I just ordered the Peak Design 45L. I like that if I’m traveling by plan I can keep at the 35L for carry-on and when I’m taking trips by car or train I can max out at 45L. Gives me more flexibility, especially when packing for me and my wife or me and my daughter. Plus, I think it looks the best for my taste.
I think a great category to rate would be "comfort." I have the PD pack and for comfort I would say it's only "okay." I'm actually moving from the PD to the Pakt primarily for this reason. Criteria most important to me: 1) Comfort, 2) Expandability, 3) The ability to stow the straps away for checking the bag. Pakt excels at all 3.
Thanks for the suggestion!!! I agree that is definitely important. In the future when I can get all three items in my hand I will definitely add the comfort category. Until then I will be sure to call it out when I review the winning bag/item.
You're spot on with the Peak Design sizing. It's marketed as a 45L but it's really a 35L bag that can "expand to 45L" or "shrink to 30L". In it's normal state, it's 35L. The Pakt 45L is really 41L when unexpanded and 53L expanded (got that directly from Pakt). I can't speak to the Thule bag. I have the PD and the original Pakt which is like 34L and doesn't expand (haven't upgraded it ... yet)
@@mfinresearch6462I love the Pakt bag. I have a bunch of bags that I use (more than I should). But I'll be using the Peak Designs one on an upcoming Alaskan trip in a few months due to it's 45L size since I don't have the larger Pakt bag. I also have the Minaal 3.0 and a Tom Bihn Synik 30. I've been using them more recently... the Minaal for an overseas trip I took and the Synik for shorter trips.
@@mfinresearch6462 The Tom Bihn bags (like my Synik) definitely has that "Dad bag" look. I wasn't initially a fan but got over it quick. I got it in black X-pac so it has a light, sleek feel to it and as you said the functionality is unlike anything else. I got the 30L size which is too big for EDC but perfect for short haul trips (i.e. long weekends, short weeklong work trips) I pack rather minimally so I can stretch it for longer typically. And it never seems to run out of room. It also fits under every airline seat I've taken it on so overhead bins aren't a concern. The Minaal is amazing. It's very soft-sided and has a couple of compression straps so it can hold a bit (35L) but still always appears to fit in any overhead bin.
There are some things about I like. But there are a few issues with it. Here is the full review if you haven’t seen it already. Budget One Bag Travel Backpack: Thule Aion 40L Review ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_aiT_3TDpgw.html
Great video as always. Sorry what was the reason you let go of your AER travel pack? I went to the store and tested their XPAC version, the material feels a little cheap and weird to me (although it's tough). Is there any material that is as sturdy as XPAC but as soft as their regular version?
Thanks for the kind words. Nothing is wrong with the bag, it is actually a great bag and it is still in fantastic shape. I just wanted something a little larger. 27-28 liters was a little tight for one bag travel so I need a little more space. I was going to give it to my wife but she wanted her own new bag. I haven't tried Aer's XPAC but I think it might be just the strength to weight ratio that gives it a "cheap' feel. my XPAC bags seems pretty solid and I do think my next actual backpack (EDC or travel) might be XPAC. The only think I would honestly say can come across soft to me and still be very strong would be waxed canvas. But only after it has had enough time to break in. Am I right in guessing that you haven't picked a bag since your last comment??
@@mfinresearch6462 aha, I see. No not yet, I'm lurking around subreddits like "manybaggers" and "onebag" and see what's what. I actually enjoy the topic :)) I cannot travel that much in the next 1-1.5 year, so I'll purchase before starting my trips around Europe. Anyway, thanks for the channel. You're a cool dude and I like your style. Keep going
Wait, peak design expands to 45 but you don't consider it a 45. I didn't understand that. If just just keep it expanded all the time at 45 I shouldn't call it a 35, no? Just curious, honestly.
Good question! You could do that if you wanted to, but using that same thinking if you kept it compressed it could be considered a 30 L. From my experience bags that expand or compress are designed with a certain size in mind. The expansion or compression is usually a temporary thing. I will say the peak design bag does the expansion better than most and it looks like it was considered in the design. Take a look at Knack Bags most of them expand using a zipper to expose usually 2 inches of extra fabric to expand. The way it is implemented takes away from the bag. Some of their bags I like but then I don't like it expanded. I would rather start at the advertised capacity and expand like the Pakt bag does than to have it be advertised at the maximum.
Fair point. Sometimes I assign weights to the factors and that may have an impact. After determining the winner, I was curious to see if for $200 more I was getting $200 more in value. I don't mind spending if the value is there but at the time I wasn't so sure.
