Thule Aion Backpack

First of all, use case is everything. On a long trip to Europe, we chose to take one carry-on and one personal bag apiece. This bag was my personal bag and was not meant to replace my carry-on. As such I wanted it to be as large and functional as possible, while still being able to fit under the seat. This it did magnificently.I was able to pack a a ton of clothes and other personal gear, electronics, etc. in his backpack. You can access the main compartment through the top or it opens clamshell style. It has a nice large sleeve for a laptop and a smaller one for an iPad. It has decent organization and an easy to reach outside pocket for things like chargers, keys, glasses, etc. You can also expand it significantly if necessary (this can also help compress the bag if needed). It is not too large to go as a day pack if necessary and it is quite comfortable. The zippers and pulls are all quality. I found the outer shell fabric to be very water resistant and durable. There is also a zipper pocket between the straps that easily and safely fits a passport or wallet.The water bottle pocket is quite large, but it was my one complaint. Because it is oriented straight up and down vs canted forward, it is quite hard to insert or withdraw your water bottle while wearing the pack. While this was a little irritating (and really should be addressed by Thule), it was certainly not a dealbreaker.I have to give the Thule Aion two big thumbs up! 👍👍

I have a few semi high end travel backpacks, I'm a one bag traveler, if some place I can't go without carrying only a backpack, I just don't go. I also never check my bags, if I can't carry it on a plane, I don't use it. So a high quality and high capacity backpack is very important to me. I'm not a backpacker, I don't walk around anywhere with my backpack. The only place I will be carrying one is at the airport, so even though comfort is important, it's not on the top of my list. The Thule 40l feels comfortable enough. It doesn't come with a hip strap, but I never use one anyway. It has a very roomy main compartment, comes with compression straps, a builtin detachable wet bag, a small builtin mesh toiletry zip compartment, and a full length zip compartment for additional organization. The laptop compartment is also very large, even with a laptop and a tablet, it still has room for stuff. Since I travel light, I only carry a 12 inch laptop, so I will be using the laptop compartment for clothing in compression cubes or other stuff. The front organizational pocket is only 1/2 way deep of the bag, wish it was larger so I can fit a light jacket along with miscellaneous stuff. The hidden pocket at the back is great for passport, wallet and quick access to travel documents. There is one external water bottle pocket on the right side, has no strap, but feels snug enough. I wouldn't flip the bag over, the water bottle could fall out. I saw people complaining about the waxed canvas, saying it looks dirty and scratched upon arrival. My bag arrived clean as whistle, not a single scratch on it. I tried scratching it a few times with my finger nails to see if it would leave a mark, it didn't, so I'm not too worried about it looking ugly or "full of character" after a few uses. Not sure if the material is really water resistant, not going to test it, don't plan on walking in the rain or dunking it in a puddle. My trips are usually 2-3 weeks long, I travel to many parts of the world with backpacks ranging in sizes from 35l to 45l. This bag is 40l, should be big enough to carry 10 days of light clothes and toiletries. Men's clothing is bulkier and heavier than women's, my wife packs light too, she can literally fit 2-3 weeks of light clothes in this 40l backpack. No, we never go anywhere cold, hate the cold. :). The bag is made in Vietnam, a bit disappointing, was hoping it'd be made in a Western country. However, the construction seems solid and durable, only time will tell if it will hold up. At $200 price point, it's better made or equivalent to some of the more expensive backpacks on the market, and exceeds bags in its same class, Peak Design 45l or Osprey Porter for example, both of which I also own.If you are also a one bag traveler, get the 40l version. If you carry a backpack in addition to check luggage, this bag might be too big, get the 28l one.

This is a really nice looking backpack with some useful features and pretty comfortable to carry too.Really solid construction with awesome zippers and nice water resistant material.Things I like...- Really nice zippers- looks nice- expandable from 28L to 32L- few good little organization pockets in front- stash pocket in top back- nice interior setup that can be split or used as one large compartment- interior thin waterproof section to keep papers dry OR separate something wet or a few dirty clothes- comfortable side carry handle- fits 32oz Nalgene bottle- luggage pass throughChanges I wish it had...- remove that front little handle, looks weird sticking out. Just make it a little incognito strap if you gotta put something there. And back top handle not comfortable to grab, make it a little more comfortable- wish front had a quick access zip pocket for little stuff- wish there was a better dedicated pocket on top to stash and protect sunglasses- the little zipper pulls on a couple zippers sort of stick out and wish they just laid against bag- maybe a couple more little zipper stash pockets inside would be good- wish bag was like 1-2" longer top to bottom (I'm 6' tall) so it would just fit more long ways vertical on back as opposed to sticking further out.Overall a really solid, nice looking, functional bag w some great features and better than 95%+ of what you'll find in this size and price range.