TLDR
Inspired by our original Aeronaut, the Techonaut — two sizes: 30L (you are here) or 45L — is a maximum-size airline carry-on backpack that combines style with ultimate functionality. Features include:
- Three carry methods: backpack, shoulder bag, and duffel
- Skeleton back panel for improved airflow
- Top-loading, suspended laptop compartment with exterior access, fits up to 16” laptops
- 1 spacious main compartment, 1 large end pocket, and 3 quick-access exterior pockets
- 6 O-rings for optional organizational bags and accessories
- Breathable, supportive back panel for long comfortable wear as a backpack
- Comfortable, durable, edgeless backpack straps that can be tucked away when needed
- Rolling luggage handle pass-through pocket
- Meets carry-on requirement for most North American regional commuter jets and intra-European flights
Full Description
Three Carry Methods
Backpack
The Techonaut can be carried on the back via our comfortable EV50 Edgeless backpack straps. The back of the Techonaut has our special skeleton back panel rather than a solid rectangular piece of foam to improve airflow, so you can carry the Techonaut for long durations as a backpack in comfort. The soft and durable mesh (finished to our specifications) will also reduce the chance of the back panel causing abrasion to your clothes.
Duffel
If you don’t want to use the Techonaut as a backpack, you can unbuckle the backpack straps and tuck them away behind the skeleton back panel. On the side of the Techonaut is our EV50 Edgeless grab handle, use it if you want to carry the bag like a duffel.
Shoulder Bag
Add an optional shoulder strap (we recommend the Absolute Shoulder Strap) and turn the Techonaut into a shoulder bag.
Suspended Laptop Compartment
Suspended off the bottom of the bag, the Techonaut's laptop compartment offers just-right padding without adding bulk or weight. Don't plan to carry a laptop? Know that most of the padding and construction of the compartment would be there regardless to offer comfort to your back and structure for the bag itself. Accessible from an exterior zipper and separated from the rest of the main compartment, your laptop will always be easily accessible even when your bag is fully packed.
The Techonaut 30 will fit laptops up to the size of the 16" MacBook Pro or Microsoft Surface Book 2 15".
Skeleton Back Panel
The name says it all: instead of the back panel being a solid rectangular piece of foam, it’s cut in a spine-like shape so that it provides all of the usual comfort with less of the weight and improves airflow. We use a soft and durable mesh finished to our specifications on the part of the back panel that’ll be in contact with your clothes to reduce the chance of abrasion. No, this new back panel won’t ensure you don’t experience any sweat whatsoever if you run through the airport or hike uphill in the summer; that’s just an aspect of wearing a backpack and, well, being human.
Wide U-Shaped Main Compartment
The Techonaut takes the amazing wide-opening main compartment that made the Aeronaut one of the most beloved travel bags ever a step further: it opens even wider and even bigger. You can live out of this bag (and easily find what you're looking for) without ever having to unpack it.
Compared to the Aeronaut, it has one end pocket instead of two to increase the amount of stuff you can pack in the bag without increasing the size or weight of the bag.
Hideaway Edgeless EV50 1/2" Shoulder Straps
Conformity is overrated — except, perhaps, when it comes to shoulder straps. The edgelessness of this strap allows it to more softly conform to your shoulder; we find that this increases comfort. Yet the straps aren’t too soft: the 1/2” thick foam means the strap is robust enough to carry a heavy load.
If you plan to carry the Techonaut as a shoulder bag or in-hand like a duffel — or wear it through the airport as a backpack and, at the terminal, tuck away the straps so it'll slide even more easily under the seat on the plane or in the overhead compartment — you'll appreciate that the backpack straps of the Techonaut can easily tuck away behind the back panel when not in use.
Edgeless Duffel Handle
The Edgeless duffel handle of the Techonaut is designed to provide comfort and cush when carrying the Techonaut in duffel mode: it utilizes the same EV50 1/2” / 12mm EVAZOTE® OEKO-TEX® foam as our Edgeless Shoulder Straps.
Since we figure most folks will primarily carry the Techonaut as a backpack or perhaps as a shoulder bag with the optional Absolute Shoulder Strap — and carry the bag as a duffel for shorter durations — we wanted its duffel handle to be as (if not more) comfortable yet somehow more minimal and lower-profile than the Aeronaut grab handle. We believe we’ve achieved our goal on both accounts: you’ll, of course, tell us what you think.
Note that, because of the design of the original Aeronaut handle, it was effectively anchored at four corners in such a way that it did not “lift” much from the bag itself; the Techonaut handle, to achieve its goals of comfort and minimalism, is anchored at two points, and may slightly lift away from the bag if your Techonaut is packed very full. That doesn’t impact the utility of the handle or experience of carrying the bag (and of course the handle itself is robustly secured with multiple bartacks) but we thought we’d mention it because it behaves a little different than the original Aeronaut handle.
One End Pocket
Whereas the Aeronaut had two end pockets, the Techonaut has one. Here's why: removing one of the end pockets saved some weight and increased the overall capacity of the bag. Think of it this way: instead of the fabric and build that went into that second end pocket, you've got more space in the bag for more stuff. It also means the main compartment is that much bigger and opens up even wider.
Need to fit a really big item in the main compartment, or just don't want the division of the end pocket? You'll see that there's a zipper inside the main compartment that creates the division between it and the end pocket: simply unzip it and you've got one very big packing area.
Quick-Access Pockets
Nik included three quick-access exterior pockets on the Techonaut.
The pocket on the right side of the bag is sized to fit a Passport, phone, wallet, and keys.
The pocket on the left side of the bag is the biggest; it can fit some water bottles or stuff like an umbrella or jacket.
And the pocket on the top of the bag can also fit stuff like a (smaller) water bottle, umbrella, or jacket.
Exterior Grab Handles
For your convenience, you’ll find two exterior grab handles on the Techonaut in addition to the Edgeless duffel carry handle. These grab handles work great for pulling the Techonaut out from under the seat of a plane or from the overhead compartment. They're also handy for steadying the bag as you insert your laptop in its compartment or even hanging the bag on a coat hook.
Removable Sternum Strap + Waist Strap
As with all of our major backpacks, we include adjustable and removable sternum and waist straps with leave-no-trace hardware: if you don't like or don't use your waist or sternum strap, remove them and leave (almost) nothing behind. There's also an optional 1" Padded Hip Belt and an optional Techonaut Internal Frame.
Backpack
The Techonaut can be carried on the back via our comfortable EV50 Edgeless backpack straps. The back of the Techonaut has our special skeleton back panel rather than a solid rectangular piece of foam to improve airflow, so you can carry the Techonaut for long durations as a backpack in comfort. The soft and durable mesh (finished to our specifications) will also reduce the chance of the back panel causing abrasion to your clothes.
Duffel
If you don’t want to use the Techonaut as a backpack, you can unbuckle the backpack straps and tuck them away behind the skeleton back panel. On the side of the Techonaut is our EV50 Edgeless grab handle, use it if you want to carry the bag like a duffel.
Shoulder Bag
Add an optional shoulder strap (we recommend the Absolute Shoulder Strap) and turn the Techonaut into a shoulder bag.
Suspended off the bottom of the bag, the Techonaut's laptop compartment offers just-right padding without adding bulk or weight. Don't plan to carry a laptop? Know that most of the padding and construction of the compartment would be there regardless to offer comfort to your back and structure for the bag itself. Accessible from an exterior zipper and separated from the rest of the main compartment, your laptop will always be easily accessible even when your bag is fully packed.
The Techonaut 30 will fit laptops up to the size of the 16" MacBook Pro or Microsoft Surface Book 2 15".
The name says it all: instead of the back panel being a solid rectangular piece of foam, it’s cut in a spine-like shape so that it provides all of the usual comfort with less of the weight and improves airflow. We use a soft and durable mesh finished to our specifications on the part of the back panel that’ll be in contact with your clothes to reduce the chance of abrasion. No, this new back panel won’t ensure you don’t experience any sweat whatsoever if you run through the airport or hike uphill in the summer; that’s just an aspect of wearing a backpack and, well, being human.
The Techonaut takes the amazing wide-opening main compartment that made the Aeronaut one of the most beloved travel bags ever a step further: it opens even wider and even bigger. You can live out of this bag (and easily find what you're looking for) without ever having to unpack it.
Compared to the Aeronaut, it has one end pocket instead of two to increase the amount of stuff you can pack in the bag without increasing the size or weight of the bag.
Conformity is overrated — except, perhaps, when it comes to shoulder straps. The edgelessness of this strap allows it to more softly conform to your shoulder; we find that this increases comfort. Yet the straps aren’t too soft: the 1/2” thick foam means the strap is robust enough to carry a heavy load.
If you plan to carry the Techonaut as a shoulder bag or in-hand like a duffel — or wear it through the airport as a backpack and, at the terminal, tuck away the straps so it'll slide even more easily under the seat on the plane or in the overhead compartment — you'll appreciate that the backpack straps of the Techonaut can easily tuck away behind the back panel when not in use.
The Edgeless duffel handle of the Techonaut is designed to provide comfort and cush when carrying the Techonaut in duffel mode: it utilizes the same EV50 1/2” / 12mm EVAZOTE® OEKO-TEX® foam as our Edgeless Shoulder Straps.
Since we figure most folks will primarily carry the Techonaut as a backpack or perhaps as a shoulder bag with the optional Absolute Shoulder Strap — and carry the bag as a duffel for shorter durations — we wanted its duffel handle to be as (if not more) comfortable yet somehow more minimal and lower-profile than the Aeronaut grab handle. We believe we’ve achieved our goal on both accounts: you’ll, of course, tell us what you think.
Note that, because of the design of the original Aeronaut handle, it was effectively anchored at four corners in such a way that it did not “lift” much from the bag itself; the Techonaut handle, to achieve its goals of comfort and minimalism, is anchored at two points, and may slightly lift away from the bag if your Techonaut is packed very full. That doesn’t impact the utility of the handle or experience of carrying the bag (and of course the handle itself is robustly secured with multiple bartacks) but we thought we’d mention it because it behaves a little different than the original Aeronaut handle.
Whereas the Aeronaut had two end pockets, the Techonaut has one. Here's why: removing one of the end pockets saved some weight and increased the overall capacity of the bag. Think of it this way: instead of the fabric and build that went into that second end pocket, you've got more space in the bag for more stuff. It also means the main compartment is that much bigger and opens up even wider.
Need to fit a really big item in the main compartment, or just don't want the division of the end pocket? You'll see that there's a zipper inside the main compartment that creates the division between it and the end pocket: simply unzip it and you've got one very big packing area.
Nik included three quick-access exterior pockets on the Techonaut.
The pocket on the right side of the bag is sized to fit a Passport, phone, wallet, and keys.
The pocket on the left side of the bag is the biggest; it can fit some water bottles or stuff like an umbrella or jacket.
And the pocket on the top of the bag can also fit stuff like a (smaller) water bottle, umbrella, or jacket.
For your convenience, you’ll find two exterior grab handles on the Techonaut in addition to the Edgeless duffel carry handle. These grab handles work great for pulling the Techonaut out from under the seat of a plane or from the overhead compartment. They're also handy for steadying the bag as you insert your laptop in its compartment or even hanging the bag on a coat hook.
As with all of our major backpacks, we include adjustable and removable sternum and waist straps with leave-no-trace hardware: if you don't like or don't use your waist or sternum strap, remove them and leave (almost) nothing behind. There's also an optional 1" Padded Hip Belt and an optional Techonaut Internal Frame.
Choosing an Exterior Fabric
High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon
- Weave:
- 2x2 “ballistic” weave
- Fibers:
- 630 denier type 6,6 (high tenacity) filament nylon, twisted
- Coating:
- heavy urethane
- Made in:
- South Korea with Canadian yarn
Choose this fabric if
- You want your bag to be soft and supple yet tough as nails.
- You want a fabric that's stately enough to be at home at work, the mountains, or a nice hotel.
- You don't want your bag to collect pet hair or abrade your clothing.
1050D High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon
- Weave:
- 2x2 "Ballistic" Weave
- Fibers:
- 1050 denier type 6,6 (high tenacity) filament nylon
- Coating:
- medium urethane
- Made in:
- U.S.A
Choose this fabric if
- You want a super-tough fabric – originally designed for use in bullet-proof vests.
- The weight of your bag isn’t a huge concern (though it’s worth noting that 1050d Ballistic is still lighter than cotton canvas or leather).
- You want a smooth surface that won’t collect pet hair or sweater fuzz, slides easily into and out of the overhead bin, and fits in whether you're traveling for work or leisure.
