I finally picked up an Evade 1.5 in Olive Drab 500D, this is a bag I’ve been wanting to test (and told I need to test) for quite some time now. Alpha One Niner has a bit of a cult following, and because of how closely people follow the brand, the naming of their bags makes absolutely no sense to anyone else.
There have been Evade, Evade Full, Evade 1.0X, Evade 1.5 — and if that’s not hard enough to figure out, the current version (what I am reviewing here) is marked in big-ass letters on the product page “OUR NEXT GEN (2024) EVADE 1.5 BACKPACK”. I am confident that outside of the community of backpack nerds, no one will be able to figure this shit out — I barely understand it.
Suffice to say, these are all very different bags, and thus this review only is for the Evade 1.5, 2024 model. A model of backpack that is quite possibly nearing perfection, even if you are not sure what the changes are (or aren’t). It’s really fucking good.
Materials & Size
This is going to be a tricky section to write on this bag, because there’s a lot going on here. I am going to cherry pick what you need to know, so be sure to read the full product page itself. My bag is the 500D Cordura model, but they make X42 and Twill models as well, I will only do the specs for the 500D.
This is rated at 25L, but I would say feels like 27L. It is 3.3lbs, has a lot of structure to it, and measures out at 18.5” x 12” x 7”. It does taper from top to bottom, and Alpha One Niner says it’s 9” at the top. This actually makes the bag feel a lot narrower than the specs suggest. That said, it feels deeper than a 7” bag (though my tape measure agrees on 7”).
The 500D you see here is the ‘OD’ color, and is lined with 210D Ripstop Nylon in Coyote Brown — a great combination.
Ok here’s some things to know that I am copying right from the website:
- “Back wall holds the padded & suspended laptop and tablet sleeves. Back wall has a single layered PALS row at the top to allow use of Matroskya and other pouches.”
- “The laptop sleeve design is a hybrid. It is part of the main compartment but it is sealed off thus creating its own compartment with access only via the top quick access zipper that’s behind the carry handle. Tested to fit up to a current 16″ MacBook Pro.” \<- This means that it takes volume from the main section, but it otherwise it’s own section.
- “Front organizer compartment has 2 sleeve pockets with large loop field, and a zippered pocket above it.”
- “Top front quick access pocket lined in Nilex.”
- Water bottle pockets: “tested to hold up to the Hydroflask Trail (32oz).”
- Removable compression strap.
I’ll also note that they sell a litany of accessories for this, I only have one of the organizers they sell which velcros into the front Admin section.
All in all, the short of this is: there’s a lot you can do here, but you can also do none of it. So you can go to super organized Aer style, or minimalist GORUCK style.
The quality of the materials and the overall construction is top tier. There’s only one other bag brand I have seen this level of overall quality, and that’s Kifaru. I’m impressed.
In Use
The long and short of this bag in use: it’s fucking fantastic, but it’s also pretty big feeling. If what you need is a bag that can hold a lot, then I am not sure there’s a better EDC to light day hiking backpack you can buy.
The bag is rated at 25L, but perhaps because the layout is so smart, it feels much more like a 27L bag when you are loading it up. On your back, it doesn’t feel as wide as the 12” base width suggests, but it does feel much deeper than the 7” depth suggests. This means the bag doesn’t feel like a box on your back, but the depth will be a gotcha for congested spaces.
The thing about it though, is the load carrying comfort is exceptional. The straps and backpanel make the bag a gem to carry all day long. They are smartly designed and comfortable. So while the bag might feel a little large at times, it will not feel uncomfortable.
The organization on this bag is exceedingly clever. As I mentioned above, you can take it or leave it, and you don’t pay a penalty either way. Take only the front of this bag for example, there’s three pockets. A top stash pocket lined with very soft material which can swallow up a phone or sunglasses or both. It’s very easy to get to and the zipper opens flawlessly.
Below that is the primary admin area. It is unencumbered by the compression straps and will clamshell open. By default there’s three pockets: two open top, one zippered, and one velcro card sized pocket. But the loop field means you can attach any number of organizers to customize the layout. The Type 2 organizer panel I have in mine adds a plethora of little pockets without really eating space.
Below that section is what they call a new hidden front pocket, which is massive. I keep a first aid kit in here so that I can easily pull it out, but it’s large enough I could put a packable rain jacket in it, or perhaps even a small umbrella.
And that’s just the front of the bag. It’s smart and clever inside as well. And the thing about all of this: it’d dead simple to use this. Too many bags make the organization hard to use for anything, or bags lack organization in a way which makes the bag hard to use the other way when you need organization. Here we have a perfect balance, either way you go, it’s easy. In other words, this bag is very modular without being pretentious about it.
But there’s more magic with this bag…
First, it looks really good. I don’t think the product images on the website do this justice. It blends a tactical, hiking, and EDC/Office bag aesthetic nearly perfectly, to give you a bag which looks like it could be at home doing anything.
Next, there’s two removeable compression straps at the top, these actually can compress the hell out of the top section of the bag. Doing this does help the bag look a lot more trim on your back, even if the base is not being compressed. This is awesome for using the bag in the city, and I am very happy with it.
No compression.
Compressed
And that base is excellent, because this bag will almost always stand up on its own without needing careful packing. Which means you can easily use the fantastic top handle to set the bag at your feet, and not worry about it tipping over and getting in the way.
Last, the two water bottle pockets are gems. They sit nearly flat when empty, but securely swallowed up a large 32oz bottle without issue. I can also stick an umbrella in there and it will stay. Or, you can toss a small tripod in them, and secure the top half of it with the compression straps. Very clever, and very good side pockets.
I did not add any of these strap keepers.
In the past I have had no backpack I would really be happy doing three things with: traveling on a plane, exploring a city, and hiking. To have a single bag which you enjoy enough to do all three is mythical. I think this bag can do just that. I have no qualms day hiking with it. I love using it for gear. And I think it’s quite good for walking around a city. It’s perfect at none, but it’s far above average at them all.
And because the main compartment is so large and clamshells open, it’s begging to be packed as your only bag for a weekend away. I love using this bag.
Overall
In a way this bag feels like a combination of GORUCK meets Tom Bihn meets Aer. The closest bag I have used to this is GORUCK’s GR2 26L, but to be quite clear, the Evade 1.5 is leaps better than that GR2 26L — it has the same tricks, but executed perfectly.
Add to that the overall quality of the materials and construction and you have a bag which has clearly been designed and made by true bag nerds. And it shows, and I love this bag.
Meaning: this gets my highest recommendation.