Evergoods Panel Loader Classic 20 (PLC20) - refined, well-executed, simple easy-to-use EDC backpack 

Thank you for the kind words my friend! I'm glad that section is useful to you. TBH I usually compare against 4 or 5 different bags but have to cut at couple to keep the running time (semi) reasonable (not that 38 minutes might be considered reasonable haha)

@@TheMountainborn It didn't feel long at all. Consider doing 50 minutes like a lecture:)

Thank you so much Jason! And yes, I totally messed up when I said the bag was only available in black in the video although I did add a small text note in post at the bottom right hand side during that part of the video noting the navy colourway. I just didn't notice it until I was already back at the computer editing the video and couldn't bring myself to re-record that section 😂 > I am impressed with how much it can expand to accommodate gear especially the front dump pocket. +1 to this - not quite physics defying but surprisingly capable. Looks like you and I had very similar overall experiences with this bag! ☺️

I feel you! This is one of my favourite releases they've put out in recent memory - I was so crushed when the paint on one of them (I own two copies of this particular one) got banged/chipped up by my keys (I briefly mentioned this in my review of the Greenroom 136 Metromonger Max) 😢

Thank you so much for the kind words! And yes, loving the PLC20 quite a bit these days.... one of the downsides of this review game is that when you find a bag that you really like... at some point you need to switch out of it to a different bag so you can review that one. 😂 Le sighhhhh

@@TheMountainborn it’s a hard life, hahaha.

Thank you Matt! I hope to up my post frequency - real life has got me swamped these days :(

Aer is one of my favourite brands out there - diverse product lineup, product line updates bring thoughtful refinements, distinct aesthetic, great balance between organization and central capacity, very well suited for modern lifestyles. Great stuff all around :) What would you like to see from them next?

Thank you Athar!

Thanks! It is simple but super functional!

thank you my friend!! > It is very interesting how a brand took 1680D for its self I went back and forth several times about how strongly/clearly to refer to this aesthetic as "the Aer aesthetic" given the ubiquity of 1680D ballistic nylon as a common bag material... but at the same time once I looked at who was doing EDC black bags in this style predominantly in 1680D ballistic nylon, I really kept just arriving back at Aer as the natural choice. (they do do grey and occasionally X-Pac colourways but their overwhelming brand image in my mind is 1680D ballistic nylon). I figured carry fanatics watching these videos would probably share that same impression and get what I meant when I said "Aer aesthetic" but man, maybe that Aer marketing has really gotten into my head 😅 > The new mistakes session is awesome! 😂 ahahhaha glad you enjoyed that!

@@TheMountainborn I like to be taken by good products and branding 😃

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I agree that there are certain use cases where I would reach for the PLC20 over the CPL16 - I am a huge fan of the CPL24 (it’s probably one of my all-time favorite EDC daypacks) but when scaled down to the 16L size I found some of the trade offs of weight/size/capacity/usability that worked so well in the 24L size started to feel a bit sub optimal in certain use cases. Probably it’s better to think of the CPL16 as the CPL24 for people whose back length/frame size precludes them from comfortably rocking the 24L but still desire its entire feature set and design rather than as a smaller version of the CPL24 for those who could otherwise use the 24L. The PLC20 approaches the problem space from a different perspective from the start which is why I think it tends to be more usable in many cases and seems more refined in its trade offs, since those were solved from from start, rather than just being a shrunk-down version (CPL16) of a different design solution optimized for a larger size (CPL24). Just my thoughts however.

Thanks Emanuel! I actually have been using that off and on for a while (more so recently because I've started using my 16" MacBook more than my smaller air so the tech briefcase makes more sense) so I will try to do a review of it in the coming months!

Hands down, I absolutely prefer the solution dye 840d (though as much as I hate to admit, the ecopak materialway they recently released a while back is low key giving the 840d a run for its money) However, I think they did a great job with the 1680d on this one, it somehow doesn't feel/come across as "generic" as many other bags that use the material - you can set it down next to an Aer bag and next to some generic bag using the same material and the PLC still manages to look very distinctive)

😂 that day may yet come - I actually have several workshop aprons but even though this one is the cheapest, most generic of them, for whatever reason it's also my favourite hence why it stars in all my videos. (also it's the cleanest which probably helps for its on camera appearance)

Both excellent packs!! Anything in particular that you're wavering between with them?

@@TheMountainborn Mostly price lol.....I believe TBB has slightly better quality but is it worth the price?

@Mitchell Layton Are you on the carryology forums? I have one for sale

Thank you Ming-Chang! The CPL lineup (especially the 24) are one of my all-time favourite series of EDC backpacks so I definitely will do a review of them (including the 28L) at some point!

Awww thank you for the kind words and for the sub - really appreciate it! I do love this bag quite a bit - it's so simple but just amazingly well executed and I keep reaching for it multiple times a month even though I have so many other bags. A small camera cube could work with it, though I think top-access is more practical than side access with it. The challenge with side access is that the zips don't run all the way to the bottom (there's a bit of a "bathtub" at the bottom) so what will happen is your camera cube will sit on the floor of the bag but the bottom 1/3rd or so will be in this non-opening bottom bathtub of the bag so when you go to zip open from the side you likely won't be able to reach whatever is in the bottom 1/3rd of your cube - and this can also hinder getting out your camera quickly. The other thing is that if you put a lot of things in the front kangaroo external pocket it can make the front panel a little unwieldy for side-access to an internal camera cube (it is very much dependent on what you put in there), though it continues to work very very well for top access. Thus my recommendation would be to orient your camera cube upward (or get one that naturally opens from the top) then you can just crack the top of the bag and can fish out your camera from inside - it will work much faster and better that way in my opinion. Good luck!

@@TheMountainborn I was keeping my expectations low about getting a reply. But wow, I’m touched that you took the time to give me a detailed explanation on your thoughts. It’s very helpful and I appreciate that. I’m truly impressed by your effort to make in depth reviews from actual usage point of view. Keep up the good work!👍

Hi @PeterPetrovski ! I think it depends on how large the sneakers and gym clothes are to be honest, but my guess is that is starting to get pretty tight for this bag's capacity. (I just tried dropping some shoes in here and it takes up much of the space for my 29cm shoes) You might want to look at something like the CPL24/28 or the CTB26 if you want to carry those kind of load outs on a regular basis (the CTB26 whilst ostensibly a travel bag, has a fairly deep main compartment that lets it swallow up what you described with ease without seeming too massive - also I just released a review on that in case you want to see what that might look like) Another option might be something like the Aer Duffel Pack v3 which I reviewed a while back on my channel. Good luck!

Thank you so much G A!!

Have you checked out the Evergoods Civic Half Zip 22? It's not much larger than this one, has some of the same design cues (relatively simple design, slight "duck bill" like profile, relatively similar interior pocketing, etc.) but also has two exterior water bottle pockets.

Hi @jonathantan9943 - sorry for the super late reply. I think both of those are great bags that I think are addressing similar problem spaces - relatively compact EDC urban use bag. For me, it probably comes down to 1. What you are carrying 2. Your preference in organization 3. Your preference in form factor/details For #1 - whilst both bags are similar in overall capacity, I'd say the Bellroy Transit tends to do a little bit better with bigger bulkier items (again keeping in mind the relatively compact size of both of these bags) due to the way its structured and designed. While I wouldn't recommend either if you're carrying bulky items on a daily basis (you'd probably want a slightly larger bag in that case) if you do occasionally need to carry some then the work pack might be a slightly better choice. For #2 - the work pack has a higher degree of internal organization/pocketing than the relatively simple PLC20, so if you prefer to have multiple options to organize things like pens, keys, phones, wallets, headphones, tablet + pcs, water bottles etc. then the work pack might be the better choice. If you prefer things simple and all in a couple of main compartments, then the PLC20 might be the better choice. For #3 - the Work Pack opens up in a clamshell style and can lay flat for easier loading/unloading; conversely the PLC 20 is a panel loader whilst fairly similar in construction I find is a little bit more constricted towards the bottom than the workpack. However, the PLC is probably easier to zip open/close when reaching in quickly to grab something and the front dump kangaroo pocket is especially easy for on the go access whilst the Workpack's zippers tend to be a little more frictionful due to their water resistance. All in all, they are both excellent bags and I use both depending on my personal preferences on a given day :) I hope this helps!

Tomorrow Evergoods is updating the CHZ, so you might want to wait

@@josegoncalvesdias3242 I'm very excited about this!, but I read that it's only the fabric, whihc is a nice update!

@@erikzunder5539 It's out!

@@erikzunder5539 Did you end up buying the new CHZ?

@@TheMountainborn I actually end up buying the Arktype the same night I sent the message. As for the CHZ I'm gonna wait a tiny bit longer for the retailers to bring it to Japan so it's easier to get / return in case something happens. Evergoods has a "branch" or something going on here, but it seems it's not as well taken care as the main branch.

😂 I have to admit, I don't think I own any pink bags or EDC goods these days, although many years ago in another life when I used to regularly wear a suit and tie to work I had a rather nice pink tie that I would occasionally wear with a light grey suit and white shirt in the spring/early summer!

Thank you so much! And yes, I will review that someday!!

That would be great!! Would also help with the "duck bill" situation up at the top of the CHZs as well.

I KNOW!!!! Sadness.... 😢 FWIW, you can just stick it in the main compartment but that always felt like such a hack and everytime I see the tablet pocket just sitting there unused I rue the design thinking that lead to such a weirdly limited so-called tablet pocket.

YES!! The day will come when I shall do a review of the CPL 24 which is one of my top favorite EDC bags of all time :)

Hi Donkey Bro! For sure - both of those are in my review queue. The CPL24 is actually one of my all-time favourite EDC backpacks and I have so many different variations of it I can't decide if I want to do a full on review or start with an overall variation comparison. (I know a lot of people are curious about the Carryology version as well) Decisions decisions... The Stealth Cobra is also in the queue! The next few videos will probably be the Remote Equipment Alpha 31 v2, the 1733 Sidepack, a long-overdue Aer Travel Pack Small v2, and probably the EG CAS2... though. We'll see how the spirit moves me :)

@@TheMountainborn thanks mountain…based on your comment here and another video re the back panel, i just got myself a cpl24 v3! All the known weaknesses (at least to me) are still there, but it’s really great so far! I’ve just got it for two hours and I’m still on the street…will play around with it more when I’m home. Luckily my zippers seem fine

I keep my phone up in that quick access pocket, so I cut that key leash so the carabiner doesn’t scratch my screen.

I actually didn't find that to be the case with this particular bag (at least in my experience). I definitely had that issue with the v1s and some of the v2s of certain other Evergoods bags before they switched to the current 420d HT Nylon 6,6 with the DWR coat (or whatever it is they're using on their v3s and newer bags). But unlike the rest of their bags the PLC20 uses a 1680D ballistic nylon which I found gathered no more dust/dirt than any other 1680D ballistic nylon or cordura bag (for example, most Aer bags, etc.). Again, that's just my experience and I also don't have a dog or any other hair-shedding animal which I understand can sometimes be quite attracted to bags so your mileage may vary. :)

Hi @erwinmendoza7658 ! You can order this off of the evergoods website (evergoods.us) - you can also use third party retailers such as suburban.com.hk/ etc. Happy hunting!

😂 I wouldn't say I hate it persay but I think there are a myriad of different design solutions that would have worked a lot better in this spot and greatly enhanced the usability. When a bag only has a few organizational elements I think there's less room for experimentation in form factor (or at least - the consequences of experimental form factors that don't work out well are far more limiting than on larger bags). This solution worked okay-ish IMO in the CAP1 because that was meant to be fully filleted open and accessed flat on a table and also it has some built in dimensioning (expanding outward on each side) and a bunch of extra proximal pockets. Here, mounted on the inside flat non-dimensioned side of a lid pocket buried halfway down the height of the bag, I found these an odd choice to implement essentially without alteration.

It’s badly designed. There’s no reason why storing a mere 2 pens gets priority over a storing a vital tablet. Poor execution. One of the few times Evergoods has miscalculated.

@@TheMountainbornThis is perfect for my kids stuff and ipad mini. Perfect for her but im sure shes not what evergoods has in mind😂

Hi Veritas! I feel you! So on the one hand, I think there is still some room for better editing/tightening up in my videos. Ideally I'd like to keep them all at 30 minutes or less. On the other hand, I will never really make 20 minute videos for a few reasons: 1. I don't believe it is possible to do proper in-depth, detailed reviews of bags as well as compare to others, in 20 minutes. 2. I don't have the time or interest to spend painstakingly editing/writing out scripts, doing multiple takes etc. to get things down to the 15-20 minute range 3. I do this for fun and for myself and those who might find what I have to say interesting - I don't monetise my channel nor do I care about the algorithm etc. I believe there are plenty of channels out there already doing quick 15-20 minute reviews that tbh usually amount to little more than a regurgitation of marketing bullet points, things you can already see on the website or more frustratingly, often just get things wrong or have clearly never used a bag before / are uncovering things on camera for the first time. There is a place for that in this world and I also consume (and enjoy) that content, but that is a little different than what I want to do when I review bags - which is to go more in depth with them, and really share my perspective after heavy use. I definitely don't want to sound defensive - I readily admit that the current videos are much longer than I wish, but given constraint #2 and #3 above, it's just taking me some time to get them to where I'd like. At the same time, it is very unlikely I'll ever be interested in doing 20 minute type content either. That said, I am considering (ironically) maybe doing a few shorts to see if the essence of some simpler bags (like the CAS2 etc.) can be slammed out in < 60 seconds :P Stay tuned!

@@TheMountainborn Thank you for the detailed revert. Respect what you say & agree with your point of view. Will continue watching your reviews irrespective of the length. 👍🏻😄

I actually love the detail of your reviews mountain and wouldn't even mind if it was longer. Please don't sacrifice your thoughtful in depth reviews to make it shorter. If I wanted a quick review of bags there are at least half a dozen other reviewers out there I can list off right now. You are by far my favorite bag reviewer on RU-vid as nobody matches the depth, thoroughness and thoughtfulness of your opinions. Just my opinion.