to justify paying so much. One consolation is that from my experience it is a true buy for life item. I don't see myself buying another backpack for travel except just to have another option.
As for the actual backpack, there's little to complain about. One thing I found disappointing was the stitching on the pockets on the outside compartment before the clamshell big compartment. With just a slight tug the stiching on one of the pockets came off, a stark contrast to the impressive build quality everywhere else.
The same compartment is maybe a bit too over-engineered. There are way too many pockets of varying sizes, clearly meant to be a place for people's tech items, pens or any random items they carry. But most of us buying this backpack already have dedicated packs for them. A blank space that's flexible for us to use as we need is preferrable to AER deciding for us how it should be used.
After three overseas trips with the AER backpack I'm sure it will be what I travel with for the next ten years and it will be in perfect condition for all of them. That being said maybe I'd feel the same way about the Osprey or Cotopaxi and paid a tidy sum less for it. Maybe I'd be even happier with them, especially their layout. Not much use speculating though, the bottom line is it's an amazingly well built backpack and it will last me as long as I want it to. It's absolutely worth it.