Recently, while leaving the office with more gear than I could carry, I asked a friend to lend a hand and take my backpack. “What is this backpack?” he asked, seconds after throwing it over his shoulders. “I’m keeping it.” It was Evergoods’s Civic Panel Loader, and his instant enthusiasm was a response to its contoured back panel and straps, which together make it one of the most comfortable everyday packs I’ve worn. (No, I did not let him keep it.)
The brand’s newest backpack, the Civic Half Zip 22L, can be thought of as the successor to the Panel Loader. It has that same curved back panel and wavy straps my friend fell in love with, as well as many of the features that he didn’t get to know, like smart internal organization and discreet water bladder compatibility that makes the bag work for hiking, too.
The Half Zip might feel more familiar than the Panel Loader though. It recalls the single-compartment backpack that we’ve all worn at some point in our lives. Inside, it has a laptop sleeve, a pocket for small items and loops for pens or anything else with a clip. On the outside, there’s another smaller pocket and two sleeves for water bottles.
The Half Zip’s simplicity belies its finer points. Its shape, the location of its pockets, its mountaineering-grade fabrics can only be appreciated through use. This is at once a backpack you know, that you’ve carried since grade school, and also something entirely new with the potential to improve how you lug stuff from point to point.
The Civic Half Zip 22L is available now with discounted preorder pricing and is expected to ship in November.
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