When the Aeronaut was first introduced, I was in awe of its appearance. I thought to myself, this is a beautiful bag!
I have to admit, I have a lot of bags, of all sorts. But I don't have anything quite like the Aeronaut. I was thinking about using this for travel, as I have a few trips planned for this summer. I am writing this review while on my first summer trip.
This trip is for business. I have travelled from Washington, DC to San Francisco for 5 days to visit the guys who work for me on the West Coast.
When I travel for work or when I take a vacation within the U.S., I generally carry with me my Powerbook, along with accompanying articles (power adapter, a small assortment of cables, an extra battery. All of this stuff goes into my Tom Bihn ID Messenger Bag or Smartalec backpack, depending on what I am in the mood for. I will usually opt for the Smartalec because I can put a few extra items in there, such as a book, food, toothbrush/toothpaste, etc.
I will also carry a Tamrac camera bag if I plan to take pictures at my destination, which holds a Canon 1D Mark II, a 24-70mm f/2.8L lens and a 580EX flash. And I carry an iPod Gear Pouch from Waterfield for my essentials (wallet, cell phone, iPod, pen, business cards, etc.).
So whatever clothing, bathroom articles, shoes, etc. that I am carrying go into a suitcase that gets checked in. I can carry the suitcase and either bring it on-board or check it in plane side, but that is a lot to juggle when you go through security (which isn't to say I have not done it in the past).
Enter the Aeronaut.
As I mentioned, I very much liked the looks of the Aeronaut. It was beautiful and appeared well engineered. I decided I had to have one, and what better time than for all of these summer trips.
I decided that rather than carrying the Smartalec and Tamrac and checking in a small suitcase, I would eliminate the suitcase and Smartalec from the equation and replace the two with the Aeronaut. The Aeronaut would hold my clothes, shoes, bathroom articles, a book to read on the plane, food, and the Size 4 Brain Cell with my Powerbook inside. I was able to fit the power adapter in the outside pocket of the Brain Cell, along with a pouch holding an extra battery, wireless access point, and miscelleneous cables.
The Aeronaut was carried with the help of the Absolute Strap. And once I arrived here and did not need to carry my Aeronaut with me, I transferred the Absolute Strap to the Brain Cell and used it to carry my Powerbook.
The Experience:
The Aeronaut is finely constructed. I chose crimson, of course. It is a beautiful color! I really like the black and white checkered interior. The main compartment is spacious as are the side pockets.
The Aeronaut was very comfortable to carry. The weight was very comfortable on my shoulder. I used the Absolute Strap exclusively. I plan to use the backpack straps for the return trip so that I can compare.
In the main compartment, I had all of my clothes (4 shirts, 2 t-shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, socks, underwear, The DaVinci Code (hardback), the Size 4 Brain Cell, power adapters (in the zippered area on the top), and food in a tupperwear container. In one of the side compartments, I had my shoes, which fit without any problem; in the other side compartment, I had bathroom articles. I had the food at the very top with the Brain Cell just underneath. This made it easy to pull out the Powerbook when going through security. I pulled it out before I got to the front. I did have to maneuver the Brain Cell out because it is slightly bigger than the opening in the Aeronaut. If you are using a smaller notebook in a smaller Brain Cell, it will be easier to get in and out. Repacking the Powerbook afterwards took a little time.
The Boeing 767 held the Aeronaut very nicely in the overhead bin. I wanted to take a picture. In the pre-9/11 days, this would not have been an issue. Today, I don't think the flight attendants would look kindly upon the request :).
The Aeronaut was also easy to remove from the overhead bin when we arrived at our destination. On the return trip, the jet was a Boeing 757, and again, storing the Aeronaut overhead was easy.
Trip 2 with the Aeronaut
I traveled for a 3 day trip to Nashville, TN to attend a conference. I again chose the Aeronaut for this trip. I did not carry a camera on this trip, so the Aeronaut was the only bag with me. I figured out on the return from my last trip that I can easily get my Powerbook out of my Brain Cell without taking it out of my Aeronaut - a big win! Just push the Brain Cell slightly to one side of the Aeronaut and you have sufficient room to remove the Powerbook at the security check.
On this trip, I carried the Aeronaut as a backpack. Once more, the Aeronaut safely and comfortably carried my belongings. I spent a lot of time walking around in Dulles Airport while we waiting for the crew to arrive. While the shoulder straps of the backpack were comfortable, it did start to feel heavy after a while. The Absolute Shoulder Strap may have made the load feel lighter (though placing it on a single shoulder). I had it with me, but I wanted to use the Aeronaut as a backpack on this trip.
My ride this time was a regional jet - with 2 seats on one side and 1 seat on the other in each row. Once more, I was able to place the Aeronaut comfortably in the overhead bin and remove it after the landing.
I will continue to update this page with my experiences with the Aeronaut. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
Some Pictures
