The City Pack Pro 2 is a daily bag with a hard-sided structure and a pocket for each kind of thing you actually carry — laptop, admin, water, a jacket. It is not a hiking pack and it is not trying to be one bag for a two-week trip.

Aer sells it in 20L and 24L. The 24L is the one we looked at for a full work day; the 20L is the same idea in a shorter frame. Both keep a 16-inch laptop in a dedicated sleeve. The admin panel is the reason this bag exists: cards, keys, cables, and a notebook stay where you left them.

Fit is the usual Aer story. It sits closer to a briefcase that grew straps than to a rucksack. If you want a soft, slouchy bag, this is the wrong aisle. If you want a kit that looks like it belongs next to a laptop and not next to a trailhead, it is the right one.

We do not invent street prices. Aer lists the 20L at $199 and the 24L at $219 in standard ballistic. X-Pac and other shells cost more. Check the official page before you buy.