I’m an EG fan girl but I’m not feeling the love for this bag, which is a shame because it's actually a perfect fit my 17” torso, 5’6” height. Like all EG bags, so well made and thought out. Still, I felt like it’s a bag that couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. It veers far from the EG aesthetic which I love - in fabric, shape, and organization. I found it too generic with its air of AER, and lacking the more lived in quality of the other exterior fabric - which is one of the things that made a black bag feel fresh. Removing their top harness system in favor of a more simple one didn’t suit my shoulders, which are narrow and didn’t allow the bag to get close enough to my back. To get it to sit properly, the bag would have to be filled to the brim or the front straps came down all the way to the bottom of the bag. I do love the new back panel which softened the sharp edges of the CPL24 and CHZ. Their interiors are always classy. I do prefer a separate laptop compartment because I always carry a water bottle and I would have loved to see two zippered pockets in the front pocket which would allow for a bit more organization while maintaining the volume. For some reason, the line across the bottom of the front irks me. My eye goes right to it. I guess I would have preferred to see a V2 of the CHZ22, which I think needs some love but has some features that I like (water bottle pockets for one). But I am thrilled so many people find the PLC lovable….having to do with nothing, I was glad to see you were on the team for the Bellroy/Carryology collab. I hope that means we might see a bag that fits us folks on the shorter spectrum. And you have such good taste - another plus.
A very well written summary and evaluation of the bag. I think you made some very valid points. I prefer their old anesthetics (eg fabric) as well. And the shoulder strap will need to prove themselves in longer testing. I kinda wish they take some of these features and translate them to a civic access panel v3 in a 20l formfactor. That would be my favorite
@@Youknowthebo I’d like that too. I adore the organization inside the front pocket of the CPL24V2 but its back panel hits me in the wrong spot. I wish it had the new back and CBL35 harness system. Being that the CPL got an update, I think the CHZ is deserving of one. I do wish the CTB was 30L rather than 35. But that’s all about me (because I have a short torso and am your height). I also hope the new exterior of the PLC is one they will reconsider for their next bag, but again lots of folks seemed to like the switch. I would like to see them find a fabric that stays true to their brand.
@@ramiabousabe that is very interesting! You could be very right. (I was hopeful the yoke would go through another iteration and I really hoped the lack of it was what I could blame the fit issues on)…None of the EG bags fit me properly unless they are filled to capacity (it took me months to figure that out!) which means I rarely use them for EDC - even the PLC needs to be bulging for me to get a good fit and have it look good on my back (ok, I’m vain). It’s also the only bag that is actually the proper size for my torso, so you’d think I’d fare better fit-wise. I could very well be blaming the fit problem on the wrong thing. Initially, I thought my shoulders were too narrow so the straps didn’t wrap properly. Who the heck knows. I am glad you brought it up. I’m also glad you like the bag. Clearly, a lot of people do. There’s some nice features (the new back is a vast improvement), and some I would have liked to see (e.g. I am spoiled by the front organization pocket of the CPL24V2; I prefer a separate laptop compartment). Despite what others felt about the former fabric, it appealed to me, dirt and all. I like the lived in feel, the matte fabric. I also found it more aesthetically pleasing, unusual. I wish they could have found a way to eliminate the line at the bottom of the front pocket on the PLC. For some reason, that line makes me nuts. It’s disruptive to the clean lines. Picky girl I am. Thanks for the food for thought on fit.
@@ramiabousabe @See Change NYC No I agree it's not as comfortable as the traditional harnest they make. I'm not sure where u are seeing the opposing experience but many have addressed it's NOT as comfortable on Reddit, RU-vid and Carryology FB group. I felt the same way and so did my husbang. It seems to me to tight and slips off. Something about it...
I purchased the PLC20 in Navy and its been my EDC bag for the last 2wks. The front horizontal seam is an eye sore for me. However i like the large front dump pocket, as i keep my Arcteryx rain shell in that pocket. It’s a bit of a pain to pull my tablet or laptop out when i do have some stuff in the main compartment. The material is a bit different, but i think its ok as an edc. The navy looks really nice. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with it. I love my CPL24, but that was a bit large for what i carry daily. The 20L is just right for to and from work.
Great review. I wasn't into the PLC20 immediately. Took seeing a few reviews to convince me to try it, and I'm glad I did. It's a great every day carry. I've used it for lite loads, as well as my work EDC with a heavy laptop and it does it all perfectly.
Hey BI, thanks for your initial thoughts. I love your channel and always look forward to watching your vids. I also picked up this bag as I am a huge fan of EG products. Overall I like it, but there are a couple things that just slightly miss the mark for me. First the good. I like the size. I am also short at 5'6" and to have an edc bag that is size appropriate is nice. I love the front dump pocket. It is perfect for good sized edc pouches. I put my loaded Peak Designs field pouch in and it just swallowed that thing with plenty more room. I added two 16oz bottles of water. I like the internal laptop sleeve because I don't edc a personal laptop on the daily. To me the internal design doesn't waste space when not used. The internal org is just enough for me. And I like the back panel better than my CHZ and CPLs. I didn't get as sweaty with this one. Mostly clamshell, I like that. Lastly, it feels like it carries more than 20l. Just feels roomier than it looks. The bad... I don't like the new fabric as much. I like the tighter weave on the other bags better. Feels more organic than the new fabric, if that makes sense. The straps don't feel right for me. The straps on my CHZ feel like they are locked in, even if I don't use the sternum strap. I need to use the strap on this one or it feels like the straps are sliding off my shoulders. I think they could've added just a hair more volume in the easy access pocket. It is a little too shallow for my liking. I prefer exterior water bottle pockets. Especially since theirs are some of the best designed pockets out there. I crave that here and on my CPL. I think the perfect bag for me might be a modified CHZ26, updated with the PLC front dump pocket, internal mesh organizer and back panel. That would be so good!!!
Thanks for sharing your experience with the bag. You're not the first to mention the straps. I will definitely take a closer look at them in the testing phase
Here in the US when traveling, you MUST take your phone, keys, laptops, tablets (anything with a screen) out and put it face up in its own plastic bin at the airport. You can't keep them in your bag or pockets. There was a trend years ago to have bags that opened "flat" like a clamshell with a laptop pocket for travel, but not a single US airport allows you to keep your laptop in a sleeve, bag or compartment when going through the security checkpoint. EVERYTHING has to be taken out and put in its own bin, side by side. You can't even lay your tablet on top of your laptop in the same bin. This makes it REALLY easy to steal phones, tablets on the other side if you don't meet your bags in time, or the security agent wants to do a manual pat-down, while the open bins of your expensive, personal property are sailing away on the conveyor beyond your reach or sight. Ziplock bags and specifically those that attach to other items, are key to making sure nobody grabs your stuff and walks away.
In Germany you need to take out the laptop as well. But I haven't experienced this with my wallet and keys. And having the phone separately might be new. I haven't been traveling since the start of the pandemic unfortunately
That (i.e., phone and keys out) might be true in some US airports, but not in the many, many US airports I have travelled through. Indeed, I always keep my phone and keys inside of my bag when going through TSA.
Good first impression, Bo. I am somewhat ambivalent about the changes as others have said. It's a departure, but not a full improvement. I'd like to see that back panel on other EG bags, though.
thanks for the quick look video. I really like this bag and would seriously consider having it replace my Gouck GR1. Unfortunately, living in Canada means that I get charged a lot in shipping and duties, which makes this bag much more expensive by the time it arrives at my door.
Ich hatte überlegt bei dem Modell zuzuschlagen, mich aber dagegen entschieden. Momentan nutze ich aus meiner Sammlung zwei besonders gerne, welche ihm keine Chance gelassen hätten. Mein CPL24 Phoenix und der Black Canvas GR1 von Goruck.
I’ve had my PLC20L for about a week now and just love this thing EXCEPT for the straps. For me they are not comfortable at all. I am about 5’9 180lbs and athletic shoulders. The straps seem to be sewn into the bag a little to far apart which makes them slide off (or feel like they will slide off) my shoulders way too easily unless I have the Sternum strap on. I use the sternum strap most of the time on my other bags but I dont feel like I have to. With the PLC20L I feel like I have to use it or it just isn’t comfortable. This is really unfortunate because I literally love everything else about this bag, everything! I have numerous backpacks but this one fills that smaller range that I was really looking for. It’s small but it hold so much, probably because of the lack of org pockets that other bags have. I use tech pouches so I prefer to have much less built in org pockets in my backpacks. The PLC20L is perfect for that use case. It also fits my 2021 M1 16’ MacBook Pro comfortably - not that I would carry my 16” very often in this bag but at least its a comfortable option. My only other small nit-pick is that the tablet sleeve is just a bit too small for the ipad 11 pro with the magic keyboard. I could have easily done without the built in pencil pocket to allow more room in the tablet sleeve. Like I said, small nit pick. Sadly I may return the PLC20L because of the straps! Makes me sad!!
Looks like a slightly better air. I like the size. Still for the little bag it’s the Arktype Dashpack II all the way. I wish it had a security pocket on the back sinceI prefer this type of pocket for important/vital (flat) quick access items.
I was really hoping you would get this bag. It is a contender for my next bag so I appreciate your initial thoughts! I am going between this and the Pacsafe Metrosafe X 16". Hopefully you get some experience with this bag soon so we get more thoughts!
Thanks for watching, William. I hope I can give you some more insight on this bag in the future. I still don't have many chances actually using bags at the moment. But I will do my best to review the bag as good as possible
Hey Bo, wondering if you plan to make a follow up review up with this bag , are you using it ? Is it one of your favorite like the title of your video suggested it ? Thanks and all the best.
I understand this is a first impression video but, really, “I don’t know what this material is” and “I don’t know what size laptop fits” is just not acceptable. The comment from Sea Change NYC had more crucial information than your video. Even then, it would be passable if you reliably posted a more detailed followup review, but your first impression on the Black Ember Shadow packs are now over a year old and waiting…
Totally understand your critism. And I get where you are coming from. But I personally think that these first impressions are supposed to simulate a situation like walking into a store and experiencing an item for the first time. In that imaginary situation I wouldn't necessarily know the details of the item either. As for the follow up. You are totally correct. But as mentioned in many videos over the last two years: due to the pandemic and the many lockdowns I personally did not have any proper opportunities to properly test bags. I was only at home and just testing bags walking around at home does not equal a proper review Imho. I respect your opinion and totally understand the critism. I hope my reviews can go back to a normal standard in the future. But let's see how Germany deals with covid in the next few months. We just opened up two weeks ago (ie dropped most covid regulations despite numbers rising). Thanks for watching anyways though
Dont say you “understand this is a first impression video” and yet ask those questions next. Bo already mentioned that this material feels like an AER but it feels different, which is a similar feedback from other users. Now, the website does state the full specs but thats not what these first impression videos are about.
