EVERGOODS CPL24 mini review

For those who have never used an EVERGOODS bag I would say they are a work of art and the artist has careful designed and chosen every aspect of this artwork. Every component, zipper path, every pocket and where it's placed, it is all chosen to be part of a larger efficient organism. And you can clearly feel that when using the bag.

I have used two CPL24, both the same but with small improvements, and each one has been a dream to use. Now with the v3 bag out, again the same bag but with some small improvements, I want to talk what I liked and disliked about the CPL24.

The good

Comfort

The bag is super comfortable, but any review, like my two reviews, can tell you that.

The straps are contoured like an S so they wrap round your chest but, according to their video, the top and bottom fabric of the straps are also cut at different length so not only do they curve horizontally, the S pattern, but also along the z axis, looking at the straps from the side. This is apparent when looking at the bag as it sits upright and you can see the straps bow out from the bag.

Even though these are not the widest straps I have used, the thick EVA foam, the contouring, and the part that wraps around the shoulders make this backpack super comfortable. The bag hugs you tight every time you put it on.

Let me define the feel a little bit more.

Yes, the bag does feel like its hugging you but compared to other very flappy straps, like on my Jansport, the bag does feel a little stiff. My Jansport morphs to my shoulders and feels like it is adjusting to the shape of the top of my shoulders. The CPL24 feels like its wrapping around my whole body but demanding that my body adjust to the shape of the straps more than the Jansport straps. Demanding is not the right word because the straps are very comfortable. It’s more like it’s asking but with a little bass in its voice.

Handles

The handles “system” are some of the best and they have a well defined purpose. The handles, that run across two of the sides of the bag, are there to manipulate the bag, for example, on a plane when you need to put it overhead or grabbing it from the truck when it is laying flat.

These handles are wide and filled with a hard semi-stiff plastic. They are always easy to find and grab. I love these handles.

They are wide but not padded and are meant for handling the bag in short bursts. If you need to carry the bag with these handles over a long period of time then thats a different story. Luckily, I have never had to do that. The bag is either on a surface or on my back.

What might not be noticeable but is one of these unnoticed thoughtful design choices is there is a flat aluminum bar under the side handle which helps the bag keep its shape when holding it from the side. This assures that unneeded stress is put on the fabric when the bag is loaded and also so it retains its shape.

Zippers

The zippers run smoothly along the bag. I don’t remember how smooth they were when I first got the bag but now the zippers are a dream to use. They are like running a hot knife through butter and the zipper path each zipper takes lets it open smoothly without resistance.

Most bags I have used have a few zippers that dont seem to want to glide well or just get hung up when im holding the bag. The fabric starts to twist as you pull on the zipper and then it just stops forcing you to put down the bag or adjust your grip. Did the bag manufactures not think about how the most common action would work? Or is EVERGOODS just that good?

The zipper pulls were invisible to me. They are a simple nylon piece with a knot at the end, probably leftover material from the bag making process.

At first I thought this was a negative because there was nothing to write home about.  Then I started to realize that these pulls were invisible because there are not only completely silent but also there is absolutely nothing negative about them.

They are amazingly boring in the best way. They are super easy to find, predictable, and comfortable. I now wish all my bags had these types of pulls.

Compartments

There are two types of pockets a bag maker can make with their own pros and cons; independent volume and expandable volume. Every pocket has its own independent volume. This means you can load it up as much as you want and it wont effect the volume of other pockets (to a degree). You can stuff each pocket without worry but this also means that all the pockets need to be used so that you can get the 24 liter capacity that is proclaimed.

The two inside pockets, the mesh pocket and security pocket, are nice but simple. No organization here but I guess they are the organization for the main compartment. These pockets and the main cavity take up most of the 24 liters, the main cavity being about 18 of those liters.

The CPL24 is a clam shell opening bag and this is achieved by the zipper running across 3 sides of the bag and ending into the bottom side. This allows the bag to comfortably open 180 degrees. I love how well the zippers glide along their path and how easily the bag flips open. I only use the claim shell opening when packing for a trip.

When you need to close the bag, especially when fully packed out, you can use the counter pulls that are at the ends of the bag to help you. I was doing this instinctually before I knew they were counter pulls. Thats this careful design feeling you get when you use the bag, everything that is there is for you to use and everything works seamlessly.

The bag also operates well if you need to grab something quick. You can open the zippers part way and pull away just the top section.

This main pocket is spacious and mostly empty except for an elastic sleeve and utility loops. The utility loops sit flat if you dont need them. I clip a flashlight to the top most loop so it is out of the way but always with me.

The elastic sleeve is padded on all sides. Yes, as in the top, bottom, and sides. This can be used as a laptop sleeve without worry. I use this to store my laptop or iPad when I go to work.

The elastic has cutouts at the bottom which allow sand, dirt, moisture, and the corner of books or laptops to poke through. I never have to clean out this pocket and everything fits in like a jigsaw piece. No picking out sand out of the pocket or fear that a metal shard that was magnetized onto your iPad will start scratching it up as you walk around. I love that I dont have to worry about that.

When I take the backpack to the beach I usually just flip it upside down and shake it to get all the sand out because the sand falls to the bottom of the bag.

The laptop sleeve, accessed through the side of the bag, is suspended and next to the document sleeve. These sleeves are found in the same side accessed pocket. Without being used to which sleeve is which you can place your laptop in the wrong sleeve like if your in automatic mode and just going through the motions. But I soon realized that even though the document sleeve is not suspended it is padded on all sides. This means you can have peace of mind if you accidentally place your laptop into the wrong pocket.

Quick Access

Top quick access pocket is spacious and uses the volume of the space from the extra fabric of the straps. The top pocket is so nice. The opening is super large, extending to the sides of the bag, and can easily be unzipped while holding the bag.

Let's talk about this a little more. The zipper action here is stupid smooth. A lot of my other bags with quick access pockets the zipper would get stuck and you would need to hold the fabric close to the zipper to assist in opening it but this zipper, maybe because of its orientation or the path the zipper takes, the operation of this pocket is buttery smooth.

The front flat pocket is another quick access pocket. While the top quick access is for when the bag is on the ground upright, the front is great when the bag is on your back and you swing it around your shoulder.

The front pocket might have independent volume but its not noticeable because even though each pockets occupy their own volume the fabric does stretch and deform pushing slightly into other areas. When I pack for a long trip and load out the large mesh pocket, It starts to push on the front flat pocket and I find it harder to put something large, like a book, in there. But it never gets too difficult to access the organization thats in that pocket because these are mostly slip pockets that are facing the opening.

The unused

Access

I always found the manner which you can access the different pockets interesting in this bag. It can be access vertically (top down) or from one side.

Technically all the pockets can be accessed from a top down perspective like when its at your feet at a coffee shop but it does require you to tilt the bag or just stick your hand in and blindly find what you are looking for. These side access pockets are the laptop pocket, internal mesh pocket, and the front flat pocket.

The side pockets are nice when you need to access things on the go and you swing the bag over your shoulder. Maybe like when you get to your apartment and want to open the door… oh wait thats a v1 feature.

I really only need the front flat pocket to be side access for accessing items on the go, but the rest I usually access it from the top. Maybe you could separate your items into vertical or horizontal access like maybe office stuff in the vertical pockets and gym stuff in the horizontal pockets but im usually segmenting all my stuff across the whole bag so this doesnt work for me.

This is not a negative to the bag since all the pockets are accessible from the top. Its more of an unused feature.

Simplicity

The simplicity of the bag is nice. It removes all the extra thinking about where your stuff is or how to pack and it also lets the bag have a clean look. Other bag makers will put pockets and straps everywhere on a bag and allow the user to decide if they want to use it but what ends up happening more often than not is all these features start to stumble on each other. The CPL24 gives you enough options that don’t get in the way of each other.

That being said I sometimes do use one or two of those weird pockets or straps especially if the feature is designed to solve a common problem. This is not something that is bad or good about the bag and more of a user preference. If the bag had one of those weird pockets, for example like a metro card pocket in the shoulder strap, I might have used it.

The bad

Fabric

What sold me on the bag was the look, and part of that look was this dull matte like fabric. This look was from the textured nylon weave they used. What I would soon come to realize is this texturing would latch on to dust and dirt like crazy. I have a dog that seems to molt its fur everyday and the bag picks up a good amount of it.

The straps and bag are made of the same textured nylon as the shell of the bag which means it will grip to your back and keep the bag steady as you move. Downside is the bag will feel like sandpaper on bare skin like when wearing it at the beach.

Besides that I appreciated the sleek look and the lack of exterior branding. The logo is embossed onto the velcro patch on the face of the bag but because their logo is a diagonal stripe in a square, this just looks like stitching on the patch field.

The new v3 backpack doesn’t use this dust magnet fabric but instead a smooth nylon. Also the new material is “dope dyed” which means it wont fade in the sun, something that nylon is known for.

Key leash

There is key leash in the quick access pocket but doesnt make much sense because when I get to my apartment I need to remove my backpack and either put it down to unclip my keys or hold it up with one hand as I unlock my door with the other. In the v1 bag the key leash was on the front flat pocket which was way better in my opinion.

Review of the v2 and wear updates (every 6 months I update on how the bag is aging.