It’s been a slow climb, but little by little things are getting back to normal, with old haunts tentatively opening their doors and new paths being made for old commutes. As we adjust to these changes, so do our carry, reorganizing and optimizing to meet new requirements. Aer was a well-known brand for their bags for tech and travel, but they now face this challenge with the new, which is a trio of modern bags that are perfect for urban adventures.

The new bag combines several Aer signature designs with tweaks to make it more compact. The front is reminiscent of their Travel Pack, which features a horizontal slash pocket and other travel conveniences, like dual grab handles and an external water bottle pocket. There’s also a luggage pass-through on its back panel.

The two-compartment design is rightfully reminiscent of the Day Pack. The new front compartment features familiar stretch, mesh and zip pockets. A larger laptop compartment can hold up to 16-inch laptops. Yes, even thicker 15.6-inch gaming laptops. The’s ergonomics, combined with the contoured rear panel, are among the best of any Aer backpack.

Last but not least, in addition to the usual accoutrements like 1680D CORDURA nylon construction for the base Black model, Duraflex hardware, smaller (less noisy) YKK zippers, and a new AirTag/Tile tracker slot, the is also offered in crowd-favorite VX-42 X-Pac right out the gate, along with a 3rd 900D Ecoya Gray colorway. It was inevitable and, like the City Pack’s second iteration, took ideas from all over the board. The City Sling is slightly larger at 13 inches and 2.5L than the original City Sling, but the real highlight of this release are the design tweaks.

Pretty much all the feedback from the original has been improved on, with the biggest changes on the strap. The strap is now 1.5 inches narrower and uses a premium Fidlock fastener, similar to the Tokai. Also, like the Tokai aluminum tension locks replace the plastic ones. The strap is also now stowable in the sling’s back panel, letting it pull double duty as an accessories/organizer pouch until needed for sling duty. And while in pouch mode, a new quick-grab top handle lets you carry or retrieve the bag with ease. The front compartment is flat and allows for quick access to pens and similar tools. It has a larger main compartment that can be used as an organizer but does not have organization.

But an extra zipper on the bottom of the Split Kit reveals its namesake feature, allowing to open up its base and expand (and stand) to accommodate more essentials if needed, or to keep the Kit handy while on the move. The Split Kit can be carried around with ease thanks to the webbing loops that serve as grab handles.

The Split Kit is available in 1680D CORDURA and 900D Ecoya Gray.