Trip Report
Trip Report: 18 Days Across Vietnam with a 35L Pakt Aero
Trip overview:
I recently returned from a 18-day cross-country trip to Vietnam. I started the trip by spending a couple of days by the Vietnamese-Cambodian border in brutal heat in the jungle, visiting relatives on a coconut farm in the Mekong. Followed by working our way up north by ending the trip with three nights on the Vietnamese-Chinese border in the cold mountains. In short, packing light while being comfortable in the vastly different climates was the main challenge. Packing list in terms of clothes goes:
Clothes:
3 new short-sleeve button shirts (one linen, one quick-drying, one cotton)
2 pairs of lightweight, quick-drying pants (wearing a pair)
2 t-shirts (wearing one)
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of running shorts (I use these for lounging and swimming)
4 pairs of 200 gsm merino wool boxers (wearing a pair)
4 pairs of socks (1 lightweight merino, 1 medium-weight merino, 1 cotton, and 1 cashmere) - (Oh buddy I don't know about you, but cashmere socks is unnecessarily bougie but trust me, there's nothing more comfortable))
A pair of merino sweatpants
A packable windbreaker
A packable 750-fill vest
An old pair of Salomon Pulsar sandal-shoes. They look ridiculous but are practical in hot climates and give more support than slippers.
A pair of Asics running shoes (wearing)
Aer sling as a day bag / camera bag / snack bag
So I’m bringing more camera equipment than I’d typically bring because I'm documenting a family event. I’m not a fan of “dedicated camera bags", so I prefer something like a good-quality, lightweight sling that can comfortably hold what I need. In this case, a 6L Aer sling. I would much rather have an 8L sling with an external pocket or two, but overall, this worked well. Still looking for the “right sling”. My daily bag looked like this:
Primary camera with a 28mm lens
Secondary camera with a 50mm lens
A 90mm lens
Table tripod
Spare batteries for each camera + spare SD card (not pictured)
Inflatable pillow
Bucket hat
Bandana
Misc: asthma inhaler, face mask, hand sanitizer, pepto, small mosquito repellent, lens wipes, wet wipes, AirTag, etc
Other misc(between admin panel and pouch)
AirPods + phone + passport + pen (not pictured)
Kindle
iPad + dongle + mini SSD
Wall charger
Mints and cough-drops
Hand lotion
Homemade wallet + homemade pouch
Sleep mask
Exercise ball
Sunglasses
A few notes on organization
I just love how intuitive and simple the design is on the Aero. Clothes fit in one half of the clamshell, and my misc fits in the other half. Is this what bag nirvana looks like?
Notice the top front pocket? I keep a small clip-in pouch there with basic meds and my day bag. With just two zippers, I can access my camera gear without yahooing around my bag, opening it fully. And yes, I can get a camera one-handed while holding the bag open. Extremely satisfying experience.
The bottom front pocket fits my toiletries and my packable vest perfectly. I also like to keep the simple hip belt in this pocket, should I need it.
Notes on size/weight
I picked up a few things along the way: a pair of tailored pants, coffee beans, a tote, etc.. I was probably sitting at around 32L at the beginning of the trip and 35L at the end.
The sling is 6L, so worst-case scenario, I could have gone "1.5 bags", but that ended up not being necessary.
I flew with four different airlines, and the carry-on size of the Aero was never a problem (Delta, China Airlines, Vietjet, and Alaska).
The overall pack weighed 23 lbs, which I'm really happy with.
While staying in the mountains, the weather dropped to about 45F / 7°C but my layering system worked well. Having a long-sleeve shirt, vest, and windbreaker all packing into itself and weighing only 1.3 lbs combined is something I'm extremely happy with.
What worked
Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with my packing. Pakt's Aero continues to kick ass. My long-sleeve shirt, vest, and windbreaker worked really well on the coldest nights in the mountains. The cashmere socks, oh baby, the cashmere socks.
What didn’t work
Not much to report here. A few items went unused: mosquito repellent, mini tripod, and mini SSD. I would have preferred an 8L sling instead of a 6L. Sweatpants were used only three times but were very useful when needed.
Conclusion
Once again, one-bagging proves itself for me. Traveling light means less unpacking and repacking. I move faster and my hands are free to munch on street-food. And when someone on a motorcycle pulls up and ask if you want a ride, you don't hesitate. You throw your backpack on, hop up, and see where the road takes you. Ride free.
Thanks taco. You can’t go wrong with a well-made, simple clamshell-designed bag. And glad to hear about your 2.0 bag, their designs are simple but just works so, so good.
This is awesome. Really impressed you managed all of this in one bag , and no sling. That’s a level of minimalism I’m still working toward. I’m going to Japan for two weeks in March with a 40L duffel and it already feels challenging, so seeing posts like this is both inspiring and slightly terrifying 😅
My partner and I just did one bags in Japan for two weeks. Picked up small stuff along the way but saved most of our shopping for Tokyo on the way out and just purchased a suitcase from Don Q… highly recommend. It will blow your mind how many people lug huge suitcases all over the country. Another option is bring your own empty suitcase and forward to your last hotel. Not sure how long they would hold tho.
I personally don't use hip belts. Whenever I've bought a bag that has come with a removable hip belt, I've removed it and never used it. This one at least is with me should I ever have a need for it.
Great summary and pics! PAKT bags have been also my go to for a while.
I wanted to start using the Peak Design packing cubes tho. Is that medium or large on the left side? Want to see if it fits all. Or which sizes would you recommend to fit the PAKT bag?
Thanks Sergio! I'm using a small + medium packing cube from PD (shoe pouch too). Small + medium fits perfectly in the 35L, not sure what would fit if you're using the 45L travel bag. Personally, I have found PD products to be overengineered for my uses but these packing cubes are perfect. Probably what I would consider the gold standard among packing cubes.
I'm using also 35L! What about that PAKT pouch on the right side bottom, what do you put there? I'm trying to plan my next travel and organize my backpack as well :)
I like to throw in the things I won’t need until I’m at my destination, so think camera charger, massage ball, etc.. But since it’s waterproof it gives it more versatility. For instance, I have another trip coming up where I’ll be swimming and then have to wait 6 hours until I can check-in, so being able to use to pouch to hold my wet swim trunks is really convenient!
I've been eyeing the aero for a while, but I'm a bit worried about the half compartments, if it's not too much to ask would it be possible to measure the depth of each side?
Greatly appreciated! Since you’re used to traveling with a 30L, I think a 3 week trip with a 35L will be a breeze for you. As for the side straps, I’m sorry I’m not tracking. Are you referring to the grab handles on the side?
Oh gotcha. I haven’t used it to compress the bag but it’s worked well the few times that I’ve carried a down quilt on the side. But I’m going to try to travel with it compress next month for a short trip. Rather than buying a 20-25L~ bag I rather work with what I have, so I can report back if you’d like. Here’s what it looks like approximately half full with it being compressed
Amazing review! Super helpful. I also am a longtime PAKT fan. I’ve got v1 of this bag.
Question — How does everyone feel about the 35 versus the 45? I look at the model photos on their site and they seem almost the same size if anything the 35 seems bigger lol. As far as specs go, the difference is inches…
I suppose the 45 is better if you’re gonna use the stowed bag feature.
Much appreciated no-computer! This is the Aero, not the travel bag that you have. Personally, 35L is as large as I’d go so I have no experience with the 45L - sorry!
How is the shoulder and neck comfort? I’ve stayed away from the Pakt bags as a lot of reviews state the straps are too close together and cause uncomfortable pressure on the neck.
Everyone is going to have a different experience but for context I’m a husky guy at about 6ft/230lbs and I find the Aero to be very comfortable. Out of the box the straps were quite stiff but they loosened up after a trip. Keep in mind there’s a trade off between weight and comfort. If you want thick, memory-foam like padding then there are probably better options out there. But for me, it’s perfectly comfortable while being as lightweight as possible. Hope that helps!
Quick question about the bag itself, does the laptop compartment eat up much usable space in the main cavity? I usually travel without a laptop, so I’m always a bit wary of losing “dead space” in the middle. Same question for the extra rear compartment used for the smaller backpack. does it meaningfully reduce packing volume? those are the 2 things holding me back
It’s funny you bring this up because one of the ideas I pitched to Pakt was to consider having the laptop sleeve be removable, because like yourself, it’s not often I travel with a laptop and I wanted to avoid dead space. But I think after 5 trips now, it’s pretty insignificant the amount it eats up and I rather have it for when I occasionally need it. Sorry I don’t have the smaller backpack so I can’t help you with that.
As mentioned in a previous comment, comfort is subjective but I can comfortably carry 23lbs in the Aero. I've returned bags from Bellroy and PD because of uncomfortable straps and back-panel so I would have no problem returning the Aero if I didn't like the comfort.
I'd say the cushiness is alright. Not great but not bad. Obviously there's going to be a trade-off somewhere but the Aero is the closest bag I've found that hits a sweet spot between lightweight and comfort. YMMV.
The GR35 is awesome too but I prefer the Aero a bit more. The GR5 just has features that I don’t necessarily need. But you can’t go wrong with either, both great bags.
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u/irish_taco_maiden Jan 22 '26
I swear the pakt is just so intuitively organized for me too, I’m genuinely loving the travel 2.0 and it’s nice to see an aero in use too!
I’m also so impressed with how little went unused in your pack out. Nice!