EVERGOODS Civic Panel Loader 16L (CPL16) Review

The EVERGOODS Civic Panel Loader 16L includes many features that made us fall in love with EVERGOODS packs with larger capacities. However, just because it has the same features doesn’t mean that it’ll work as well in a smaller pocket. Let’s dive in and find out how well this pack works as an everyday carry and for travel!

External Components

The primary material on the pack is 840D Ballistic Nylon 6. It’s complete with a C0 DWR finish, which adds to the material’s water resistance, so you don’t have to worry about wearing the pack in most weather conditions. We’re used to seeing high-quality materials from EVERGOODS, so this is par for the course. As usual, it only comes in Black. The exterior is sleek, durable, and looks professional.

The EVERGOODS logo is a hook-and-loop fastener, so you can add a patch to it if desired. If not, it blends in nicely.

In typical EVERGOODS fashion, the zippers are from YKK. They’re big and beefy, which adds durability but increases the pack’s weight. Still, we’re happy with their inclusion because YKK makes some of the best zippers in the business, and this pack feels like it’ll last years. If our prior experience with EVERGOODS holds, it likely will.

The plastic hardware is from Duraflex, another top-tier brand. It’s rugged enough to handle the bumps and knocks of travel and easy to use, so you’ll hear no complaints from us. When handing the pack around Pack Hacker HQ to ensure it’s comfortable on multiple body types, changing the fit was quick and easy. The sternum strap was slower to adjust than the rest of the adjusters, but we’ll get to that later.

Attachment loops connect the top and side handles. There’s no padding or aeration here, but thanks to the thickness of the materials, using the handles is comfortable enough. They don’t get in the way when you aren’t using them, which is handy when you aren’t working with a ton of space in the trunk or when sliding the pack in and out of the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. The attachment loops are a unique feature, but we haven’t used them all that often. Again, they don’t get in the way and are handy in a pinch. You can attach a travel water bottle, as there isn’t a dedicated pocket for one, or keep a carabiner or Hero Clip here.

Overall, we’re digging the exterior of this pack. It looks nearly identical (just smaller) to other bags in the Civic Panel Loader lineup, like the 28L and 24L. However, just because it seems the same doesn’t mean it’ll be as comfortable or easy to organize your gear. Let’s dive into that!

Fit Notes

The back panel is well padded and effective though not super thick. It also promotes airflow for your back, which we appreciate on hot, sunny days. Your back will still sweat, but it’s much better than it would be if the airflow features weren’t there, and it handles better than other packs we’ve tested that don’t have these features. Overall, the back panel is comfortable, even on long trips that require wearing the pack all day.

The shoulder straps are well-padded and have the same aeration features as the back panel. They’re a tad more dense than the back, which we dig, especially when you pack up a heavy load inside the bag. Some travelers may feel the harness system is doing too much for such a small pack. However, we like to be prepared for long days wearing the pack and feel it’s a worthy addition.

As mentioned earlier, the sternum strap isn’t the easiest to adjust. That’s because it’s segmented, not on a rail, so you can’t quickly slide it from one place to another. That might seem bad; however, we don’t think so. We only encountered an issue because we had multiple people try on the pack in quick succession to test comfort between body types. If you’re the only one who typically wears this pack, we prefer the segmentation as it stops the sternum strap from getting too far out of place from where we like it to be. A rail is excellent for micro-adjustments; however, it’s much easier to slide away from your preferred spot. Like in the story of Goldilocks, once you get it just right, you’ll never want it anywhere else.

Inside The Pack

The internal liner for this pack is 420D high-tenacity nylon with a polyurethane coating. That’s a lot of words, so let’s simplify things. Essentially, this is a highly durable liner compared to what you’ll see in some other popular travel daypacks. We’re not saying that your liner needs to be more durable; however, if you’re rough on your gear, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The PU, or polyurethane, coating will add a layer of water resistance for the gear inside your pack.

There are four compartments to go over, which is a lot for such a small pack. Let’s dive in!

On the front of the bag, there’s a side access compartment. You can gain entry to this one while wearing the pack, which is handy for grabbing everyday essentials while on the go. Inside, there’s a small pocket for pens, pencils, or a stylus, a medium-sized pocket for your phone or wallet, and a zippered pocket. The latter is a nice inclusion, as it gives you a space to lock down small gear that might tumble out of the pack when you open it if you weren’t careful. Additionally, it’s a solid place to lock down essential items, like your wallet.

In addition to the internal organization, we’ve got extra space for stowing gear, too. We could fit larger, over-the-ear headphones here, a book, or similarly sized gear.

On the top of the pack, there’s a yoke pocket. These are extremely common on EVERGOODS bags, and we’re big fans of the idea. Essentially, it’s a small-to-medium-sized pocket on the top of the bag that’s perfect for your phone, wallet, headphones, sunglasses, battery bank, or a combination of gear that works best for you. Most travelers (or at least Pack Hacker team members and YouTube commenters) dig EVERGOODS’ yoke pockets. That said, some users feel that it isn’t as useful for how they travel, and they’d prefer the space to be utilized elsewhere in the pack.

The laptop compartment is accessible via the side of the pack, which is ideal because it makes it so that you don’t have to go into the main compartment whenever you want your computer. However, we still have nightmares about accidentally leaving the pocket open and the laptop tumbling onto the ground. Thankfully, EVERGOODS has included a hook-and-loop strap to prevent this from happening, so we can go back to dreaming about cupcakes and candy canes.

There’s room for a laptop here, but you can stow other flat items alongside your computer, too, as there’s a divider for the laptop. Additionally, you can access the HDPE frame sheet included in the pack from this compartment, but you can remove it if you prefer to save a minuscule amount of weight or like a less structured feel on the back panel.

The main compartment opens with a clamshell opening, which gives you in-depth access to organizing and locating your gear. On the lid, there are two pockets. The upper one is liner material, and the lower one is mesh so that you can see inside it. These are a solid place to stow smaller gear that you want to keep out of the hubbub of the main compartment.

On the back side of the main compartment, there’s a mesh pocket that does well with flat gear, like a tablet or a book. You can fit larger items inside here, but having an oblong-shaped item on the bottom of your pack isn’t the best way to start the game of Tetris for your daily carry.

There isn’t much space here; however, it’s a 16-liter pack, so we didn’t expect there to be. It’s roughly the size of a regular daypack or a small travel backpack. Because of the large footprint, the pack doesn’t have much depth, so stowing taller gear is challenging. However, again, it’s only a 16-liter pack. As there isn’t much organization, we recommend using a versatile tech pouch and some minimalist packing cubes.

On one side of the pack, there’s an aluminum structural support to assist the pack in retaining its shape. This is handy, but it adds weight and reduces the packability of this bag, so you can remove it if you want to.

Overall, we’re quite happy with how the EVERGOODS Civic Panel Loader 16L performs as a daypack for everyday adventures and minimalistic packing wizards on a weekend to week-long trip. Most of the things we love about larger EVERGOODS bags made it into this pack, so if you need something smaller, this might be the one for you.