Exped Black Ice 30 vs. Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L

Two carry-on travel backpacks, compared spec for spec.

Exped Black Ice 30

Front facing view of the Exped Black Ice 30
Capacity30 L
Weight0.1 kg
Dimensions57×27×23 cm
Airline fit17%
Price$175

Feature by feature

Exped Black Ice 30FeatureTom Bihn Aeronaut 30L
Storage
N Compression N
None Expanded Capacity None
2 Opening 0
N Passport side
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack hideable
removable Hip Belt removable
Y Sternum Strap removable
Inside
N Laptop N
1 Main Compartments 5
N Organizer N
Outside
× Hard Shell ×
N Rain-fly N
N Water Bottle Holder N
Y Water Resistant Y
Material
400 D HD ripstop nylon, TPU film laminated, 10'000 mm water column1050 denier ballistic nylon OR ultralight 400d Halcyon/420d nylon ripstop 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop fabric lining

Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L

Front facing view of the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L
Capacity30 L
Weight1.3 kg
Dimensions50×32×20 cm
Airline fit91%
Price$330

Key differences between the Exped Black Ice 30 and Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L

Both have: hip belt, water resistant.

Which airlines take each bag as a carry-on

We checked both bags against the carry-on size limits of 189 airlines. 32 accept both. 0 accept only the Exped Black Ice 30, and 140 accept only the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L.

Only the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L fits

Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Asia, Air Astana, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air Caraibes, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air Macau, Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Nostrum, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Air Wisconsin, AirAsiaX, Alaska Airlines, All Nipon Airways, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, ANA, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Atlas Global, Austrian, Avianca , Azerbaijan Airlines, Bahamasair, Bangkok Airways, Belavia, Biman Bangladesh, Blue Air, Boliviana de Aviacion, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, CommutAir, Copa Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Airlines, Dragonair, EL AL, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Eurowings, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Flair Air, flybe, Garuda Indonesia, Gol Linhas Aereas, Hawaiian Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Icelandair, Indigo, InselAir, Interjet, Iran Air, Iran Aseman Air, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Jet2, jetBlue Airways, Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Juneyao Airlines, Kenya Airways, KLM, Kulula, Kuwait Air, LATAM , Liat Airlines, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Luxair, Mahan Air, Malaysia Airlines, Mango, Meridiana Fly, Mesa Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Monarch Airlines, Nordwind Airlines, Norwegian, Oman Air, Onur Air, Pakistan International, Peach, Porter Airlines, Qantas Airways, Qatar Airways, Republic Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Ryanair, S7, SAS Scandinavian, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sky Airlines, Skywest, Inc., South African Airways, Spirit Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Sun Express, Swiss Int'l Air Lines, TAP Air Portugal, TAROM, Thai Airways, Tianjin Airlines (A320 & E190), Tiger Airways, Trans States, Travel Service Airlines, TUI, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International, United Airlines, Uzbekistan Air, Vietnam Airlines, VIM Airlines (Closed), Virgin Atlantic, Volotea, WestJet, WOW Airlines, Xiamen.

Exped Black Ice 30 vs. Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L: which should you pack?

The Exped Black Ice 30 carries the same capacity as the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L (30L vs. 30L), while the Exped Black Ice 30 is the lighter pack at 0.1kg (vs. 1.3kg). For carry-on flexibility, the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30L fits 91% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the Exped Black Ice 30; if you want to travel lighter, the Exped Black Ice 30 is the better call.