Pakt Aero Travel Backpack 35L Review

Lightness is the core design ethos of Pakt’s Aero Travel Backpack 35L. It features their Aeroweave fabric, a material with a remarkably similar composition style to X-Pac fabric, having multiple layers designed for weather resistance. The twist is that it’s using a combination of lightweight layers for an overall lightweight backpack. Weighing in at just a kilo for a 35-liter travel bag, it’s certainly impressive.

That said, the bag’s harness system feels somewhat lacking in soft and thick padding. So, while it is a lightweight bag, it’s not exactly a completely fuss-free carrying experience based on our testing.

External Components

We’ll start with the Aero Travel Backpack’s fabric because its composition is rather interesting. Aeroweave has three distinct layers: an outer 210-denier ripstop nylon layer, a 750-denier polyester yarn layer arranged in a diamond pattern, and, finally, a 65-denier polyester taffeta backing. On top of all that is a PFAS-free DWR coating for maximum weather-resistance. If that setup sounds familiar, you’ve likely heard about X-Pac, another multi-layered material. However, unlike X-Pac fabric, Aeroweave has been designed with lightness in mind, and you can tell based on the layers’ fairly low denier counts.

So, is it actually light? Yes, noticeably so. The bag feels surprisingly featherweight for a 35-liter travel backpack, weighing in at just 2.3 lbs (1 kg). For context, the Aer Travel Pack 3 and Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L are 4.12 lbs (1.9 kg) and 3.12 lbs (1.4 kg), respectively. And if you’re wondering about X-Pac-equipped bags, the tomtoc TechPack-T73 and TOM BIHN Addax 31 weigh 2.93 lbs (1.3 kg) and 2.7 lbs (1.2 kg), respectively. Mind you, all of these bags, save for the Aer Travel Pack 3, have smaller capacities than the Aero Travel Backpack despite being heavier.

Even better, the Aero Travel Backpack still feels fairly robust and very resistant to splashes. The fabric feels substantial without feeling too bulky. Tough as it may be, we still wouldn’t put it through abrasions and unnecessary abuse if we can help it, since the ripstop outer layer and DWR coating don’t exactly hold up well to constant scrapes and scratches. Case in point, while the Aeroweave fabric hasn’t developed any compromising damage, some permanent-looking scuffs and creases have already manifested in our two weeks of testing. This should give the bag a rather patina’d look over time, which is okay, but roughing it against pavement and dirt trails is something we’d avoid.

The choice of zippers is on point, too, since they are from YKK, which is practically a byword for reliability. Indeed, the zippers work flawlessly, zipping smoothly with just the right resistance. The heat-shrink zipper pulls aren’t exactly the fanciest choice, but they match the bag’s mostly utilitarian vibe while being easy to grab.

At the bottom front is a small loop for a bike light or any accessory you want dangling down there. Of course, whatever that ends up being will hit the ground first as soon as you set the bag down, so choose carefully. For anything bulkier than that, such as travel tripods and packable jackets, there are attachment straps at the sides, with two on each for a total of four. While we generally dislike bungee cord-style straps like these when brands put a ton of them on bags, Pakt’s approach is a bit more reserved, as you can tell by the pictures. And if you’re like us, who don’t need to use such straps daily, you can also tuck them away into small openings near the rear loops.

The straps themselves aren’t too complicated or overly done. They’re simple bungee-style cords with a cinch so you can loosen and tighten them as needed. Note that the right-side straps go over the water bottle pocket, so they can also help secure your bottle. Furthermore, these straps do a decent job cinching the bag’s sides, but they’re not really designed for compression, so don’t count on them improving the bag’s carry-on compliance more than the specs say.

On the left side of the bag are a pair of grab handles, a standard feature on large backpacks such as this. Unfortunately, they’re quite thin and lack the padding to cushion the bag’s weight. Is this also a weight-saving technique? Probably, but in that case, we would’ve traded a few more grams of weight for comfort.

The harness system is fairly simple for a travel backpack of this size. Again, that’s probably because Pakt’s trying to keep the weight down. One of the consequences of this is the relatively thin shoulder straps. While weight distribution still feels adequate for the most part, it could be better with even more padding. That said, the padding’s rigidity is more of a factor. There’s not enough flex for the material to fully contour to the body’s curves, which is an issue for those with smaller frames, as it could lead to the straps feeling intrusive around the neck and traps.

It’s a shame because the harness system is quite capable despite its lackluster comfort. You can stow the shoulder straps inside the back panel to prevent tangles when putting the bag in an overhead compartment. A removable hip belt is also supportive if you decide to use it. A luggage pass-through is built into the back panel because Pakt’s aware that people still travel with rollers and spinners despite having travel backpacks. The only weak feature (apart from the padding’s stiffness) is the sternum strap and its loop-by-loop mounting system. It’s not as intuitive or graduated as a sliding sternum strap, but it’s functional enough to get the job done.

Fit Notes

The Aero Travel Backpack’s shoulder straps are the biggest issue when it comes to comfort. As mentioned, we think a bit more padding could more effectively cushion a fully-loaded setup, even at the expense of added weight. However, the stiff padding is also a separate factor that makes the entire fit feel cumbersome. The shoulder straps, in particular, feel like they cut into the neck too much and are too broad on the far edges.

The bag sits a bit low, though the sternum strap and hip belt do a decent job shifting its weight forward. We think a couple of load lifters would’ve aced the weight distribution. That said, the bag still feels relatively lightweight for something that looks huge when worn. Having tested plenty of bags in this size range, the weight difference is something we can notice, though you may feel that if you’re jumping straight to this bag.

Inside The Backpack

On the right side of the bag is the water bottle pocket. It sits quite flush against the fabric when it’s not occupied, thanks to the elastic holding it down. A built-in mesh gusset allows the pocket to expand and accommodate large bottles. We tested this and could fit 18-ounce Hydro Flask bottles all the way up to 30-ounce Owalas, with room to spare. It’s simple, effective, and we generally have no notes when brands follow tried and tested designs like this. If you need to secure your bottles more firmly, you can also use the attachment straps mentioned earlier.

As for secondary pockets, there are two at the front for your quick-grab items. The bottom one is a huge dump area for bulky items, such as a pair of winter gloves or a large power bank. There’s no organization to speak of since it’s just one large space. On the other hand, the top pocket houses many smaller pockets to organize your everyday carry items. There’s a wide drop pocket at the back secured by a pretty strong magnetic button closure, with an adjacent passport-sized pocket and a mesh pocket of roughly the same size. There’s also a key leash at the back so you can easily remember where you put your keys after a week of vacationing; we recommend utilizing it.

Access to the main compartment is pretty interesting since the Aero Travel Backpack’s layout differs from other travel backpacks. Full access clamshell-style opening is achieved through zippers running around the bag’s midsection. However, there is also zippered access from the top-front side and near the rear edge, giving users flexibility to access sections of the bag without having to fully open the bag. That said, a fairly unique layout like this takes some getting used to, so let’s look closer.

As mentioned, if you want to access both halves of the main compartment, you’ll have to fully unzip the zipper running along the bag’s midsection. Once you’ve opened it up, you’ll also notice that the bag’s laptop sleeve is located in the middle of the backpack. That means the midsection zipper is your primary means of getting to your laptop, so that’s something to keep in mind. The laptop sleeve itself is generously padded and big enough for a 16-inch MacBook Pro. Of course, being situated in the middle of the bag is a huge incidental bonus in terms of protection, but not one we’ll take for granted.

Once you’ve opened the main compartment clamshell-style, you’ll see that, for the most part, the layout is still quite similar to other backpacks. It’s a roughly even split down the middle, resulting in a spacious front side covered in a zippered mesh, while the laptop sleeve covers the rear half.

The front side is mostly barren, except for a few attachment points designed for Pakt’s pouch accessories, which you must purchase separately. Otherwise, you’re left to use your own organizers, such as tech pouches, toiletry bags, and shoe pouches. And yes, a pair of shoes will fit in this front half, and that’s exactly what we did. Stowing the shoes along the bottom gives you a convenient shelf space, elevating the toiletry bag and other everyday carry items we’ve packed inside nearer towards the top-front opening.

On the other side is the bag’s main bucket space, where most of the bag’s space is allocated. Two weeks of clothing fits, which, for us, translates to a set of pajamas, a pair of pants, a dress, two pairs of shorts, a pair of leggings, four tank tops, two T-shirts, and various rolls of underwear. Mind you, there’s enough leftover room in the front section from earlier if we ever needed to fit more gear. Plus, there’s also the option to utilize compression packing cubes to save even more space.

Oh, and there’s also an RFID-blocking pocket near the top for your most valuable items. It’s strategically located near the zippered opening at the top, so you can still access it fairly easily when needed.

Overall, the main compartment’s accessibility is a huge selling point for the Aero Travel Backpack. Harness system issues aside, we’re really pleased with the amount of consideration Pakt’s put into convenience, especially when packing and accommodating all the bulky gear we need to bring. These easy access points are super convenient when you think you’ve packed everything you need, but you’ve forgotten to pack that one small thing, so you have to throw it in quickly. If we had to nitpick, it’s that all these main compartment access points are situated at the top. So, if you need to reach for gear at the bottom, you’ll still need to reach elbow deep.