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Totes occupy an interesting niche in carry cases, taking a simplified approach to carrying one’s pocket excess. They’re probably most popularly used as an economical alternative to plastic bags when running grocery errands, but as a simple flat container, they don’t offer much more by way of protection or organization.
Fortunately, it’s a form factor frequently explored by some of our favorite carry brands, including our friends at Aer, who today introduced their fall duo with the City Tote and Dopp Kit 3. Both bags come with a few upgrades over their more recent counterparts in the Go Tote 2 and Dopp Kit 2, and continue to provide sweet spots for those interested in rounding out their rotation or finding the right bag for the job.
The City Tote seems to be the exact solution I was looking for during a recent string of errands. I ended up in a cramped coffee shop with my smaller daypack and two handfuls of groceries, struggling to find a spot to place down those, my backpack, and also pull out my laptop to do some work. A tote I could lay down and let stand beside me would have been the perfect solution to the predicament, as rare as it is–you always remember the one time you needed something and didn’t have it, rather than the alternative.
Aer’s take on the tote is a roomier affair, with 22L in a stand-up configuration in their signature use of 1680D CORDURA nylon in black or gray. The exterior comes with the space and style I’ve come to know from Aer, including dual side water bottle pockets, YKK-zippered quick-access pockets (including the bisecting center zipper found on their flagship packs like the Travel and City Pack), and even a luggage passthrough strap.
You can zip up the main compartment, which has low-profile elastic drop-in pockets and a small zip pocket for your essentials, and, of course, a dedicated padded laptop/device space that accommodates up to a 16” machine, which secures with an elastic band. It’s important to note, though, that the main zip is reverse coil and not AquaGuard, and also has some space on the side for potential ingress. That said, while zipped, it creates a flap over the device and drop-in pockets for some protection; just don’t make a habit of standing around with it in a downpour.
The second half of the fall release is an update to Aer’s Dopp Kit 2. It’s much more low profile than its predecessor, taking some design cues from the Slim Pouch and Split Kit to make a freestanding hygiene essentials kit all its own. There’s a slim exterior compartment with an AquaGuard zipper, while an angled zipper lets the front panel lay down while the kit remains upright, giving you full access to the zippered compartments, toothbrush loops, and main liquid area. The Dopp Kit 3 also comes in olive and black VX42 X-Pac if you’re looking for a few more options.
What I like: Aer is one of my favorite carry brands, and it’s always great to see them constantly iterating and upgrading every model in their catalog.
What to watch out for: I, for one, am definitely watching out for an X-Pac version of the City Tote.
Final verdict: Tote-ally my next errand bag (my apologies, the pun was right there).
