Thanks for sharing Akilae. So far I have enjoyed reading everybody's thoughtful personal musings, perspectives, and experience on how they use their gear. I think that is why I appreciate this forum as I do for it provides a place for individuals to come together and freely share ideas. Thank you to everyone who has taken time to express what is important to you concerning your edc, and the method you use when organizing your packs. I started this thread to encourage those interested to share their personal thoughts on what they would hope to see in a new version of the Evade Pack. There has been a lot of good discussion. I hope everyone who is interested will stay engaged and continue to feel free to share even if it’s just a “wish list”. Even if your suggestion are not integrated it still becomes part of public record. I’m really glad to have had the chance to read through Helm’s threads on his Manufacturers Corner - Alpha One Niner (bags & gear) forum : New crowdsourced product developments as we go along...... https://www.edcforums.com/threads/new-crowdsourced-product-developments-as-we-go-along.122106/ Reserve your EVADE backpacks here! https://www.edcforums.com/threads/reserve-your-evade-backpacks-here.128247/ .....threads leading up through the release of the Evade in 2015 as many of you know. Also saw that we have some knowledgeable folks around here and I appreciate your candor. It was good to understand how he works through the process... very informative. I respect the fact that in the end it’s Helm’s job to sort it all out, and that the Evade concept is not lost. Honestly, I don’t envy him .... running 3 brands, traveling 1,000’s of miles a year, juggling gov contracts, and all the while a family man. Yet still he finds time to chat about nylon, velcro, and water bottle pockets on a Sunday afternoon. Not many out there doing that. It’s to be commended!! I still believe A19’s going to bring all their efforts together and make an solid pack.
Lot of good ideas but hard to improve darn near perfection. That second compression strap seems totally worthless to me as does the beavertail (personal opinion!). The addition of velcro lined compartments is solid. A little extra width in main compartment would be cool. Just hope the pack doesn't end up being super heavy on its own. Fun thread to follow for sure.
Weight is a concern of mine as well. Helm did a great job on the Evade balancing everything. Looking forward to what he comes up with.
Hey guys, apologies again for the radio silence, getting caught up on all the other stuff before I reverted back on this. I just received the next prototype earlier this afternoon and I took some photos for some size comparison. On a side note, I am not all that enamored by the 2nd cinch strap, gonna try something else.
Thanks for the update Helm, looking good on the proportions. Especially nice to see the depth of the main section increased. Interior admin options, and interior color What interior color will you be offering with the black version of the pack?
It will be Red ripstop. Btw we're just making the samples in Coyote Brown right now but it wasn't a color we did well with. So the next re-sample, hopefully the last, will be in Wolf Gray.
If I may, would you consider a light grey/wolf for the black interior as well. It would still be high vis, but a neutral light color. Personally speaking red is a bit much on the eyes. I wonder if you would offer that as an option? I know that it has been standard from the onset of the Evade line. I was just hoping for a more neutral color tone for the interior of the darker colors, much like the Evade solid grey and navy blue which has wolf grey interiors. Wishing light/wolf was also in the black pack's interior.
Red, I would to figure this one out. That combination was one of our best sellers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I see the additional loop was added in front... did a rear loop behind the bottle/side pocket make it in this proto version?
I think I just found my perfect pack. The size difference looks spot on! Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
@RED-FIVE - great suggestion on the color combo. i am definitely interested in a black pack, yet with a red interior that may be a bit overwhelming to me. definitely looking forward to more news on the prototype and evade 2.0.
Size is looking great! I see the v-cinchstrap made it onto the pack, so if i could wish for one thing it would be that you reverted back to the type and placement of the strap on the Evade 1.
Looking good HELM. As others have stated sizing looks good. Out of curiosity what is the weight increase we are looking at with the bigger size and all of the added loop fields? Also just saw are those locking zippers on the main compartment? If so will there be lockable zippers for the CCW section as well? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I haven't actually used en Evade myself but am looking at both it and the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 Guide for my next pack. One of the few critical things I've read about the current Evade is that the laptop and main compartments can eat into each other and it can make laptop access difficult if your bag is relatively full. Assuming that this is the case (review on Perfect Pack) does the Evade 2.0 take any steps to address this? Is that perhaps what the deeper dimensions of the upcoming pack are accomodating? Difficult laptop/tablet access is one of my pet niggles with packs and one of the reasons I didn't gel with my first Tom Bihn pack as I don't like the cache/rails system. As someone who flys a lot with carry on only I don't find it any faster than just pulling my laptop out altogether. Other than that the pack looks great! Im hoping weight can be kept under 1.5kg with the 1050 ballistic but other than that - pretty bloody close to perfection.
I was one of the early skeptics when Helm wanted separate laptop and main compartments, precisely because of the worry that the two would eat into each other. However, I will say that Helm resolved about 75% of my concerns. I also had a Synapse with a Cache, so I will make a comparison below. The Synapse with the Cache on Rails works as long as you use it as designed. Slide out the cache for TSA checkpoints, leave the Cache in for the daily use. It's fine. The main problem is when the pack is empty and in regular use, then the Cache on rails gets fiddly when trying to access the laptop. The Cache always wanted to pull out with the laptop, which is not ideal. The Evade fabric is very smooth and helps my laptop glide. The integration of the foam into the pack also holds everything into place, making it easy and less fussy than the Synapse. If the pack is packed to capacity, access still works for me. Of course, if you're overloading either pack, then access will always be impeded one way or another. Usually this is where I just switch up to a larger pack. Other than that, both packs do work as advertise in my experience, and the main important distinction is what you want in pocket layout and water carrying. That being said, there are times when I find that the laptop compartment is sitting empty and I wish I would remove the foam padding to make full use of the Evade's space. The Evade 2.0 might fix this for me by being deeper, but I might be tempted to cut out the hook and loop panels to shave off weight...
Very specific question I know but I was wondering if my 20.2 inch (513mm) tripod will fit in the pack. Some brands provide height as inside, some as outside and some include things like handles. If theres 20 inches of inner height I should have no dramas getting 0.2 of an inch flex through the middle but since I plan on being buried with this particular photographic tripod if I must I will hunt for another (surely less fantastic) bag.
