EVERGOODS CPL24 v2 Review: All that I longed for
The Evergoods CPL24 v1 has been in my daily rotation for almost 2 years now. I have been extremely impressed with its durability (and how well it retained its original ascetic) and unique carry style throughout the time using it. When EVERGOODS announced the new v2 I was all ears. The v2 isn't a revolution to the line, but a sum of small improvements to the original design. These small changes made me want to pull the trigger for a new EVERGOODS bag once more, let me explain why.
For some of you, the CPL24 or even EVERGOODS for that matter may be unknown, to that I assure you my reader that I will be talking about this bag from different scopes, the first, an attempt to talk about it from a perspective of someone who has never used an EVERGOODS bag.
V2 REVIEW
PU coating and DWR coating on the zippers make this bag water resistant.
Materials
The Evergoods bag is one of the best built bags I have ever touched, but compared to other feature rich bags, it may not be so obvious. The quality of the bag doesn’t reside in that special pocket for your gizmos that no other bag has or that fancy new magnetic buckle system, but instead for a thoughtful choice of materials and design choices in respect to its durability and usability that other bags fail to achieve.
What makes the CPL24 so special is its build quality and perceived longevity. Its outstanding build quality might not be so evident to all as the CPL24 requires you to examine each individual component to realize that this bag will probably outlast any other bag you own. We can talk about the hefty 500d 6,6 nylon with water repellent finish - I believe some sort of silicon coating on the face and a PU coating on the back - or the 420d nylon lining with PU coating, but those are obvious after handling the bag for a few minutes and something any bag maker can do easily. The quality of the CPL24 resides in the careful choice of components and the lack of complexity.
Simple zippers that will last forever.
Take something as simple as the zipper system. The super body of the zipper is stainless steel plated which runs along beefy ykk 10 reversed coils to help with abrasion resistance and then DWR coated for water resistivity. The zipper pulls are simple and probably made up of leftover material from the bags thick 500d 6,6 nylon material which are tied in a tight knot and the tips fused together.
Similar looking to the CPL24 v1 but now with top quick access.
There is no aqua-guard lining that will start rip away after a year. There is no powdered coating on the zipper that scratches away and starts to show the contrasting color or painted plastic zipper super bodies that are susceptible to the same. No fancy zipper pulls that fall apart after a few years. The bag and everything down to the type of zipper is carefully designed to last. This thoughtfulness to design is found on almost every component of the bag; the outer shell materials, the handles, pockets, all the way to the foam inside the harness system.
While the use of simple yet quality materials may be good, the simplified manner in which each component is set up has its downsides. You won’t find felt lined pockets, water bottle pocket, or superfluous stuff like that. One would assume the lack of extras would pushes this bag into a niche minimalist bag market, but I think the bag does so much well that it finds a middle ground that satisfies most people looking for an EDC bag.
Design
The bags thoughtful design can be felt in other aspects of the bag like its aesthetic, harness, and carry system. The bag has a delightful square design that rides high and snug to the shoulders and back. Along with its shape, zipper locations, and black sleek look, I think the CPL24 is a very sexy bag. It doesn’t scream tactical, college freshmen, or business formal, but instead it’s just a good looking sleek bag which I feel can fit into almost any environment.
Very sleek looking bag.
The CPL24 harness system gets talked about a lot on the internet and for good reason. The bag has an excellent design where the shoulder straps pull away from the bag leaving a filet of material in between the back panel and the shoulder straps. This piece of fabric wraps around the shoulder while the coarse back panel grips onto your back and the thick padded shoulder straps contour around your shoulders and chest. I find the bag extremely comfortable but I know some have not.
Some have complained that the bottom of the bag will dig into their backs. Since I have not had an issue I can not speak to that. Evergoods does offer a return policy which can be used to try on the bag.
The shoulder straps may have thick foam insert but they are not extremely wide. I think they are wide enough to support even my heaviest loads but I can’t but wonder if a wider strap would have been even more comfortable.
Very contoured straps that are super comfortable. Not the widest but the foam has a good ratio to stiffness and give.
The back panel does not have any padding nor ventilation which makes my back quickly flare up and sweat on hot days. Compared to my other bags which were bought for their exceptionally good back ventilation, this bag is noticeably more sweaty. When doing a side by side comparison with my Boundrary Supply Prima System, the CPL24 had my back more sweatier and quicker compared to the Prima System where my back was only sweaty in patches much later into my walk to work.
Long handle around bag makes manipulating it in tight situations easy.
Riding around half the bags perimeter is a handle. One along the side that all the zipper face and the other on the top of the bag. This handle is a simple piece of aluminum (or it could be plastic I'm not sure) wrapped with the outer shell nylon material. I would complain that it is uncomfortable for carrying since its not padded with foam but I haven't held onto them long enough to care.
You see I only use these handles to manipulate the bag or for quick bursts of holding the bag. I might use the side handle to swing the bag across my chest to quickly access something or place the bag in the overhead compartment on a plane or train. Maybe I use the top handle to lift the bag off the ground or tilt the bag to get to the quick access pocket. The unpadded handles just don’t bother me as much as I would like them to.
The top handle and side handle are separated by a carabiner loop made from the same material.
At the ends of the two handles and in between the two are loops made out of the material that wraps the handles. They are the same width of the handles which keeps the aesthetic that one handle runs across the bag. These loops, stated by EVERGOODS, are attachment points for something like carabiners. While not super important, it still is a great way to add functionality while keeping the lovely ascetic the EVERGOODS bag has.
The simple organization on the front quick access was nice addition.
Pockets
The handles dont go completely around the bag, but whys should they? All the zippers (except the top quick access pocket which is new to the v2 bag) can be opened from the side which makes access to all of the bag easy when donned. Swing the bag around or place the bag on its side and you can access the whole bag quickly. I love how the bag focuses on ease of access to its contents with these long handles and large pockets.
When the front panel is unzipped it reveals the two internal pockets and the large main compartment.
The bag is filled with a descent number of pockets. Externally you have access to four compartments; the top quick access pocket, the front flat pocket, the laptop pocket, and the main compartment which contains 2 additional pockets. The two internal pockets are a large mesh pocket that can be accessed from the side and a top smaller pocket that is accessed from the top.
The pockets are simple.
The top quick access is great but why put the key leash here?
The bag has two quick access pockets. The top quick access pocket contains the key leash. The front quick access pocket has a smaller zippered pocket which I use to store some ibuprofen, a wallet pocket, and a couple of pen pockets.
The large main compartment has the two pockets mentioned previously and also a stretchy mesh pocket to hold a laptop, book, tablet, or whatever you want really. I love this stretchy pocket, I abuse it so much and after a day it always goes back to its original shape. There are molly like attachments at the top for connecting things like EVERGOODS pouch or maybe holding a pen. The main compartment opens up clam shell style making loading and unloading items easy. This makes the CPL24 good for traveling and loading in large packing cubes.
The laptop pocket is separated into two sleeves. One sleeve is padded, suspended, and has a strap to secure your laptop. The other sleeve is more like a document sleeve and is bare. I dont use this second sleeve much. I use it to store a large book or that one time when I put my diploma there.
Two slots in the laptop compartment. One is suspended and the other not.
The pockets on the CPL24 are a double edge sword. They are meant to have their own independent volume which means no matter how much you stuff a pocket it won’t interfere with the capacity of the adjacent pocket. But this also means this 24 liter bag has no 24 liter pocket but instead is divided into many smaller pockets. This gives the illusion that the bag holds less than what is advertised. People complain about the bag feeling smaller than 24, but this is only because they are attempting to use mainly the large compartment and ignoring the other 4 pockets, not including the laptop pocket that EVERGOODS states folds away when not in use, which divide the main compartment.
I love the simplicity of the bags pockets. It gives me enough organization to work with and then offers a large pocket that I can stuff with a packing cube. Its the best middle ground between a bag with one large pocket and a bag with a million little pockets like my old Ogio Gambit bag.
Travel
The bag is rated at 24 liters in size but this is spread between all the pockets. The main compartment is only about 18-ish. Once you understand this, fitting 24 liters of stuff is quite an easy task.
I use the bag as my EDC bag but also for weekend or summer trips where I won’t need much stuff. If I opt to bring my camera, then space is quickly filled. 24 liters may not be for everyone when it comes to travel, but for me, someone who travels quite minimally, it is a good size for short trips.
The backpack has a good amount of organization without being too overbearing for traveling. Front pocket is good for a book, wallet, pens, and simple first aid. Top quick access for things I use often like headphones and microfiber cloth. The top pocket on the inside of the bag for chargers and maybe a shaver depending on the length of my trip. The mesh pocket and the main compartment for everything else like clothes and camera.
I usually use the bag for beach trips too which was a problem for the v1. Sun lotion would stick to the CPL24 v1 and was hard to clean. Lotion sticks to the v2 more than any other nylon bag I have owned, but not to the extent of the v1. Same could be said for hair, dust, and dirt.
WHAT HAS IMPROVED
Top quick access is very useful when the bag is vertically orientated but the key leash is less accessable when in motion.
The CPL24 v2 did not reinvent itself but the small additions like the new organization in the front quick access pocket, the new top quick access pocket, and the suspended laptop pocket were all I longed for from the v1. These additions made the bag “complete” in my opinion. Before I recommended the bag but with a caveat that it might not be for everyone. Now I would say unless you really need a water bottle pocket, this is a great all-around EDC bag that will last a long time.
The bag keeps all the positives of the v1. I can only say one tradeoff was made and that is the bag is ever so slightly heavier and larger. The heaviness is not noticeable but the .5 inches in every dimension is when compared side to side to the original. I guess this bothers me more than it should because the bag always stays in an expanded state due to the rigid back panel and the metal stays in the handles making the bag quite big, or as big as my 27 liter bag almost completely full. Iv been trying to slim down my bags but this bag makes me feel like I went up maybe a liter from the original v1.
I actually do have an issue with a change made in the v2 and thats the relocation of the key leash. I liked it on the front quick access pocket because I could swing the bag around while walking up to my apartment, detach it, and open my door. Now I have to swing off my shoulders and grab it by the handles while I get the key leash off. I hope in v3 maybe they give you the option to move the key leash where you want with an ring or something.
Photo taken after going through the pack with a lint roller.
I had a problem with how the v1 held onto the hair of my new puppy. I explained in the v1 review that the hair would stick to the bag but during normal use it would eventually fall off throughout the day. Now my dog is bigger and probably sheds more hair than before, Im happy to say that the bag seems to hold onto less hair. I don’t find as much hair clinging to my bag even when I set it on the floor. Most likely you will see hair in the pictures, but like I said, it is not as bad as in the v1.
The coarse material traps dust and hair, but not to the level of the v1.
The bags shell is still made of the same coarse material as the v1 which has crevasses for something like sunscreen to sit in. This making it more difficult to clean that a smooth nylon bag. This is one of the drawbacks of this material but this just means I’ll need to either let it be or wipe down the bag after every summer.
HOW DOES THE BAG HOLD UP
The CPL24 v2, being made up of the same materials as the v1, I can say that the bag will hold up very well. I only used the v1 for a little over 2 years and the materials did not show any wear which beats out any bag I ever owned. I treat my bag with only regard for the contents inside. It is a tool and I do not baby it and the CPL24 should me it could take it.
The CPL24 v1 after 2 years looks the same maybe a little lighter in color as the black faded from being in the sun, but this is only apparent when put side to side with the recently purchased v2 bag. The only wear that could be seen is on the zipper super body as the plating started to change color, but its not noticeable at all. Just a slight discoloration and may even look better than before like a patina.
Even the underside of the bag, the part that always starts to fray on any bag I own, is in pristine condition. Like I said, I dont baby my gear, so the fact that the bag has held up so well is quite astonishing. Since I moved to the v2 I wont be able to see how long it would have lasted, but for me the v2 is perfect so I hope to use it for years to come.
The backpack curves around your shoulders for a more secure fit.
CONCLUSION
I love this bag. Its simple, elegant, and durable. It does everything I need it to do and my complaints are minimal. Just to repeat my small list of complaints; the material is coarse and can be uncomfortable when worn on bare skin, the lack of water bottle pocket which doesnt bother me since storing the bottle in the bag I find ascetically pleasing, and the relocation of the key leash. All these issues I can live with and dont really make me want a v3... unless v3 is that much cooler.
My recommendation is if you like the look and don’t mind the lack of water bottle pocket, then this a great minimal EDC bag. The CPL24 v2 gets a 10/10 in my book.
If you want to know anything specific about the bag or have any questions leave a comment below and I will get to it as soon as I can.
For more photos and another review of the CPL24 bag check out the v1 review here.
Note: Since the v1 bag had absolutely no wear on it after 2 years I wont be updating the long term wear section as often. Unless there is a major malfunction or obvious wear, ill keep the section mostly empty.
Long term use
6 months of use
Good as new except for some dirt and dust.
1 year of use
Like new. How? How can a bag stay so new while all my previous bags have shown some sort of aesthetic damage after a year? This bag is incredible. Just wish hair and dust didn’t stick so well to the bag.
I guess the handle has bent a little and now sticks up a bit, but that is it. This is a great bag and I still recommend it for anyone looking for a bag.
1 year and 6 months
Forgot to write this update. The good news is that the bag is like new.
I might be changing this bag soon only because im tired of cleaning the dog hair off the bag. I have a dog that sheds all of its fur probably every 3 hours and this bag collects all of it.
What im really surprised of is how even the bottom of the bag didn’t start to fray. This has been my daily bag almost exclusively since I bought it… After closer inspection there seems to be some fraying on the two back corners.
Also, I have noticed things that I maybe did not notice during the review like how there is protective foam everywhere in this bag. Under the elastic sleeve, above and at the end of the document sleeve, a small 1/8 in pad at the bottom of the bag, 1/4 in pad on the back panel, etc. They really went beyond just a few areas. No other bag I have has this much protection. My camera bags ONLY had the padding inside the camera cube.
By this time the zippers on my cpl24 v1 were discolored. On this v2 the zippers seem to have started but they are only noticeable when viewed up close. The discoloration is not ugly but more like a patina.
Thats it… There is nothing wrong with this bag. Im trying really hard to find faults, negatives, or any long term issues but there is none.
2 years
Took it on a long hike and started to notice that the one side of my shirt the bag was making contact with was starting to pill. The back is quite abrasive on shirts and skin.
On all other fronts the bag is doing great. Still like new except for the pilling at the bottle and slight discoloration on the metal zippers.
