Upon first glance, the Aer Travel Weekender immediately showcases the sleek and modern aesthetic characteristic of Aer’s design philosophy. Resembling the Travel Pack 3 turned sideways, it evokes a sense of familiarity while presenting itself as a reimagined Travel Duffel, enhanced with Aer’s latest design innovations. This aer travel weekender sparks our curiosity: Can it successfully translate the beloved features of Aer’s daypacks and travel backpacks into a larger duffel bag format? Let’s delve in and explore its capabilities.
External Excellence
The aer travel weekender is constructed from 1680D Cordura® ballistic nylon, a material renowned for its exceptional durability. This robust fabric provides the duffel with enough structure to maintain its upright form in most situations. Its professional appearance makes it versatile for various settings, from office commutes to city explorations and gym visits.
Aer Travel Weekender Shoulder
Throughout the weekender bag, you’ll find YKK zippers in various styles and sizes. This might seem unusual initially, but it’s a thoughtful design choice. Aer has strategically implemented zippers tailored to their specific functions, enhancing their effectiveness and longevity. The zipper pulls are minimalist, featuring a simple cord and a sturdy plastic end tab.
The shoulder strap incorporates Duraflex hardware, allowing for effortless attachment and detachment. The clips are secure and responsive, and the attachment points are cleverly designed to remain unobtrusive, even blending seamlessly into the water bottle pockets when the strap is removed.
Aer Travel Weekender Studio
The shoulder strap, while basic in design, includes a substantial padded section with aeration channels. This padded component is adjustable, sliding left and right to optimize carrying comfort. The aeration is intended to promote ventilation on warmer days, although significant exertion in high temperatures will likely still result in some perspiration. Nevertheless, it represents an improvement over straps lacking padding or ventilation.
The aer travel weekender features dual water bottle pockets on each side. These are simple slip pockets crafted from the same durable Cordura nylon as the rest of the duffel, lacking any elastic components. While the absence of elastic is generally adequate for typical use, attempting to carry the duffel in a crossbody style might lead to bottles slipping out, especially during more vigorous movement. Notably, these pockets are generously sized, capable of accommodating even large bottles, such as a 32 oz Nalgene.
Aer Travel Weekender In Use 1
For traditional duffel bag carry, the aer travel weekender is equipped with two grab handles that connect at the top via a snap button and fabric wrap. This handle section incorporates padding, significantly enhancing comfort when carrying the duffel in hand. When the bag is heavily loaded, the handles may begin to dig into your hand after extended periods, which is expected with heavier loads. However, in typical carry scenarios, the duffel performs admirably in this mode. It hangs naturally at your side and remains unobtrusive while walking at a normal pace, making it ideal for navigating airplane aisles, public transportation, or short transfers from vehicles.
Aer Travel Weekender Zipper
True to Aer’s design ethos, the aer travel weekender includes a luggage pass-through on its exterior. This is a straightforward yet effective feature, located on the same side as the internal laptop compartment – a practical design choice. While this feature won’t prevent rolling luggage from tipping forward, it does ensure that your laptop is positioned away from the ground, offering an added layer of protection against potential impacts.
Fit and Carry Comfort
Aer Travel Weekender Side By Side
The aer travel weekender offers versatile carrying options: hand carry using the handles, over-the-shoulder with the strap, or crossbody. The crossbody method effectively distributes weight across your body, although it might feel slightly bulky due to the bag’s size.
Aer Travel Weekender Back
All three carry styles are generally comfortable, but the shoulder strap methods might feel slightly less ergonomic for individuals with smaller frames. Given its 35-liter capacity, identical to the Aer Travel Pack 3 and Travel Duffel, the aer travel weekender‘s size can appear somewhat substantial on petite body types.
Inside the Weekender: Organization and Space
A nearly concealed pocket is located on the back panel of the aer travel weekender. The zipper pull, subtly extending beyond the edge, is the only visible indication of its presence. This discreet pocket is an excellent secure location for valuables like wallets, passports, phones, and essential travel documents. When carried, this side rests against your body or against your rolling luggage, providing enhanced security and protection for its contents.
Aer Travel Weekender In Use 2
Moving to the laptop compartment, situated on the back panel adjacent to the luggage pass-through, it features a YKK AquaGuard zipper. This water-resistant zipper is a valuable addition, safeguarding the compartment’s contents from moisture and ensuring your laptop remains dry. While lacking assistance tabs typically found on larger AquaGuard zippers, their absence is negligible on this smaller zipper model.
Overall, the laptop compartment is functional and straightforward. A central divider creates two sections within the pocket, both fully padded on all sides except along the zipper top. It can comfortably accommodate up to a 16-inch laptop, and theoretically, could hold two thinner laptops or a laptop and a tablet side-by-side.
Aer Travel Weekender Laptop
On the opposite face of the duffel, Aer’s signature organizational prowess is more evident. A vertical YKK Aquaguard zipper runs along the short side, opening into a generously sized pocket that spans half the front face. This pocket is ideally suited for storing items like hats, gloves, or a packable rain jacket – essentials for unpredictable weather or preparedness. The zipper is equipped with a garage and tabs on both sides to aid in opening and closing, features particularly helpful given the inherent stiffness of the large AquaGuard track.
The entire front panel of the aer travel weekender unzips to reveal a comprehensive organizational compartment. This section is replete with various pockets and dividers, designed to effectively separate tech accessories from clothing in the main compartment.
Aer Travel Weekender Secondary
Inside, you’ll find two large liner pockets suitable for flat items like books or e-readers. A small zippered pocket offers secure storage for smaller, easily misplaced items. Two liner pockets with elastic tops are perfect for securing larger charging cables. Finally, a small mesh pocket provides an ideal location for a battery bank or wall charger.
A key ring is also integrated into this compartment. It lacks a clip for easy removal, but the cable attaching it incorporates a magnetic Woojin clasp in the center. This allows for detachment to use keys without fully removing them from the bag. While occasional accidental detachments may occur after rough handling, the system generally functions effectively.
Aer Travel Weekender Keys
The organizational capacity of this secondary compartment is somewhat dependent on the volume of items stored in the adjacent Aquaguard pocket. If the outer pocket is filled with bulkier items, the internal organization may be slightly compressed.
The main compartment of the aer travel weekender offers significant packing volume. It features a single internal zippered pocket on the front panel, ideal for securing smaller items within the vast main space.
Aer Travel Weekender Stuffed
The remaining area of the main compartment is essentially open space, optimally designed for packing cubes. Packing cubes excel in this space due to the generous volume and ease of stacking. Loose clothing can also be accommodated, but organization might become challenging.
While the aer travel weekender includes some padding on the bottom panel, it’s not substantial enough to protect delicate electronics placed directly in the main compartment without protective cases, especially if the bag is frequently set down with force.
Aer Travel Weekender Side Handle
Overall, the aer travel weekender is a highly commendable duffel bag. Its structured design allows it to stand upright independently, and its thoughtful organization system keeps smaller travel essentials neatly separated from clothing. In many respects, it mirrors the design principles of Aer’s acclaimed Travel Pack series, but in a duffel bag format. Whether for cross-country trips or gym visits, the aer travel weekender provides both ample space and organizational efficiency, making it a versatile and reliable travel companion.
