COFB X-Pak EVO Sling Pack: FirstLook
A better way to carry!!!
A backpack is something everyone is familiar with, has used, and probably owns more than one. We certainly have reviewed many over the years, our favorites being from Tom Bihn.
We don’t accept requests to review backpacks often (the most recent one was over three years ago!), mostly because there really isn’t anything new about them to talk about….until now: COFB’s X-Pak EVO.
We thought COFB’s approach to its X-Pak EVO was fresh, creative, and highly functional, which is everything our RainyDayMagazine readers expect in the kind of gear we bring to their attention.
Code Of Bell
Let’s talk a bit about COFB, the company. What would make a group of folks decide “Hey, let’s jump in and compete against JanSport, Patagonia, and all the other backpack makers!”
OK, COFB is not saying that at all 🙂
They don’t make “backpacks,” they make thoughtfully designed “compact carry solutions,” and their approach is a mashup of the convenience of a “fanny pack” and the practicality of a “messenger bag,” but done in a fresh and obsessively functional way.
It works like a briefcase, a gym bag, and a backpack, but it is none of those things individually and all of those things combined.
The X-Pak EVO is a sling on steroids. Designed with enough pockets so that there is a place for everything and everything will stay in its place/be protected yet be quickly accessible. Meeting those parameters doesn’t happen by chance. It takes design thinking, real-world experimentation, and a commitment to no compromises.
Zippers…lots of zippers
- Easy-access front/side zippered pocket
- Rear concealed zippered pockets
Happily, there are zippers everywhere on the EVO. The main compartment has multiple access points, with different zippers opening different layered pockets within a compartment…great for hiding cash and other valuables, but…it could also be confusing. We’ll have to see with actual use 🙂
Pockets…lots of pockets
- Zippered pocket, slip pocket, pocket w/ velcro strap
- Small pocket, pen Holder, key hook strap
There are LOTS and LOTS of pockets to stow, store, and hide things in the EVO. There is even a padded sleeve large enough for a 13″ laptop!
The main compartment is quite roomy, and might even be big enough as a weekender bag if one is careful with their packing 🙂
The stretchy pocket on the side is designed to accommodate a standard water bottle, but it is also a convenient place to stuff a small umbrella, a pair of gloves, etc.
Handle, Sling, Buckles, & Straps
- Handle w/ removable padded grip
Grabbing the EVO from an airplane overhead compartment, carrying it around the office, or just picking it up could be easier if there was a handle. So COFB put one there. This handle is not meant to be the main method of transporting the EVO, but it’s useful to have it, so it is there.
- Set of removable compression straps w/slide-in buckles
- Multi-purpose attach points and detachable ring
- Stowable sling
The sling is absolutely designed with function and comfort in mind. Swivels and buckles make the strap easy to adjust for whatever is being carried, the wearer’s body shape, and on/off convenience. The entire strap can also be slipped behind the back of the pack out of sight when not needed.
There are three different ways to carry the X-Pak EVO: Handle-carry, Sling mode, and Backpack mode. Backpack mode requires a sold-separately harness that enables the EVO to comfortably distribute the weight when transporting a heavier load. It is not meant to be the main method of transporting the EVO, but it is useful to have it, so there it is.
We’ll have more of the different modes in the FirstUse writeup.
FirstThoughts
The X-Pak EVO is one of the most innovative pieces of “carrying stuff” gear we have come across in a long time. To find a comparable company, we would have to reach back to 2008 and the early days of Kata when they created a line of amazingly useful camera bags. We still use those bags today. Unfortunately for Kata, they merged with Manfrotto and lost their distinctiveness.
COFB’s modern take on the “everyday bag” absolutely reminded us of Kata back in the day…rugged, functional, and with a design which is unselfconsciously bold. We will take the EVO out for a spin soon. Look for the FirstUse writeup this Winter.
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