After coming away impressed with some of the brand’s other carriers, when Aer launched its new Pro Kit tech organizer, I was keen to get my hands on it, and that is I have done. For the past few weeks, I have been putting the new tech accessory pouch to the test both on the road and at home to see if its price of entry is worth it or not. You can check out my hands-on impressions down below as part of the latest entry to the Tested with 9to5Toys series.
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Hands-on with the new Aer Pro Kit tech organizer
The new Aer Pro Kit tech organizer features a durable nylon construction with plenty of pockets to store about as much tech accessories as most folks could ever need in a day (or a week for that matter). It features a nearly full wrap-around zipper for easy access and will stand up at attention on your work surface.
The Pro Kit is a standing tech organizer that puts your desk essentials on full display. It features a structured yet flexible design to fit all your gear and neatly keeps your essentials in one place so you can work from any desk. Move Smarter.
Aer’s Pro Kit tech organizer comes in three colorways (black, navy, or olive) and carries a $55 list price.
Here’s a quick look at the specs:
- 840D CORDURA re/cor recycled nylon exterior (bluesign approved)
- YKK zippers
- Soft woven recycled nylon lining for a premium look and feel (bluesign approved)
- Stands upright when full
- Mesh and zippered pockets for smart organization
- Back compartment for bulky or larger accessories
- Pen/stylus loop
- Quick-grab webbing loop for carrying or hanging
9to5Toys’ Take
The inside of the Aer Pro Kit tech organizer won’t comes as much surprise for anyone who has used one of these things before – you got your various compartments, a couple smaller pockets with elastic tops to keep cables and other smaller essentials in place, two nearly full-width zippered compartments, and a couple elastic loops to stow an Apple Pencil or something of that shape and size. The Aer logo tab on the inside also doubles as a pen holder.
I can easily get my notebook, a couple pens, a couple charger cables, wireless earbuds case, a small wall charger, a couple portable SSDs, iPad stylus, microSD cards, Apple Watch charger cable, and more, all with relative ease and with some extra room to spare.
It’s not quite as spacious as the model I have been happily using for years – the Bellroy Tech Kit – but it’s also more sleek, streamlined, and packable in that regard as well as being a touch more affordable. The Aer Pro Kit is perhaps a better option for folks needing to lug around some essential chargers, cables, portable SSD storage, and more on a regular basis – it will fit inside another bag easier. It certainly gets the job done, and I was able to get more gear comfortably packed away in there than it seemed I would when it first arrived at the office.
The build quality falls very much in-line with the other gear we have featured from the brand, including the City Tote Bag, Travel Pack 3, and the Day Sling 3 bag that easily made into our roundup of the best EDC sling packs, belt bags, and mini carriers. Aer is once again employing its 840D CORDURA re/cor recycled nylon exterior (bluesign approved) here with a soft woven recycled nylon lining and YKK zippers. There’s nothing overly premium or luxurious here for me, but it’s certainly a durable-feeling material that not’s going to get torn up and ruined with normal use anytime soon.
The main zipper that encloses the entire kit is worth mentioning as well. It sort of wraps right around the front side of the kit, positioned to terminate in just the right place allowing for the kit to easily stand up right while the front flap falls flat down onto the tablet top. Nothing overly groundbreaking, but it is a nice design touch that makes getting gear in and out a much less cumbersome task than it could have been – it seems an obvious choice, but I have used plenty of brand’s kits that do not do this. While the whole kit stands up nicely anyway, as soon as you have a bit of weight in the front flap (that’s where you’ll find one of the zipper compartments and the elastic Apple Pencil loops) it gets even more stable, especially when you’re rifling through to pull out or replace gear in the main section of the carrier.
The exterior quick-grab webbing loop is also a nice design touch that adds a bit of interest to the look while also providing a quick grab handle and a way to hang the kit if you need to – I don’t really, but some folks might and you never know when this might come in handy.
The Aer Pro Kit tech organizer is a solid option, but it’s certainly not the most affordable. Aer makes solid rugged carriers for sure, but I really wish it was closer to $35 or $40 as opposed to the $55 it will run you. Sales are limited from Aer and you can score something similar to this on Amazon starting from $7 or so. I, for one, rarely trust the budget brands no matter how affordable they might be and would rather spend a bit more to get something I can keep for years to come, much like the Aer Pro Kit, but I still feel like it should be a bit less pricey.
Buy the Aer Pro Kit tech organizer
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