I’ve had a delicate obsession with luggage since grade college. I actually wished a Jansport backpack. What I acquired was a generic copy on sale on the native sporting good retailer—nearly a Jansport, however not fairly. It wasn’t the label, I did not care who made the bag. It was construct high quality. The zipper snagged on the generic model. The rear pocket wasn’t as huge.
I’ve obsessed over high quality luggage and backpacks ever since, and it has been value it. A very good day bag or backpack is an funding. My Lowe Alpine backpack lasted over 20 years. My Belstaff shoulder bag was in its second decade after I offered it for extra money than I initially paid.
This rarefied class of costly luggage value proudly owning is at present, in my ebook, held by GoRuck, Thriller Ranch, Mountainsmith, and the newest entrant: Evergoods. The Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L backpack has been my solely bag by means of a collection of journeys this spring.
GoRuck Heritage
Suppose you’re keen on the stable manufacturing, heavy-duty development, and waist-belt-free design of a GoRuck GR1 (7/10, WIRED Assessment), however you are much less offered on the “tactical” styling and molle webbing? That is the place Evergoods comes from. Cofounded by the previous head of product at GoRuck and a former Patagonia R&D designer, Evergoods is strictly what these two pedigrees indicate: military-inspired, heavy-duty development and sturdiness, paired with a extra outdoorsy-meets-commuter design aesthetic. Throw in the truth that it is made within the US (Bozeman, Montana) and makes use of an eco-friendly, solution-dyeing course of for its black material, and you’ve got a bag worthy of consideration.
Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L has a really clear, minimalist design on the skin. This belies the appreciable quantity of organizational choices out there, a few of that are so effectively hidden that I did not uncover them till I went to put in writing this overview (by no means observed the pen loops within the entrance panel pocket). I fairly like this, I’m not fond of luggage with dozens of zippers jangling and infinite pockets festooned throughout them.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
Because the identify implies, it is a 24-liter bag. It weighs in at 3.1 kilos (1.4 kilograms), which is on the heavy facet for a bag of this measurement (18 x 7 x 11.5 inches). That weight comes from Evergood’s customized heavy-duty 840d ballistic nylon, which is water repellent (although it is value noting, not absolutely waterproof), and the aluminum stays. All of which is technical bag-speak for: it is effectively made, however on the heavy facet. The one catch is, you will most likely need to carry some form of rain cowl in case you dwell within the Pacific Northwest or one other moist area.
One of many extra attention-grabbing facets of the CPL24 is that it is constructed to operate as each a backpack (what I might name upright) and sideways, or as I consider it, briefcase mode. There are handles on the highest and the facet, so you possibly can carry it whichever method you want. The facet deal with was nice going by means of airports. What’s outstanding in regards to the design is that it actually does work effectively irrespective of which method you carry it.
Organizational Genius
My favourite a part of the Civic Panel Loader 24—hereafter known as the CPL24—is the huge most important compartment that absolutely unzips on three sides (with zipper counter-pull tabs at every finish). The design permits you to load and unload the CPL24 prefer it’s a suitcase. The inside is lined with a lightweight grey, 420d HT nylon, which makes it simpler to see the contents.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
