Aerios 18 Backpack

I've used this for a few hikes recently in changing conditions, meaning I packed a lot of essentials (layers, first aid, bivy, food, water and filter, etc.) and this backpack has been awesome. I find the fit is great and it is comfortable even when fully-packed and heavy. The front water flasks are KEY for me as I tend to drink a lot more when my fluids are readily available.

Amazing pack for scrambling. Spent the day scrambling and soloing in the flatirons and it worked nearly perfect. I kept it fairly light and was able to very comfortable run in it for about 10 miles as well. good size for big single days out. the only flaw I had was the lack of elastic straps to hold the flasks in the chest pockets. As i was climbing they kept wanting to pop out, which could easily be fixed.

Bought this pack but returned it. Comfy and lightweight. Good for less than 12 mile hikes with one issue - there isn’t a retaining clip for the hydration bladder. So the bladder will slouch when placed inside and being drained. A simple Velcro loop could have been attached to the interior area near the back of the pack. A miss in the design. Maybe it will be fixed in a revision if this pack. The front shoulder pouches are fantastic - store 700ml flasks, snacks, phone, lip balm. Love this design touch as its very useful. Pack fits nicely on a larger athletic framed male.

I also have the previously released Aerios 15 and 30, I love both for just about every scenario that requires me to use a backpack. I’ve used both for everything from hiking and camping, to traveling and amusement park duty for my family of five. That’s a pretty broad range of environments and each have different requirements. They’ve both handled well in every circumstance. The Aerios 18 is extremely comparable to the 15. That said, there are some differences that I enjoy, and some I’m not quite sure of yet. I like the new overall design. While it’s very very similar to the 15, the overall shape is a bit different. It’s a bit more streamlined overall, it also adds face material in high wear areas that the 15 lacked. Namely, the areas at the bottom of the side mesh pockets now have face material that extends all the way to the main body of the pack. On the 15, the mesh material extended to the bottom of the mesh pocket where it could contact the ground or other rough surfaces. I never had an issue with wear in those areas with the 15, but it’s there on the 18 none-the-less. I really like the new streamlined look of the front strap pockets. I’ve used those pockets on the 15 a lot (especially in the aforementioned “amusement park” scenario) to hold phones, keys, hotel keys, SD cards, sunglasses, etc. When I got the 15 two years ago, I wasn’t sure if I’d like the extra bulk when cycling the pack on/off, but they’ve been clutch many times and I love them. That said, the new strap pockets on the 18 are better and worse than the 15. The updated pockets lack the little adjustable internal pocket cord at the inner top of the pockets used to increase or decrease the mouth “aperture” of the mesh stuff pocket behind the zippered section. That was an awesome detail that kept things (like phones) from slipping out of the mesh pockets. The adjustment was just enough to close down the pocket opening so a phone wouldn’t fall out if you found yourself fighting gravity in the wrong direction. It sounds extreme, but I’ve managed to test that design feature, and it works swimmingly. Can’t do it with the 18 though as they’ve removed the internal adjustments. The new overall “slickness” of the strap design does make the pack nicer to don. I enjoy the new zipper placement (now on the interior of the straps, instead of the outside). Now you can access either pocket, with either hand …or both at the same time. I never used the tiny shock-cord/hook points at the very bottom of the straps on the 15, so it really has no affect on my use since they’ve removed them on the 18. That exclusion adds to the streamlined look and feel of the straps. The lower section of the straps where the nylon strap attaches to the mesh pocket section of the strap has been updated as well. On the 15, the nylon strap attached directly to the mesh/padded section of the strap. Again, I’ve found no wear issues with the old design, but it’s been changed on the 18 to include face material at that interface. I would expect that update to offer a longer lifespan at that wear point (even if it’s beyond a normal human lifespan anyway LOL). The strap padding material and face fabric is also different. The 15 has a dense (more rubbery feeling) padding and softer, more supple, face fabric throughout. The 18 has a lighter weight (more foamy feeling) padding material, and a bit rougher (but heavier duty feeling) face material. I’m sure this was updated with minimal durability, but primarily weight savings in mind. The update succeeded in saving weight, but I see no external strap wear on my 15, so the durability upgrade will have to be perceived for now. Also, the 18 now features the addition of internally adjustable “yoke” strap adjustment and load lifters at the top of the straps. I never wished upon my lucky stars for this addition, but appreciate it none-the-less. Outside of strap changes, the cordage throughout the 18 is a smaller diameter and has less stretch than the older 15/30. It feels a little more durable and less prone to fraying. The adjustments for the “daisy chain” cordage on the front of the pack is also in a different location. It still resides inside the side mesh pockets, but now the barrel adjusters are mounted to the inner-top of the pockets instead of at the bottom of the pockets. So, they’re a bit easier to get to. The second adjustment for the daisy chain cordage is still in the front exterior zippered pocket, but it lacks the barrel adjuster that was present on the 15. Now the cord is just tied in a knot. Where the front daisy chain cord enters that front pocket is also upgraded (at least I consider it as such). On the 18, the cordage holes are now embroidered with reinforcement around the holes. They just went straight through the face fabric on the 15. As for the main body of the pack; the shape is somewhat different, although the dimensions are almost exactly the same for width and depth. However, the 18 is about 1” longer than the 15. Also, the face material for the main body of the pack has changed to two separate pieces of material. The front, back, and bottom are the grid pattern rip-stop, but the entire outer perimeter (where the main pocket zipper travels) is a slightly lighter weight face material. The face material for the main pack on the 15 was the same throughout. I don’t find this to be an upgrade or downgrade, just a change. The main interior pocket on the 18 has changed a bit. The secondary internal pocket has grown a bit bigger on the 18, and it now has cutouts at the top of the pocket to accommodate plumbing a water bladder. Also, the key hook is on the interior of that secondary pocket now. On the 15, the key hook was outside of the interior pocket and just dangled in the expanse of the main pocket. So, I find that to be an upgrade. However, the 15 had a key hook …and a water reservoir quick release strap. The 18 does not have a way to suspend a water reservoir. I don’t ussualy use a bladder in the 15 (and probably won’t in the 18), but it was there the couple of times that I did use one. It was useful. All of the upgrades to accommodate a reservoir are kind of pointless without that one little attachment point. It’s an exclusion I’m pretty indifferent about, but seems like a feature that turned into an afterthought. So, I enjoy it. I picked mine up at REI, so I was able to snag the last 18 in the Chloris/Forage color, that made me happy. It would be 5-stars if it had the elusive reservoir hook. I would have also picked up the 35, but couldn’t get over the roll-top for my uses. I wish it had been a zipper main opening.

All round awesome day adventure pack! Love the size, how it hugs the body, and great/easy to access front pockets and compartments. Great running pack/daypack hybrid. Also love it for rock climbing!

Bought for a long hike as the product meets my demand the best on the market today. Very thin and innovative fabric which makes the pack very light in total. Solid backplate, comfy to carry without any hotspots and sore. The shoulder straps are so well made as they are wide and distribute the weight very good. Smart pockets integrated into the straps, can fit soft bottles and other stuff very nicely, with two additional zippered compartments. The inside is just a big volume with a simple bladder holder and a pocket for valuables, including a key holder. At the outside is a pocket ,inside that is the end of the bungee cord adjustment. Very smart made. I believe you can route the bungee in some different ways which I need to figure out still. The hip strap is joke, but thankfully removable which I did very soon.. Propperly adjusted the pack fits perfectly at my body, hugging like a running pack. Love it! only downside is the pattern of the fabric, I didn't like it as it looks cheap like ripstop material from the 70's somehow.

Very disappointed when I unboxed this to find there is not hydration bladder clip like on previous aerios packs. There is a bladder pocket and holes where the straps connect for a pass through but no way to keep it from sagging in your pack despite what the description says. Debating if I'll sew my own in or return. This is an expensive product to make such mistakes. Also not a huge fan of the bungee cord chest straps, personally I would prefer something flat and a buckle closure.

Picked up the new Aerios 18 excited to use it for hiking in the PNW. Overall this pack fixed many of the common complaint's from previous version. Namely, it adds a dedicated hydration bladder sleeve, adds a new Velcro-adjustable shoulder strap system, and moved the strap chest pocket zippers closer inside. Unfortunately, the design team made a huge mistake with this pack. It’s missing a hydration bladder clip on the inside and there is no port to pass a hydration tube from the inside to the outside. These are basic and essential features for a pack like this. It’s a shame this functionally it missing given all of the other fantastic hiking-oriented design features. The icing on the cake: the website feature list of this pack inaccurately states that a hydration clip and hydration tube passthrough are included. Neither is true. BE WARNED: the product features listed are not to be trusted. If they were to add hydration bladder features, this pack would easily be a best-seller for hiking and a no brainer for me. Still deciding if I will return it.

No current reviews on the new Aerios 18 so I thought I’d share my first observations after picking up this pack today. I’ve not used it outdoors yet so please only take this as some initial observations which might help people before they buy. Firstly, fabric. Hadron on the front and a lower denier on the top and sides. I didn’t think I would like this as I’d prefer hadron all over but in reality it seems fine, it will be interesting to see how wear affects the lower denier fabric over time but generally speaking it looks robust enough. Zippers are all fine and feel fairly similar to the previous generation pack. The storage pocket on the front is fine, and is very similar to the previous model. The shock chord on the front of the pack is routed into this pocket which keeps chord ends neat and tucked away. You can probably fit a lightweight jacket in this pocket, I use mine for a small first aid kit and survival bag with plenty of room to spare. They’ve made some changes to the main compartment. You now have a larger inner zipped pocket at the top, probably large enough for some smaller mobile phones; I normally store a compass, small GPS, head torch and some batteries in this pocket, it’s great, well positioned and very useful. This pocket is secured with Velcro and if you peel it open you can access the foam back panel and straps for the harness…but more on this feature later on. For all of you hydration bladder lovers they have included a lightweight mesh compartment to store one and you can route your hose through the top ports near the shoulder straps. I’m sure many people will find this a useful addition. Moving to the outer rear of the pack it looks like the back panel is made from the same material as the previous generation; time will tell if some users find this too harsh on their garments as I saw a few reviews saying it damaged their clothes. If I have both my Aerios 15 and new 18 next to each other they look and feel identical but I personally never had any issues with jacket/top damage from the pack. Notably, the back panel has a much sturdier insert with what feels like metal reinforcement strips, this feels like a huge improvement to the previous generation and the back panel in general feels more structurally stable, hopefully no snapped plastic parts this time round! The biggest and most obvious change is with the harness system. I found the previous generation to have an extremely comfortable and useful shoulder straps. This time round they have two large pockets which fit 500ml running style bottles easily. There are two zipped pockets which easily fit mobile phones, snacks, gels etc. They’ve moved the zips for these pockets to the inside edge which is a massive improvement. They’ve also changed the sternum straps from stretchy chord to a more static string, feels similar to what they have on the Norvan hydration packs. I think this is fine but it will be interesting to see if this puts extra strain on the fasteners over time. What I can say is they seem to hold their position better than the previous generation which tended to loosen up as you moved. The biggest change over all is the shoulder straps. The previous generation were normal style straps sewn into the back panel. The new Aerios 18 has moveable and adjustable straps. You open the pack, access the rear panel through the velcro port and can physically change the length of your shoulder straps using velcro; I’d say there is about 6 inches of adjustment. You then use the ‘load lifter’ straps on the harness to secure in place. If I’m being honest, I prefer the simplicity of the older model, while it’s quite nice to be able to position the harness where you want it, it does seem a bit much. I’m sure shorter or very tall users will appreciate this, but for the vast majority of users might find this is just added weight and complexity (as well as more that can go wrong). Plus the sleek shoulder straps now have an adjustment buckle plus a long length of webbing material. I also think the shoulder straps aren’t as wide at the top as the previous generation so I’m not sure they are as comfortable - don’t get me wrong this is still a very comfortable pack. Finally, I bought mine in black. It looks absolutely awesome! I’ll report back once I’ve had some use in the outdoors and can really review what it’s like from a usability perspective.