Review: Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L Backpack

I've had a mild obsession with bags since grade school. I really wanted a Jansport backpack. What I got was a generic copy on sale at the local sporting good store—almost a Jansport, but not quite. It wasn't the label, I didn't care who made the bag. It was build quality. The zipper snagged on the generic version. The rear pocket wasn't as big.

I've obsessed over quality bags and backpacks ever since, and it's been worth it. A good day bag or backpack is an investment. My Lowe Alpine backpack lasted over 20 years. My Belstaff shoulder bag was in its second decade when I sold it for more money than I originally paid.

This rarefied category of expensive bags worth owning is currently, in my book, held by GoRuck, Mystery Ranch, Mountainsmith, and the latest entrant: Evergoods. The Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L backpack has been my only bag through a series of trips this spring.

GoRuck Heritage

Suppose you love the solid manufacturing, heavy-duty construction, and waist-belt-free design of a GoRuck GR1 (7/10, WIRED Review), but you're less sold on the “tactical” styling and molle webbing? This is where Evergoods comes from. Cofounded by the former head of product at GoRuck and a former Patagonia R&D designer, Evergoods is exactly what those two pedigrees imply: military-inspired, heavy-duty construction and durability, paired with a more outdoorsy-meets-commuter design aesthetic. Throw in the fact that it uses an eco-friendly, solution-dyeing process for its black fabric, and you have a bag worthy of consideration.

Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L has a very clean, minimalist design on the outside. This belies the considerable amount of organizational options available, some of which are so well hidden that I didn't discover them until I went to write this review (never noticed the pen loops in the front panel pocket). I rather like this, I am not fond of bags with dozens of zippers jangling and endless pockets festooned all over them.

As the name implies, this is a 24-liter bag. It weighs in at 3.1 pounds (1.4 kilograms), which is on the heavy side for a bag of this size (18 x 7 x 11.5 inches). That weight comes from Evergood's custom heavy-duty 840d ballistic nylon, which is water repellent (though it's worth noting, not fully waterproof), and the aluminum stays. All of which is technical bag-speak for: it's well made, but on the heavy side. The only catch is, you'll probably want to carry some kind of rain cover if you live in the Pacific Northwest or another wet region.

One of the more interesting aspects of the CPL24 is that it's built to function as both a backpack (what I would call upright) and sideways, or as I think of it, briefcase mode. There are handles on the top and the side, so you can carry it whichever way you like. The side handle was great going through airports. What's remarkable about the design is that it really does work well no matter which way you carry it.

Organizational Genius

My favorite part of the Civic Panel Loader 24—hereafter referred to as the CPL24—is the massive main compartment that fully unzips on three sides (with zipper counter-pull tabs at each end). The design allows you to load and unload the CPL24 like it's a suitcase. The interior is lined with a light gray, 420d HT nylon, which makes it easier to see the contents.

The back side of the main compartment flap has two pockets, a smaller one at the top with a horizontal zipper, and then a larger mesh pouch with a vertical zipper. When opening the bag from the top, you get quick access to the small inside top pocket. When opening it from the side (in briefcase mode) you get access to the vertical zipper (now horizontal because briefcase mode) of the internal mesh pocket without opening the entire bag.

The main interior compartment is cavernous. There's a stretch fabric pocket against the frame for separating out flat objects, papers, and perhaps even a tablet. I didn't use this, but I did appreciate the attention to detail in the fact that there are gaps at the base to let any debris come out. If you have kids, and they get anywhere near your bag, you will have “debris.”

The rest of the main compartment is a large open space you can organize however you like. Evergoods sent me a 2L Civic Access Pouch, one of the company's interior organizational bags for packs like the CPL24. The Access Pouch happened to fit my camera gear so perfectly I went out and bought one for myself. The 2L pouch fits nicely in the bottom of the CPL24, or you can stack two of them side by side vertically, and even fit a third along the top. Evergoods also makes a smaller, 1L Civic Access Pouch that I turned into a sketching kit, with a notebook, pencil, small watercolor tin, and brushes.

You can use any smaller bags you like to organize the interior of the CPL24, but I must say, Evergoods' Civic Access pouches are the best small organizer bags I've tried. They're well worth a look even if you don't like the CPL24.

There are a few other pockets tucked away on the outside of the CPL24. My favorite is the small top pocket behind the shoulder straps. Evergoods calls this the yoke pocket. It's great for small stuff you want accessible, wallet, glasses, keys on the key leash, etc.

There's a vertical zipper running down the side of the pack, near the front, that gives access to the dedicated laptop compartment, which is huge. It had no trouble swallowing a 16-inch Lenovo 9i. A pocket in the laptop compartment acts as a divider, allowing you to bring along a file folder or even a second laptop if you need it. The best part about the laptop compartment is that it's completely suspended within the bag; no matter how you set it down, your laptop or tablet will never touch the floor, making it well protected.

The front face of the bag has a fold running down it that hides a zippered admin pocket, which contains a few smaller pockets (and the pen loops I missed) for organizing things. I found this the least useful of the CPL24 because when the pack is fully packed in the main compartment, it compresses this pocket, making it tough to access. My solution was to use this pocket to hold the 1L Civic Access Pouch, which I could pull free and search, without the compression from the main compartment making it hard to dig through.

Suspension and Carry

The CPL24 uses a curved yoke design to contour to your shoulders. This is part of why that top outside stash pocket is so roomy, the shoulder straps are curving out from the back padding. This gives you a pretty good fit, without tons of straps and buckles to adjust. The CPL24 is designed to ride high and is most comfortable when carried this way.

The shoulder straps are nicely padded and comfortable even with a heavy load. The chest strap keeps the shoulder straps well-fitted, and overall I found the CPL24 to be comfortable to wear.

It's also very easy to carry in briefcase mode, thanks to the generously sized handle on the side. The problem with briefcase mode is that the straps kind of just dangle and tend to get hung up on things. It's not that bad. I made it through two trips and three airports without incident, but it would have been nice to have some way to either strap them out of the way, or tuck them somewhere. Clever users on Reddit have come up with a variety of solutions.

In addition to the side and top handles mentioned above, there are two small loops at each end of the side handle that you can use to clip things on, either with a carabiner or a strap. I didn't feel the need for this, but it's there if you need it.

There's two things you won't find on this pack. The first is any webbing on the shoulder straps for attaching things. I do sometimes put a glasses holder on my straps and was a little disappointed not to be able to do that here, but it's not enough to be a deal breaker for what's otherwise an excellent bag. What might be a deal breaker for some people is the lack of water bottle pocket. You can clip a bottle on in several places using a carabiner, but it would be nice if there were some dedicated sleeve-style pocket.

And that's what this is, a simple but truly great bag that has stood up to considerable use. The Evergoods CPL24 isn't cheap, but it's well worth the investment.

Update 12:45 pm ET, June 24, 2024: A previous version of this story described the Evergoods CPL24 as made in the US. It is not; it is made in Vietnam. We regret the error.