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Review: Rab Women’s Aeon 33L Daypack

Woman carrying Rab Aeon Daypack

A comfortable backpack for moving fast with a full load out on the trail all day long, or a quick overnighter.

If you’re looking for a lightweight, well made, high quality daypack which can take a big load comfortably then you should certainly consider the Rab Women’s Aeon 33L Daypack. Best suited to people on the move, travelling fast and light, who need easy access to their essential kit in additional pockets, this is a great pack for loading up and heading off into the hills for adventure.

Rab Women’s Aeon 33L Daypack: The stats

Best for:Year round day hikes, lightweight overnighters
Weight:1kg / 2lb 3oz
Waterproof:Yes
Hydration compatible:Yes
Waterproof cover:Yes
Eco-conscious:50% Recycled 70D x 140D Nylon S DOBBY / Trishield fabric, Climate Neutral Company
Overall rating:

Features of the Rab Women’s Aeon 33L Daypack

Hip belt

Hipbelt pocket on backpackThe soft and supple hip belt fits nicely and is easily adjustable using forward pull straps. There is plenty of room for all shapes and sizes. There are two decent sized zippered pockets which can take a small camera, phone and those all important items you need to get to quickly like lip balm, suncream or snacks.

Back panel and shoulder straps

Backpack shoulder straps and back panelThe Air Contour X carry system keeps air flowing around the back panel, which is vacuum formed with a semi-rigid structure so feels light and supportive on your back. The back does adjust if you need it to and as a women’s specific pack, it’s built with narrower dimensions. The shoulder straps are well padded with adjustable chest straps which help keep the pack tight when you need it to be.

Top lid

Top lid of backpackThe top lid is giant. Secured closed with a single buckle, there are two zippered sections; one big external pocket and a smaller internal one for valuables. There is enough room to fit a coat or down jacket alongside other items you might need quick access to, or even a map.

Main compartment access

Access to inside a daypackThe main compartment is accessed through an easy opening drawcord mechanism which is super quick and smooth, and particularly easy to use with gloves, no faffing around needed. The wide opening allows you to get all your gear in easily.

Front mesh pocket

Map going into backpackA capacious front stretchy mesh zippered stash pocket is great for storing a map or keeping waterproofs for quick and easy access or keeping them on the outside when soggy.

Side pockets

Backpack Bottle pocketThe large stretchy mesh side pockets can take bigger water bottles, or can stash waterproofs for easy access. There is a compression strap towards the bottom of the pocket, and another higher up which can be unbuckled to keep longer items in place.

Hydration compatible

Hydration compatible backpackThere is a really handy external sleeve between the main compartment and the back panel for a hydration bladder. This features a velcro hanging loop to hold the reservoir in place and straps to loop the tube onto the shoulder straps.

Rain cover

Backpack rain coverA rain cover is neatly tucked in a zippered pocket at the base of the bag for quick access when the heavens open.

 

Rab Women’s Aeon 33L Daypack review

Rab dubs this pack as a multi-activity pack suitable for hikes, bikes, scrambles, and overnighters. So, with a versatile pack and some adventures up my sleeve, I was ready to put it to the test. I tested this pack for a few months over winter, which was great to test the load capacity with extra layers, warm outerwear, stoves and flasks for hot pitstops. I wanted to test a slighter bigger day pack to see if it had the capability for an overnighter without the weight and rigidity of a 40L+ pack. I normally use an older Lowe Alpine 25L pack and really have to scrutinise my kit and pack exceedingly well for an overnight trip. I was intrigued to see what this Rab pack would be like knowing their reputation as a great brand with high quality.

On first impression I was struck by its beautiful colour (I tested the Sagano Green model), which, let’s face it, is important as we all like to look good on the trails! That aside, the pack looked like a quality piece of kit; lots of features, good sized compartments and pockets, and a comfortable looking back panel and shoulder straps. I definitely wanted to take it out for a spin.

Woman hiking in the snow by the sea

The pack is made with 50% recycled materials, 70D x140D nylon S DOBBY/Trishield and performs well in short periods of light rain, and deploying the easy access raincover means the pack stays dry all day. Although only used for a few months, so can’t assess its longevity, it feels robust, well made and will hopefully stand up to the test of time, like all other Rab products I’ve had over the years.

I loaded the pack up with a variety of kit, and I particularly wanted to see how it would perform on full days with a full load. I am happy to report that it feels really comfortable throughout a long hike, the shoulder straps have a light padding and never dig into my neck or shoulders. The hip belt, again, is well padded and wraps around well to take the bulk of the weight on the hips with no rubbing. All the straps are adjustable so can cinch everything in nicely to the body to keep the pack from wobbling around. Additionally, the large side, front, and top pockets are fantastic as they give the pack some extra areas to help compartmentalise your kit.

A small gripe on the storage-front is that the side pockets do sit slightly at an angle so water bottles tend to move around in them and fall out when bending over. But overall, it’s serving me very well on long day hikes when fully loaded.

Packed backpack on the grass

Does it fulfil my needs for an overnight adventure? I have to confess, because I tested this in the depths of winter I didn’t actually sleep out, but I did load it up with everything I would have needed for one, and then took it out for a long hike. It lived up to my expectations which I was really pleased with.

I managed to pack the following:

  • Sleeping bag

  • Down jacket
  • Inflatable mat and pillow
  • Stove and fuel
  • Food (snacks, evening meal, breakfast)
  • Water bladder
  • Waterproofs
  • Bivvy bag

I could also attach a small one-person tent to the outside utilising the compression straps and a handy Voile strap, but this did feel a bit overloaded, so probably better for a bivy bag or night in a bothy/cabin.

Another potential niggle is that when the pack is full, there is pressure on the hydration sleeve, which makes it hard to slide a full bladder in, and also pushes into the back panel. My solution is to fill the bladder first and slide in, then load the pack, or just use water bottles in the side pockets, or house the bladder in the main compartment. However, the ideal scenario is to obviously not stuff the pack so full in the first place!

How does it compare to my older 25L pack? It certainly has more modern and well thought through features and is bigger, so I can pack a bit more, and would definitely take this pack first for an overnighter. It would also be my choice for winter day hikes having a bit more space to pack more layers and gear.

I do miss the side zip into the main compartment to make rummaging around a bit easier. Also, the Air Contour X is meant to keep the air moving around the back panel, but I’m not sure how much air would circulate behind a sweaty hiker on a hot day as the panel sits nicely on my back – well fitting, but no room for air. By contrast, my smaller pack has a frame which keeps the pack away from my back and the air definitely circulates. This Rab pack, however, seems best suited to high intensity activity so sweat is probably expected!

Woman hiking with green Rab daypack

What I love the most about the Rab Women’s Aeon 33L Daypack

Comfort – it’s snug, well padded and can take the load all day long. I like the big pockets; the top, the sides and stretchy front pocket, which means even when the main compartment is full, there are still more options. Overall the size to weight ratio is great, big enough for a quick and light overnight, or a day trip with the kitchen sink. The jade green colour is absolutely gorgeous too!

What I don’t love so much about the Rab Women’s Aeon 33L Daypack

Although the side pockets are large and roomy for everything from a sleeping mat to a rain jacket, and can fit a wide water bottle, when bending down for anything (tying a shoelace, moving a caterpillar to the side of the trail…) water bottles have a tendency to fall out because the opening is large with no way of cinching it in. This only tends to happen when the pack is half-full. There is a compression strap at the bottom, but this doesn’t always help a water bottle from flying out, and using a small clip to keep a bottle attached isn’t exactly what you want to do.

I also miss a side zip pocket into the main compartment for getting to those stashed away items at the bottom of the bag. I guess this comes down to organised packing and knowing what you need, when you need it, but it isn’t half irritating when the thing you want is at the bottom and you have to remove everything from the bag.

Backpack back panel

Verdict

If you’re looking for a really comfortable, high quality pack for fastpacking and lightweight overnighters then the Rab Women’s Aeon 33L Daypack will do the job nicely. It sits at the higher price end for a 33L pack, which, when there are some serious other big brand hitters, might be a consideration when weighing up your options. A couple of design flaws which are slightly frustrating to the end user bring down my rating to 3.5 out of 5.

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Disclaimer: Cool of the Wild received this product free in return for an honest review. We only recommend gear that we love from companies we trust and we are under no obligation to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are that of the reviewer and we are in no way influenced by the brand or company.

About the author

author-ellie

Ellie is based in Cornwall, UK, and loves being outside and adventuring from the doorstep or exploring new places further afield. The water is where her passion lies the most, often found in, on or by the sea, creeks, estuaries and beaches swimming, on a surfboard, paddle board or in a canoe. A love of slow-paced human powered outdoor fun away from the hustle is where Ellie feels most comfortable, on foot running or hiking the trails or taking a bike off the beaten track. With seasonal trips into the mountains for some ski time and taking her dads dinghy out for local sailing trips, sitting still is not often a priority!

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