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The all new, lightweight and fully featured day pack from Arc’teryx is perfect for hiking and fast-paced mountain adventures.
PROS
- Robust for a lightweight pack
- Running style chest harness has great pockets
- Well sized for days out in all seasons.
CONS
- Stowing poles will take a little experimentation.
- Lacks a front mesh style pocket.
Legendary outdoor gear specialists Arc’teryx have pulled out all the stops to produce the new Aerios packs. Combining their expertise in hiking and trail running into a versatile hiking pack that should suit anyone who enjoys fast-moving mountain activities.
The Aerios 18 is the smaller size of the two packs (the larger Aerios 35 is designed for bigger, winter days or overnighters) and is a nice size for adventures from Spring through to Autumn ( or Fall for our friends over the pond). That said, I will be planning to use it for winter running as it’s a great size for that and I’ve looked at being able to carry, spikes, an ultralight ice axe and a bulkier insulation jacket, which I can fit in with room for extra food and a hot drink. So, I think I’ll be happy to use it all year round and wouldn’t need the bigger 35L pack unless I was planning on longer adventures which needed an overnight bivvy or camp.
The 18L is pretty much spot on for day adventures and I can pack plenty of kit: hardshell jacket and pants, insulation jacket, gloves and emergency kit as well as a food box and hot drink flask. The extra kit can be stuffed into the easy access side pockets (more on those shortly). So, pretty much everything I’d need for a day out on the hill or trail.
The Arc’teryx Aerios 18 Backpack was stable enough to give confidence on tricky terrain.
For such a light pack (the trusty CR scales weighed in at 565g) the Aerios 18’s main fabric is the burly 210D Hadron LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) – LCP is often used in Kevlar. It has felt totally bombproof and is showing absolutely no signs of wear at all, even after constant use and this has been the only pack I’ve been using all winter and spring. There is no reinforcement for the base of the pack (as is often the case) so the pack can be lightened. The grid pattern is pleasing to the eye and the look is enhanced by an embroidered, reflective Arc’teryx logo so that those trail running competitors who are miles behind you can pick you out. Excellent, premium fabric choices and build quality, exactly as you would expect from Arc’teryx.
I’ve already noted the space in the pack and there are several storage enhancements. There is a large, zipped front pocket that fits all those items you want access to quickly but need security such as a head torch, toilet paper (and plastic bags of course to pack it out), glasses and a spare phone battery. There’s room for more in here but those are the items I usually need to hand. There is an interior, zipped pocket with a keyclip for those items that need stowing away securely such as car keys, wallets, etc. This pocket is fastened down with hook and loop and lifting it gives access to the hydration bladder pocket. This is big enough to carry a 2L bladder with a right or left hose exit. This space is also where you can make some adjustments to the chest harness. There is also a mesh pocket fitting against the back panel – plenty big enough for a laminated and a small sitting foam. Extra room can be achieved by combining a waist pack which fits well as the packs sit high on your back.
The chest harness set up on the Aerios 18 is one of the best I have come across.
Talking of the chest harness, Arc’teryx states that you can achieve a precision fit by changing the harness size. The pack ships with a Large sized chest harness and they are designed to be interchangeable, I noticed that an option for a different size wasn’t available when ordering. So, I reached out to Arc’teryx who replied that customers requiring a different size chest harness should get in touch with customer services who could help, so maybe it will be worth doing that.
The chest harness is excellent and very comfortable, as I said earlier you can lengthen the harness as it is attached using hook and loop in the hydration pocket, so if the harness is riding a little high then you can extend the straps by a couple of centimetres. The straps are very soft, supple and breathable, they are without doubt the best feature of the pack There are two large pockets on either side. A large, zipped pocket that will accommodate large phones and printed maps as well as an open pocket that fits a 500ml soft flask and/or food bars. The zipped pocket sits on top of the flask pocket and is meshed so you will need to ensure that your phone is waterproof or has a case if you are planning to head out into changeable weather. The harness system has a nice tensioning system that is corded with a self-locked hook that attaches to daisy chain loops on the left hand side. If you want the system to work on the other side that isn’t a problem as it is interchangeable. It’s a really neat system and has worked very well when on the move.
The 18L Daypack felt plenty big enough for a winter day out in good conditions. You can see how I have stowed my poles on the left hand side.
Two, large exterior side pockets are a mixture of stretchy mesh and the Hadron fabric. I have been using the pockets to stash gloves in one, which the shape of the pockets means I can access them and stash them without taking the pack off and stowing my poles. the pockets can be further adjusted with the corded closure tabs, which again can be tensioned on the move using the extended tabs. And talking of pole storage, I have been a little disappointed with this and I think more attention could have been given to it. When I visited the website to do some further research into the pack I noticed that someone had asked about pole storage. The answer given was to either use the loops located on the bottom or a side pocket. Using the loops on the bottom to rest the points in would not work very well, if you are planning to use the loops (because maybe your pole is not compact) then I have found that putting the pole in point down (assuming you have a basket on the end) and twist them around until the loop goes tight, then you can lash the pie to the pack using the shock cord.
Or, if you have compact folding poles then stash them in one of the pockets, handles down and lash them to the side using the shock cord – this has been my method and has worked fine. To be honest, I have tried a whole variety of packs with pole stow systems and nothing has worked perfectly even with packs from super specialists such as Salomon and Ultimate Direction. I’ve found that I don’t need to deploy my poles super fast so stowing them in a side pocket works fine – even better if I’m out with a mate as I’ll ask them to get them out for me! But if you are a competitor then this would be a bit of a letdown from such a premium brand with a deep running pedigree.
Extra carry can be achieved with the shock cord compression system. There are plenty of different configurations that can be done with the extensive range of daisy chains and side loops. I have been experimenting with the different ways of stashing gear and it is still ongoing. I think that if the design team had exchanged the hooks that attach the cord to the loops with the self-locking ones like the ones on the sternum straps this would have offered an easier way to get the correct tension needed to stop the kit moving around inside the pack when running or moving fast downhill. It would have also eliminated the need to adjust the tension by tying a knot in the cord loop which can be found in the front pocket.
The back panel is nice stiff and comfortable. It has a nice open mesh which rests against a foam panel and has two plastic strips across to stop the pack barrelling when packed awkwardly. The regular length panel (regular is 49 cm or 19 1/4 inches) fit my 175 cm frame well and the packs sit nice and high on the back.
Finally, for those who are thinking of buying the pack as a ‘run commute’ pack it would work well. I would keep the removable waist belt on to help stability when running (it is super easy to remove and put back on and is a great pack feature) and you could easily fit a 13” laptop in the pack or a large iPad Pro in the mesh pocket (I have a very old MacBook Air 11” that fits in). It would make a really good run commute pack. There is also a large grab handle at the top so if you need to mix it up and jump on some public transport then you can hold the pack securely.
So, in conclusion, the Arc’teryx Aerios 18 pack is a nice day hiking pack. It is comfortable, performs well on a whole variety of terrain and has some great features. The chest harness straps are without a doubt some of the best I have ever used and the adjustability/interchangeability means you should be able to get a good fit. Stashing poles will take a bit of experimentation and there is no fast way of deploying them and the addition of a front mesh pocket on future updates would help with stashing extra clothing. The pack, however, is excellent for fast-moving adventures over various terrain.
The Arc’teryx Aerios 18 Backpack retails at £160.
It can be purchased directly from Arc’teryx EU and specialist retailers. It ships in a regular Unisex size with a large chest harness and you have three colour options to choose from.
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