Best for…

This backpack offers plenty of ways to separate your computer, your clean clothing, and your sweaty workout clothes or gym shoes. However, because it’s a daily-carry backpack, not a basic gym bag, it’s pricey.

The Aer Duffel Pack 3 is best for anyone who commutes to both work and the gym and wants a laptop pocket in their bag—or who just prefers to carry a backpack instead of a shoulder bag.

It’s adaptable. Sometimes, carrying a separate gym bag and laptop bag to the office isn’t ideal. In that case, the Aer Duffel Pack 3 is the best option. Its sleek, minimal look allows it to blend into nearly any setting. The bag is made of a tough, 1,680-denier Cordura ballistic nylon that’s similar in strength to the material used in the KNKG Plus Duffel but with a finer texture. With a capacity of 21 liters, the Duffel Pack 3 holds less than the Plus Duffel, but we still found that it had room for what we needed to transition from work to working out. The Aer Duffel Pack 3 comfortably carries a 16-inch laptop in its back pocket, as well as a full change of clothes within its main compartment and a pair of shoes (up to men’s size 13) in a ventilated compartment at the bottom of the bag.

It carries what you need and then some. As a gym bag, it swallows a full change of gym clothes or assorted gear, while the expandable water-bottle pocket on the side can fit even a large Nalgene bottle. As a laptop backpack, the Aer Duffel Pack 3 can carry a few books or slim items along with that 16-inch laptop. Optionally, you can buy the same design made from X-Pac sailcloth, which is extremely durable and waterproof, but most people don’t need to spend the extra money for that level of technical fiber; the regular model’s nylon and sealing zippers are plenty tough and water-resistant for a trip to the gym.

It’s well organized as a backpack. You access the waterproof, cavernous main section of the bag via a convenient duffel-style zipper on the outside. Because the shoe compartment at the base of the bag unfurls internally, anything you tuck into it takes up space in the bag’s main section. The laptop compartment has several small accessory pockets, including a zippered mesh one for small items. A quick-access pocket at the top of the bag can hold sunglasses, a smartphone, and gym and transit passes. And just above the water-bottle holder is a small, zippered pocket for keys and a wallet or other small items.

It comes in a smaller version, too. If you have a smaller torso, you might prefer the Aer Fit Pack 3, which is essentially a smaller version of the Duffel Pack 3. It has the same overall design, with a rear compartment for your laptop and other gear, a clothes area in the front, and a dedicated shoe compartment on the bottom. But the Fit Pack 3 is several inches shorter and holds about 25% less (almost 19 liters in total capacity versus the Duffel Pack 3’s roughly 25 liters), so it looks and feels quite a bit smaller on your back. Aer’s bags all have a lifetime warranty.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s expensive for a gym bag. But it isn’t overly expensive for a good backpack. If you need a good backpack that’s excellent as a gym bag, the Aer Duffel Pack 3 is a great choice. If you’re looking for a secondary bag to bring to the gym, consider our other options.

Its external water-bottle holder is a bit insecure. As with most external water-bottle pockets, holding a bottle in a side pocket like this is somewhat unreliable. Admittedly, the Aer design is deep enough that a large bottle stays more or less secure, but I don’t know how much I’d trust it if I were riding a bike or swinging the bag around.

Specs

• Dimensions: 20.5 by 11.75 by 8 inches (LWD)
• Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Capacity: 21.4 liters
• Warranty: lifetime