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 highly recommend this expandable (28-32L) TRAVEL backpack. Many companies make mediocre products to complement their better known merchandise. This is not one of them.The backpack is made of partially recycled material and has a canvas like water resistant exterior. The handles are well thought out and there is an elastic side bottle holder. The pack opens separately from a top zip or full clam-shell style and is lockable. It also has a handy waterproof compartment to hold a wet swimsuit, etc. The Aion contains two padded compartments to hold your tablet and a large laptop. There is a top zippered pocket that holds your small items like earbuds, cables, etc. The shoulder straps are comfortable and have an adjustable cross strap. The above pics show these features.After using it on a four day trip I think it's a well thought out and high quality product. It also fits under an airplane seat. Thule has made a great backpack. Who knew?

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.

This is my first Thule backpack (comparing with my Jansport, Kelty, REI, North Face, Colombia, Patagonia). As you can see, I have a problem. I was between this and the Patagonia clamshell, but ultimately went for this one due to a sale.Pros: super rugged construction throughout. I've never seen a tougher zipper. It fells impenetrable. I rolled it around in the dirt, and the dirt easily brushes off leaving the backpack looking as good as new. It's big, but looks sleek. The water bottle holder can handle a 32 oz Nalgene, but also has a small bungee, so thinner bottles are also okay. It looks more professional than any other bag I've had, which was a priority as I'm spending more time in the office and gym and less time backpacking.Cons: I was naive thinking this was the be all end all backpack for everything from a day at the office to a weekender. I'm not fully sold on the concept of a clamshell backpack (my first one). It seems like it would be easy to pack, like a suitcase, but the reality is that the lip is really shallow, meaning that you have to zip it up on two sides, and then cram stuff down the top (like pretty much every other backpack every made) to maximize the space. The big net pocket seems kind of useless and robs space from the main compartment when closed. It seems like it would work, but in reality I just leave it unzipped to maximize space. The laptop and tablet compartment are very well padded, so much so that when you put anything in it, it creates a major budge in the main compartment, robbing space and making the clamshell design an inconvenience.The top, small pocket on a clamshell isn't the most stable. The small pocket gets really heavy (keys, phone, swiss army knife, etc) and then being on the edge of the clamshell flap, the thing whips around all over the place when trying to pack and compress stuff. Also, the pockets inside are super loose and things slip around easily. The theme with this backpack for me is that everything ends up on the floor.I hoped it would look good as the office, but in reality it's out of place due to how massive it is (seems to take up half my cubicle desk). At the same time, I can't seem to fit more than a pair of gym shoes, towel, and change of clothes inside without it filling up, but only after everything falls all over the locker room floor. Never unzip it all the way, and it regains some of its usefulness. Not sure if it's just this Thule clamshell design, or all backpacks like this (the Patagonia clamshell seemed to have more dividers allowing you to pack stuff in, but it was more expensive so I passed) but overall this backpack bummed me out.