Aeronaut Breve Colors

[Akilae]

Just wondering if the Aeronaut Breve ever be available in any other color than black?

[Darcy]

Everyone -- even those 5'4" and under -- felt the Standard Aeronaut was just as comfortable as the Breve, so we've decided not to make the Breve again. The few Breves in Black are the last ones that will be available. The Aeronaut with Standard straps will continue to be available in Black, Steel, and Crimson.

[mrae]

This is sad news.

[moriond]

Everyone -- even those 5'4" and under -- felt the Standard Aeronaut was just as comfortable as the Breve, so we've decided not to make the Breve again. The few Breves in Black are the last ones that will be available. The Aeronaut with Standard straps will continue to be available in Black, Steel, and Crimson.

I have both the standard Aeronaut and the Aeronaut Breve, and when I first read this comment I went back to compare them again used in backpack mode. Darcy, it's true that the standard Aeronaut is reasonably comfortable, even for someone who is 5'4", but the straps on the Breve are more comfortable for me. It's likely more a question of frame size than height, and it's not a big issue for only occasional use backpack mode, but I can tell the difference.

Here's some of the discussion excerpted from the original Aeronaut design thread from 3 years back:

I also want something that works well for smaller, female, builds. Large backpacks often seem designed for people who have broad, flat backs.

There are plenty of backpacks designed to distribute weight better for the narrower female back and shoulders, but they are all backpacker-style packs. This is more important to me if I were hiking -- it wouldn't be a major issue for me with this bag. Walking all day on uneven terrain is a whole different ballgame than walking a mile or two to the hotel from the train/bus station.

I think this is more than distributing weight better for the female body as some bags are physically too big for smaller people to carry. A maximally sized carry-on (22" by 14" by 9") is going to be too wide and too long for my body. It would be nice to see a petite version of this bag that would be a inch or so narrower and a couple of inches shorter. This would even be convenient for larger people traveling abroad as some international airlines limit carry-on size to 19" by 13" by 9" (particularly for travel that's not to or from the US) and its hard to find a bag here in the U.S. that meets these requirements.

(Note: For me at least, comfort is king. After schlepping my bags all the way around the world through more airports than I care to remember, I want a bag I can carry around for long periods of time and not regret it the next day.)

Here are also some early and later comments from users with smaller frames who used the standard Aeronaut.

Finally, there are some reference links in this recent post addressing possible size issues for a Brain Bag vs. Aeronaut used by someone 5'3". (You may want to also scroll up 2 messages to read the original post being addressed).

So, probably not a big difference, but I'm glad I have my Aeronaut Breve, too.

P.S. I also have the Western Flyer and I find the strap design of the Aeronaut more comfortable than the sling strap design used there. This is despite my comments about the great design of the original Buzz and its sling strap. You can probably see why I find the Aeronaut's straps more comfortable than the Western Flyer's if you look at the comparison Western Flyer vs. Aeronaut pictures at the One Bag, One World site. The last frame with the Aeronaut and its backpack straps compared to the Western Flyer with its sling strap shows that the back of the Aeronaut is more contoured. Incidentally, I agree with this review of the Western Flyer that its virtues include the fact that its rectangular shape is better for underseat storage on airplanes than other bags, so I didn't choose that bag on the basis of the comfort of its sling strap, and probably won't use it very often. For a more extreme response to the sling strap issue, see the next post in that Western Flyer review thread.

[mrae]

This is very helpful. I'm still trying to decide whether to get the Aeronaut and I definitely want the breve if I get one. I'm barely 5 feet and the brain bag is enormous on me although I use it for trips.

[moriond]

The few Breves in Black are the last ones that will be available.

Hi Darcy,

Are the Breve models now sold out? When I visit the web page for the Aeronaut it looks as though you edited the color options (used to say Black only for the Breve), and the top question now says "Pick a shoulder strap size" but its popup button has the color selections "Black", "Crimson", and "Steel" (a few days ago this used to distinguish that the Breve was only available in Black") and the second question is "Pick a Color" and has the Shoulder strap options in the popup button -- "No, thanks", "Terra Grip Shoulder Strap +$18.00", and "Absolute Shoulder Strap + $25.00".

Amazing how fast some of these products go out of stock (smile). I'd been hoping that you would eventually stock some of the packing cubes for the Western Flyer in the Sapphire Dyneema that was so striking for the stuff sack, but the only thing that has happened is that the Western Flyer has sold out, and the stuff sack is now only available in the steel and white dyneema.

[mrae]

I bought mine yesterday. I wonder if it was the last one.
The current page doesn't give the option of colors even for the standard.

[Darcy]

It was: the last Aeronaut Breve was pulled for you yesterday.

[moriond]

It was: the last Aeronaut Breve was pulled for you yesterday.

Hi Darcy,

You might want to amend the description on the Aeronaut product page, which used to read:

The Aeronaut is available in two versions that feature differently sized and placed backpack straps. The Aeronaut (Standard) is great for people (5'8" or taller) like Tom (he's 6'0"). The Aeronaut Breve (Small) is more comfortable for people Darcy's size (5'5"). The Aeronaut is the same size and features the same capacity in both versions; it's only the backpack strap configuration that is modified.

As it currently stands you've taken out the last sentence and removed the references to Standard and Small, but you still have the sentence that says the Aeronaut is available in two versions that feature differently sized and placed backpack straps. And the residual references to people 5'8" or taller and under 5'8" now just seem confusing -- how about just saying something like:

The Aeronaut is comfortable both for tall people like Tom (he's 6'0") and for people who are Darcy's height or shorter (she's 5'5").

Cheers,

moriond

[mrae]

I'm glad I finally stopped pondering whether to buy the and went ahead and ordered. It looks like if I'd waited much longer they'd be gone. It should arrive tomorrow, I think, Can't wait.

I wonder if there's anything like a TBA meeting- Tom Bihn Anonymous. I'm addicted. I guess I'll have to plan many more trips to justify my purchases.

[mrae]

It came and it's almost perfect. Perfect would be a color other than black. I was worried about it being too heavy for me but it's not at all.

Just wanted to add this in case there are any other short, older, and not very strong women out there. I can tell already that I can use this for any length trip- from one night to several weeks. Longer with a washing machine.