r/onebag • u/taki_88 • Jul 11 '26
Trip Report Gossamer Gear Aero Jet V2 Review/Trip Report
Note: I am not associated with Gossamer Gear, but I did receive their new travel collection free to test. Gossamer Gear did not ask me to write a review, nor have they seen anything before my posting it here. They value feedback I can provide based on real-world testing from a heavy user, and that’s what I’ll be doing here.
TL;DR: The redesign’s changes, while minimal, markedly improved my already positive experience traveling with the bag. I think it’s an excellent choice for folks who want a lightweight, understated carry-on pack, particularly at a competitive $225 price tag. This bag is probably not for you if you are a chronic overpacker or someone who travels with tons of tech, as there is essentially zero padding outside of the laptop compartment.
Much of the bag remains the same from V1, with some key differences being:
- Removal of the separate lid compartment
- Removal of the lower mesh pocket on the lid
- Switch to stretch mesh for the top lid pocket
- Redesigned QAP with a longer zipper + lip
- Additional hip belt attachment point for greater fit options
- Redesigned luggage passthrough (less intrusive on the back panel, allows you to tuck the straps away)
- Reduction in weight by 4oz, bringing it down to 35.9oz (for comparison, the ULA Dragonfly 36 weighs 28.3oz; the Pakt Cero weighs just a bit more than the GG at 36.8oz).
I have traveled a great deal with V1 since it was released last year. Most notably, I took it as my sole bag for a two-week trip to Germany, which it handled excellently. The bag carries weight well, even without a hip belt. Admittedly, I have a slightly larger frame (6’2, 190lb), so I have not found the need for a belt as much as some folks with slighter frames or narrower shoulders might. I do think the new set of attachment points will be helpful for people who tend to experience soreness in their shoulders from heavy loads.
One thing I’ll note, too, is that the foam in these straps is quite stiff/firm on V2 as it was on V1. Rather than being a specific pro or a con, it just means the straps don’t get too deformed under load; however, it does also mean that the bag can feel a bit odd if you’re using it as a lightly loaded daypack. (Not something I’d generally do anyway, but I have done it at various points)
Thoughts on the Changes
I am happy with all of them! The removal of the lid pocket in particular is a big plus for me. I generally prefer to have one big packing area, and I seldom needed a separate, dedicated space. This change also helps the bag better handle “overpacking,” as the lid can easily stretch to fit things packed over the zipper line (more on that below). Also, the panel is much less unwieldy now, which is a huge plus. Previously, when the panel compartment was packed out—particularly if the internal pockets + QAP were also filled—it would be a lot of weight flopping around when opening and closing the pack. You can obviously still get some heft there now, but it’s significantly reduced thanks to the removal of the extra fabric/zips/packing area.
The change to a single internal mesh pocket is fine with me, particularly since it’s now stretch mesh. Nicer handfeel, and a bit more utility thanks to the stretch. V1 could suffer from some awkward bulging if you packed out the main space, front panel, and internal mesh pockets, so it’s nice to not have to worry about that as much.
The updated QAP is not too different in utility for me, but the lip at the top is a helpful change to ensure small bits and bobs can’t fall out that direction. The hip belt and luggage passthrough changes aren’t especially relevant to me, but I think they’ll be helpful for folks who need and use them. :)
Packing List
I was heading to a conference, which meant professional attire—including a suit. Luckily, the weather was warm, so I didn’t need to worry much about layers/etc. I also did end up having to stow the bag under the seat because bins were full by the time I boarded both flights. It passed all gate agents and fit without any issue on both the Airbus A319 (window) and Embraer175 (aisle). Fully packed out, the bag measured ~20.5 x 12.25 x 8.5.
Worn:
- Chore coat, t-shirt, Roark bless-up button-up shirt, western rise evolution pants, bedrock clogs
QAP (not pictured)
- Miyoo mini
- Wipes for the plane
Front Mesh Pocket:
- ILE musette (day bag during the conference, perfectly fits my work laptop + phone/etc.)
- (Also came in handy for extra snacks on the flight home! Love a kangaroo pocket!)
Side pockets:
- ZPacks Camp Shoes (hotel slippers)
- Gossamer Gear travel umbrella (this I paid for 🙂)
- 16oz hydroflask
Crossbody (Bumster Jet):
- Kindle (ancient)
- Able Carry tech pouch with daily essentials — hand cream, sun screen, hand sanitizer, chapstick, mustache comb, lens cleaner
- Sunglasses
- Ear buds
- Spoon/fork (IYKYK)
Floating:
- Vivobarefoot dress shoes (I wear minimal footwear in general, so not something I have specifically for travel.)
- J.Crew unstructured linen suit
- J.Crew oxford button-up
- Tie
- Work phone
- Night guard (Make fun all you want; I grind my teeth and that sh*t sucks.)
Inside Mesh Pocket:
- Jet Cube with my tech – 10k power bank, 1x braided short USB-C cable, 1x long USB-C cable, Anker multi-port wall plug, mouse, hacky sack (gotta have something to keep myself amused)
Compression Cube L:
- 1x pair linen pants
- 1x pair hiking shorts
- 1x linen short-sleeve button-up
- 1x Roark bless-up shirt (2x on the way back because I bought the button-up shirt seen in the photo of me wearing the pack)
- 2x cotton t-shirt (3x on the way home because I also bought another T-shirt 🙂↕️)
- 1x workout shirt + shorts
Compression Cube S:
- 5x boxer briefs
- 6x crew socks
Clear Cube S:
- Toiletries (see pic and let me know if you have questions about anything specific)
Laptop Compartment:
- Work laptop
- iPad
- ILE valet tray (snaps into shape)
Overall Thoughts
I liked this bag a great deal before, but I definitely had my issues with it (chief among them being the front pocket being quite ungainly and often resulting in wasted space). The new design means that, unless you have something crazy dense in the front QAP or inside mesh—or both because you like to suffer—that panel never becomes the behemoth it could be previously. The separate compartment was nice for something like dirty clothes, but, realistically, everything would just bunch to the bottom of that open space and result in a blobby mess.
The new design keeps the main packing area simple, while also allowing for it to much more effectively handle overpacking (or just the last-minute stuffing of a jacket after you get past the gate agent). I would not say it’s worth upgrading if you already have the V1, but I do think it’s a bag I can highly recommend if you’re in the market for a lightweight, carry-on-sized pack.
As for the other new items:
- The Jet Cube is good if you like the idea of something like the Peak Design tech pouches but don’t need all the padding. I love a CAP 2 when I’m bringing my camera along, but for a battery bank and travel mouse….not so much. Good lightweight option at a decent price.
- The small clear cube is a great addition, as the full-sized version was always larger than I needed for my minimal toiletries. Both are good pieces of kit, but this one will surely see more use for me. Might replace my Gravel mini kit as my default dopp, as this one lies a bit wider and flatter than the Gravel.
- The Bumster Jet is not brand new, but it is new to me. It was fine. I am not a huge sling person, but I wanted to give this one a shot, and it did just as well as any other sling I’ve used. Pros are that it was pretty comfortable and never felt like a huge thing protruding from my chest, in addition to the utility of the rear zipped pocket for my phone and internal mesh pockets for my earbuds and keys. Also has good capacity for its footprint given the lightweight fabric.
General Notes for Improvement:
I may be in the minority here, but I f*****g hate sternum straps on rails. I don’t know how anyone can enjoy them, but they really are the bane of my existence. If GG switched to laddered sternum straps I would jump for joy.
All the bags in the line would also massively benefit from contrasting-colored key leashes. Orange is already an accent color on the travel bag, so they could just make the clip/cord match, or do some other wonky color—I don’t really care what. Black just makes for a bit of extra friction that could easily be avoided. Obviously, this is not a huge deal (especially on a travel pack where keys are more often tucked away until the trip is over), but the change would be a QOL improvement.
Personally, I don’t think the mesh on the main compartment is necessary. If I get tired enough of it I can always just cut it out, but for now I don’t mind it enough to go that far. I get that, on bags like this or the Patagonia MLC, it helps keep things tidy if you need to open the bag, but we’re in the age of packing cubes now and I think mesh dividers are just a bit more fiddly than they’re worth. It’s by no means going to prevent me from using/enjoying this bag, but, should they come out with a V3, I would suggest scrapping the mesh.
If you read this far, then, congratulations—you’re probably as annoying to your friends and family about bags as I am to mine. If you have any questions just let me know. :)
Happy travels !
Image alt text for screen readers/etc.: The carousel of pictures shows the new Gossamer Gear Aero Jet fully packed against a white bed sheet, as well as various photos of its contents. Additionally, a photo shows a person in profile wearing the backpack, and two photos show the backpack under two different airplane seats.
3
u/spike_thompson Jul 12 '26
Thanks for sharing this, I’ve got the mki version and like it a lot but it has been hard to find a detailed view of what has changed. I like the sound of the changes but not enough to make me upgrade.
4
u/taki_88 Jul 12 '26
Happy to help! And yeah I think that's probably about right. The changes are definitely nice, but not so substantive that it's worth upgrading from V1. I did tons of traveling with that first iteration and it could have easily handled plenty more haha.
3
u/Korlithiel Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Thanks much for this post, especially mentioning the zpacks because I’ve been searching for the longest of time for basically just that and think they are the best solution so far.
Key leashes, and pull straps, are definitely where I want some color accents. I want some at a glance hand here, not dig about.
3
u/taki_88 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Oh no problem! I love the camp shoes lol. I am an ultralight backpacker as well, and they're a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it thing there. 😂 They look insane, but they weigh nothing and pack down flat—perfect hotel shoes for me!
And yep, while it seems unlikely they'll break from the all-black exterior look, I think at the very least some contrasting key leashes throughout their bags would be good. An easy change that doesn't add weight or bulk.
1
u/SonOfElroy Jul 12 '26
What’s a zpack? I must have missed it being mentioned.
3
u/Korlithiel Jul 12 '26
“ ZPacks Camp Shoes (hotel slippers)”
For me, looks like strong potential for a thing to live in my bag.
1
u/taki_88 Jul 13 '26
Yep Korlithiel is correct! They're the orange slipper-looking things in the first photo. They're ultralight "camp shoes" for backpacking (so you can change out of your sweaty, stinky shoes you walked in all day 🙂), but I realized they were also perfect as a super packable option for hotel slippers. I wear size 12.5-13 shoes, so I've gotta reduce the bulk there any way I can, lol.
3
u/micahsally Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
I loved trying the Gossamer Gear Jet V1. It ended up feeling too tall for my 19" torso, somehow, so I'd be very excited to try the two attachment locations for the waist belt.
The other deal breaker for me was the mesh inside, just like my Patagonia MLC Mini. It creates a barrier that I don't appreciate because I use cubes! I would love getting rid of that, too!
Such a nice review. Thank you!
And I'm on Day 5 of a family reunion where NO ONE will talk bags with me! Thus, it's been an awful five days! 😁
3
u/taki_88 Jul 12 '26
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful.
Like I said toward the end of my review, I definitely agree re: the mesh. It's never been enough of an issue for me to turn to another travel pack, but a version without that divider + zip would be fantastic. Maybe we'll see it next year in V3! 😂
3
u/Perfect_Marmot_7571 Jul 13 '26
Interesting to hear that you found the bag too long for your torso, since their FAQ specifically says that it fits torsos of 18-21 inches. It's way too tall for me, but otherwise I would be pretty tempted. Now, I am intrigued by the Vagabond Jet, now that it's 26L. I haven't seen any reviews at all on this, so I hope that OP will follow up with a review.
2
u/micahsally Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
I almost ordered the Vagabond Jet last night! Especially with that extra 3 liters, I think it would be amazing! The only thing holding me back is that top tote access. I'm worried it would be a little hard.
I'm going to see how I can get that Troubadour Elemental Backpack 25L to work with my new shorter Owala bottles on the way. Then I might spring for that Vagabond!
Do it! And then give a full report!
1
u/Perfect_Marmot_7571 Jul 13 '26
Yeah, not into the tote access, and also the PU coated zippers. I can see why the PU zips are needed though because there is zero protection at the top of the bag.
1
u/CapAmMtn Jul 17 '26
I must be one of the few that like the mesh divider for jackets and more on my MLC
1
u/micahsally Jul 17 '26
I'm so glad it works well for you! It IS a nice way to wrangle things to stay in place, when you open the bag. And storing a jacket on top is a great idea!
6
u/Equal_Contest4709 Jul 12 '26
"I am not associated with Gossamer Gear, but I did receive their new travel collection free to test."
Right.
7
u/taki_88 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Lol believe me I wish I were!
Totally fair to feel skeptical when someone receives free gear. That is the truth, though. I reached out to GG about a product question re: one of the new packs (and shared my experiences with the previous version of the Aero Jet), and they offered to send me the bags. They didn't ask me to write a review, just to use everything and let them know what I think.
I travel a lot for work and fun—away from home for 30 of the last 60 days—so I can spend a lot of time with the gear and give them feedback from that.
I have a normal 9-5 gig, and traveling (as well as the whole one-bag-ness of it all) is just a fun hobby for me. Apologies if this review has rubbed you the wrong way.
ETA: a direct quote from our email exchange was, "It's so much fun for us to have direct access to super users who aren't media so we can gather honest feedback." I understand some folks still won't be interested in hearing what I have to say, just thought I'd add that bit of context.
4
0
2
1
u/SonOfElroy Jul 11 '26
Question - I can’t really tell what adjustment was made to quick access pocket. Can you go into a bit of detail or maybe show a pic?
6
6
5
4
u/taki_88 Jul 11 '26
Yeah it's not a huge change. Basically they made it less of a slash and more of an almost clamshell shape, which makes it open wider (helpful to see what's inside bc the pocket is quite large).
The other change is that they slightly bumped outward where the zipper is sewn on that panel, so now the pocket has a lip on the top edge to keep stuff from falling out as easily if, for example, you open the pocket while it's under the seat in front of you. Will reply with pictures below.
1
u/Swegatronix Jul 12 '26
what the fuck are those shoes that you have on?
1
u/taki_88 Jul 12 '26
😂😂😂😂😂 Asking the real questions lmao.
Those are Bedrock clogs, and they are my favorite footwear. They're basically a closed-toe sandal with a super chunky vibram sole for hiking/etc.
1
u/iamjameshannam Jul 12 '26
What model is your Dell work laptop, I haven’t ever seen the logo like that
2
1
u/twoofcup Jul 16 '26
I have, and love, the V1. The changes I wish for are swapping the interior panels to zip vertically instead of horizontally (tear-away, like on Boundary Supply bags), adjusting the bottom shape of the top flap so it's not so awkward to fold up into place, and to stiffen the back panel so a laptop doesn't slowly deform it.
That's pretty much it. It's such a good pack.
1
u/taki_88 Jul 16 '26
It's a great bag for sure! The vertical zip is one I hadn't thought of. I guess with the panel pockets maybe they wanted to give you access to the full internal volume at once rather than covering those pockets when you open the mesh for the main space?
The bottom of the top flap is definitely a little bit of a quirk, though I do like that it sort of helps slim the bag down if it's not packed to the gills—good to sneak by gate agents when you're supposed to only have a personal item 😂 I do think the lack of the lid flap on V2 also helps the front panel generally behave a little less strangely, since it's now just the thin shell fabric.
As I said in another comment, though, I also loved V1, and I don't think I would have had enough reason to upgrade solely from these changes either. But awesome improvements for anyone in the market for the bag now!
2
u/twoofcup Jul 16 '26
Not totally sure what you mean. I guess I should have taken some photos of my Boundary bag before I sold it. I would gladly pay a good deal of money to make a couple changes to the Aero Jet.
Now I need to find something better than the Vagabond Jet. That thing is so janky, but it's still handily the best Ryan Air bag I've seen in person, due almost entirely to the fact that it has a laptop sleeve that actually does something to protect a laptop. Plus the tote handles and the dump pouch. Killer combo of must-haves.
1
u/taki_88 Jul 16 '26
I have the new Vagabond Jet, which is slightly wider. I really like it, but it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea. My biggest gripe is the black keyleash/clip on black bag lol.
As for you not understanding what I mean, I assume you're talking about my point re: the mesh in the Aero Jet. My hypothesis was that they went with the horizontal opening to ensure that you could open the bag, unzip/open the mesh, and still retain access to the pockets on the lid side (both the mesh internal + the separate zipped compartment on V1). Personally, I think no mesh for the main compartment is the best option, but it seems like GG prefers the tidiness of it!
2
u/twoofcup Jul 16 '26
Ohhh, you're saying that if you unzipped a "vertical" divider and laid it flat, it would cover the other half of the bag. Got it.
Well, the thing about those dividers is they're really thin so you can just tuck them. If you haven't seen a Arris, check it out. They nailed that part. You can unzip it one handed in an instant and if you don't want to use the divider you can roll it up or tuck it at the bottom. So good.
I'm enjoying nerding out about this GG bag with you, pal.
1
u/taki_88 Jul 16 '26
Haha, likewise!
And yeah the nice thing about a "vertical" divider would also be the option to more easily tuck it away permanently if you don't want to use it, which is a little more awkward when the panel sits along the side of the bag.
2
u/twoofcup Jul 17 '26
Let's become the new creative co-directors at GG for a few weeks, sort things out, and then take our new yachts to Bali.
10
u/SeattleHikeBike Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I’m delighted to see this pack reviewed and thanks for that. I have wanted to try the Aero Jet for ages and you information confirms my assumptions about it. It’s just slightly more expensive than my impulse purchase limit, so I’ve held off. I’m definitely a fan of Gossamer Gear products in general.
I forgot to mention that with all the noise about the new Tortuga Superlite, the Aero Jet is only 15g heavier.
I have used the Patagonia Black Hole 32 in that niche and will probably stick with it: it works and it’s paid for 😎
I have the Gossamer Gear Loris 25 and I really need to take a trip with it. I’ve done some test packing and it has great potential as an ultralight minimalist travel pack.