EVERGOODS CPL24 V2: Review

EVERGOODS has come a long way since their Kickstarter launch in 2017. The CPL and MPL line of bags have become somewhat iconic in relatively short order thanks to the minds behind the brand, Jack Barley and Kevin Dee. Out the gate, EVERGOODS promised that they wouldn’t leave backers high and dry by releasing frequent updates every year, and I believe they’ve held true to that promise. Now, 3 years later, we have the new and improved CPL24 V2, along with an additional 28L version.

Everything you loved about the CPL24 is back with improvements all around. That said, the V2 isn’t that different from the V1, so if you didn’t like the V1 at all, there isn’t much to see here. However, if you were a fan, or even if you were kind of on the fence about some things, then the V2 is absolutely worth checking out. In my opinion, it’s even worth the upgrade if you already own a V1.

Tech Specs

	Imperial	Metric
Height	18.25″	46.4cm
Width	12″	30.5cm
Depth	7.25″	18.4cm
Weight	2.9lbs	1315g
Capacity	1464 cu. in.	24L

Primary Materials

500D Nylon, 420D Nylon, YKK Zippers

Quality and Comfort

If you’re familiar with EVERGOODS, you’re going to be familiar with the fit and finish. The harness is one of my favorite out there for daily carry. The way the straps attach to the backpanel let’s the upper part curve and hug your body, preventing the flat frame sheet from bending, and protecting your laptop from any undue stress. It works, and it works well.

This is especially true when your bag is loaded up. On typical flat-back bags, you’ll get pressure points along your back, and you’ll often feel like your laptop may snap in half. This isn’t the case here, and the CPL24 carries just as well empty as it does fully loaded.

One thing to note, and while I have not personally experienced this, is that some people have noticed the bottom edge of the backpanel sticking into their lower back. My suggestion to alleviate this is to make sure the bag is carried high and tight.

The straps themselves are nicely curved to hug your body, and padded with a dense EVA foam. The slits on the upper section of the straps are hydration ports that open up to the main compartment. I never use a hydration pack, but it’s a nice feature to have, and truly makes this a better crossover bag.

This is also where we see our first update from the V1 – the sternum strap. The original sternum strap was held in place by tri-glides stitched to the ends. This led to a pretty sloppy experience since the sternum strap could just slide in and out of the daisy chain. I had multiple instances where the sternum strap popped out while I was wearing it, which just lead to me picking up an aftermarket replacement. EVERGOODS fixed this here by using actual clips which are quite a bit more common, and for good reason.

The fabric and hardware are otherwise similar to what you’ll find on the V1. The body is a 500D nylon with a DWR coating, and yes it still picks up dust and lint. And, yes, this is only temporary. The CPL24, for some reason, has become the poster child for bags that pick up dust and dog hair. And while it does, this is no different from any other coated 6,6 nylon bag. Most of this is simply due to the fresh face coating and will remedy itself after some use. I have two dogs and I can drag my V1 across my carpet without it picking up much of anything.

If you’re worried about this, do what I do, and keep a small lint roller in your EDC kit. I like the one from Flint.

The interior fabric is also unchanged, using a grey 420D nylon. Zippers are all YKK RC #10 for the exterior and #8 for the interior. In my opinion #10s are almost always a requirement for exterior zippers on bags. One thing that I wish had been upgraded was the zipper pulls. They’re easy to change yourself, but the smooth grosgrain ribbon isn’t a great experience. I swapped these out for aftermarket pulls on my V1, and I’ll do it again here post-review.

The final, unchanged, standout feature of the CPL series are the dual carry handles. The carry handle wraps around a full 50% of the bag, taking up one entire side and the entire top side. These are also reinforced with 7075 aluminum stays, so they’re firm and easy to grab. The carry handles are great for getting in and out of transit, and they’re flush enough where they never get caught on anything. You’ll hardly notice they’re there until you need them.

Organization

The V2 has received a massive boost in overall organization. Everything from completely new pockets and new internal areas to an overhauled laptop compartment.

The front vertical compartment now has several new internal sleeves; two small slip pockets, and a zippered mesh compartment. This area loses the key leash it once had, and that’s been moved up to a new quick access pocket on the top of the bag. If you preferred less organization in this panel, you can just choose not to use it, as it doesn’t take up much space from the original pattern.

EVERGOODS is also standing their ground on the orientation of the bag. Many complained that the bag was set up for left handed users, while most other bags are set up for the larger majority of right handed users. I had this complaint initially as well, but after some use you hardly notice it, and you more than get used to it, whichever hand you use.

The inside of the front panel remains unchanged. The materials and pattern are the same as the last release of the V1, which did have a few changes from the original Kickstarter version; a different mesh, and a slightly different zipper opening for the top pocket. Previously, I used these pockets for quick-access, but that meant I had to open the main compartment to get to them. With the addition of the top stash pocket, I can use these for more general storage now.

• 

• 

The inside rear of the main compartment now has two 3/4″ daisy chains running vertically from the top. This was something that was painfully missing from the V1. The ability to hang a pouch or organizer at the top of your bag is something I, personally, always look for. The V2 delivers on this.

The spacing seems to be standard PALS spacing, so any pouch you have on hand should work, given that you can attach them horizontally, with g-hooks or slik clips. It might have been better to actually use standard PALS here, upgrading to 1″ webbing instead of the 3/4″ which is somewhat awkward. It’s worth noting that EVERGOODS often shows these being used as pen holders. In practice, I haven’t found it very useful for that, and much prefer a pouch mounted here. Your mileage may vary.

These loops were also something that I thought EVERGOODS was going to take more advantage of with the recent CAP2; more on that later.

Underneath the daisy chains, on the back wall, is a four way stretch sleeve. While it’s not protected per se, I have always found this a great place to keep a second laptop, or a tablet. The fold-over design of this sleeve means it’s completely seamless. I really like it.

Back on the top of the bag is one of the new standout features; the stash pocket. It’s one thing I had always wished the V1 had. This pocket sits directly above the laptop compartment and has just enough room for your 2020 essentials like hand sanitizer, an extra mask, keys, and sunglasses. Though, it’s not lined with fleece, so you might want to keep those glasses in a case or pouch, which is fine. This is also where EVERGOODS moved the key leash that used to live in the front vertical pocket. I kind of wish that there was one in both places still. The new key leash is a high-viz red, with a nice clip that’s been upgraded over the first iteration of the V1.

The side entry laptop sleeve is also new and improved. One of the complaints about the V1 was that the laptop sleeve was not raised, only lightly padded at the bottom. An unraised laptop compartment is a no-go for many of us. I even recommended keeping your laptop in a sleeve in this compartment back in our original V1 review.

This is no longer the case. EVERGOODS heard the feedback, like in many other aspects of the V2, and added an internal, raised sleeve. This keeps your laptop up and off of the bottom, and it also secures it against any sliding around. When I first opened this compartment, I was slightly horrified that it was secured with hook and loop. I hate hook and loop. Thankfully, the big brains at EVERGOODS knew that I’d hate this, and added an extra strip of loop fabric inside the sleeve so that you can secure the strap out of the way, and just choose not to use it. A+ move.

My only issue with this compartment is with the zipper pull setup. When the laptop sleeve and the stash pocket are both closed, the zipper pulls sit together and are difficult to distinguish from one another. It’s slightly annoying, and something you can fix with new zipper pulls. I plan on using two different length and color pulls here.

The laptop sleeve holds up to a 16″ MBP comfortably. You might even be able to fit a few other small, slim things in here outside of the sleeve itself, like travel documents and such.

Civic Access Pouch 2

We rarely talk about pouches here, but we think the new CAP2 goes hand in hand with the CPL24 V2 release. This pouch is made of a lighter weight fabric (420D and 210D nylon), but feels generally the same, with the same matching colors and general quality we’ve come to expect from EVERGOODS.

The pouch itself is structured and lightly padded. This gives you some breathing room inside with a good mix of organization and usable space. The very front of the CAP2 has two open top slip pockets. These are very slim, so you’ll probably be limited to smaller items like a wallet, receipts, or similar. If these were a four way stretch material like the CPL24s document sleeve, I think that would have been a bit better.

• 

• 

Along the top of the bag is a strip of webbing that can be used as a carry handle. It’s a little too far into the middle of the pouch to be used as a mounting point inside of a bag. In my opinion, this is a big misstep. As the CAP2 was being teased, I had just always assumed that it would be mountable inside of the CPL24 and other bags in the lineup with the internal daisy chains; similar to how GORUCK Field Pockets function. It just made sense to me. However, this isn’t the case. The CAP2 will have to sit at the bottom of your bag, or stacked on top of other items. An additional strip of webbing along the backside could have allowed this, along with maybe a few other smaller tweaks. Maybe EVERGOODS will release something else for here. Time will tell.

Along the back of the top side is a small zippered compartment, with decent volume of it’s own. This is a nice area for quick access items like a phone charger, especially if you’re using this pouch standalone, which is definitely an option. This compartment can also be accessed from the inside, which is great when you’re using the CAP2 as a pseudo desk organizer. As you can see, there’s also a red key leash to match that on the CPL24 V2.

• 

• 

Once you open it up, the CAP2 turns into a desk organizer of sorts, like mentioned above. I love this thoughtful design. When we can once again work at our favorite coffee shops, or even in an office, I think this will be really useful. You may even want to use it as a travel valet.

The walls of the inside are fully adorned with little slip pockets. Two on the back wall, and three shorter ones on the front wall. All of these pockets have a gusset, so they hold more than you’d think, and expand a bit into the main compartment.

The center holds a slim zippered compartment, similar to what you’d see on a clutch. This section is only attached at the sides, which allows it to be moved from the front to the rear, as you can kind of see below. There’s also a small business-card-sized sleeve in here.

• 

• 

All in all, I really like the CAP2. It’s the perfect blend of organization and usable space. You can use the pockets, or just pack around them; it’s completely up to you.

What’s Perfect

• Everything you liked about the V1 is back and better than before
• Front vertical pocket has some much needed organization
• Laptop compartment takes all of the V1’s complaints and solves them
• Stash pocket is a very welcome addition
• Pen slots / daisy chains inside the main compartment lets you mount a pouch above the clutter of your bag
• Top notch construction and material choices, though unexciting
• Harness is one of the most comfortable around for daily carry

What’s Not

• If you didn’t like the V1 at all, the V2 probably won’t change your mind
• Flat zipper pulls feel like an afterthought
• Laptop and stash pocket zipper pulls get in the way of one another
• Internal daisy chains could be set up better for a wider range of accessories

Wrap Up

The CPL24 V1 has easily been my most used bag since its release in 2017. From the office and coffee shops to both leisure and business travel. I’ve hiked with it, thrown it under airplane seats, and hooked it on coat hangers under the bar. My V1 has been everywhere with me.

The V2 is an improvement in every single way. Did they improve everything about the V1? No, absolutely not. The V2 also introduces it’s own, new set of quirks. However, none of that overshadows the improvements, and I can wholeheartedly say that the V2 is more than a worthy upgrade from theV1.

It’s not the most exciting or the most unique bag in the world, and I think EVERGOODS and their customers know this. What makes it great is just how good it is at so many things. If I could only ever own one bag, this is absolutely it. Maybe that’s true for you, maybe it isn’t, but that’s up for you to decide.

The CPL24 V2 is available directly from EVERGOODS in black and limited edition Signal Blue starting at $209 for earlybirds. There’s also a brand new 28L version available, the CPL28.

Disclaimer: the CPL24 V2 was provided by EVERGOODS for use in this review. The content of the review was not discussed with EVERGOODS prior to publication. Our reviews are impartial and never altered to keep a brand happy.