This Award-Winning EDC Backpack Was Almost Perfect, but Aer Made It Even Better

The San Francisco outfit’s City Pack Pro was among the best bags available. Now, the gap with the next best is even wider.

Black textured backpack with multiple zippered compartments and a side pocket holding a folded green umbrella.

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By Sean Tirman

Published December 29, 2025

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Originally founded in 2014 through crowdfunding, Aer now has more than a decade backing up its exceptional catalog. One of the brand’s constant strengths over that period has, undoubtedly, been its ability to remain ahead of the curve — managed by consistently improving its offerings.

And therein lies the San Francisco-based outfit’s true greatness: it has never once waited for a product to become outdated before giving it a redux. Such is the case with the Aer City Pack Pro 2.

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Black textured fabric backpack with multiple zippered compartments worn by a person walking on a sidewalk. — The brand’s tweaks have improved both the aesthetics, comfort and the fit of this bag.

Arguably the brand’s best urban commuting EDC bag, the original City Pack was an exceptional, svelte bag, boasting 24 liters of storage, a rugged ballistic nylon exterior, a stunning minimalist design and superb interior organization. But it wasn’t perfect.

Taking into account fan feedback, the brand “focused on making [its] bags even more versatile, comfortable and durable,” per Aer’s head of operations Andy Choi. To that end, the brand refined the bag’s fit, aesthetics and even overall comfort.

Black backpack with light gray interior open on a person's lap, showing a folded gray jacket, umbrella, and other items inside. — The superb internal organizational scheme has been essential to this bag’s continued EDC dominance.

While that may have been enough for lesser brands, Aer didn’t stop there. It also revamped every single pocket and compartment, tweaking and refining them to offer better utility and an improved overall user experience. It even added some crucial quality-of-life upgrades, like a luggage pass-through.

Now, a bag that was already among the best around is even better, all because the brand heeded the call of its customers, and that has made all the difference.