After spending months researching backpacks, I put in an order for the Alpha One Niner Evade 1.5. Continue reading to hear all of my impressions.
Timeline with Evade 1.5
I’ve been using this backpack for about 3 months. Taking it with me everywhere. Including hiking up Mount Elbert in Colorado, mountain biking to and from coffee shops, and air travel.
Due to having this pack with me everywhere, I’ve been able to quickly decide what I love and what I’m not a huge fan of with the Evade 1.5.
What I love about this backpack
- The look! The Evade 1.5 is almost exactly what I was looking for in an everyday carry backpack. Very rugged, with a tight, clean look that’s up for anything.
- The fit! The backpack sits high on your back, and is super comfortable with heavy and light loads. I even used it loaded up (including hydration bladder) for my hike up Mt Elbert, a 14’er in Colorado.
- The compression straps are on point for keeping the profile of the pack super tight.
- The compartments are very well thought out with mesh in most areas so you can see what’s inside.
- There are two very nice water bottle holders (one on each side) that easily hold my HydroFlask 32 ounce bottles. You could even fit larger water bottles.
- The small sunglasses / AirPods / GoPro pouch is great!
- The laptop compartment is spacious. Easily holding my 16” MacBook Pro, 11” iPad Pro, and small notebook.
- The bungee straps on the back are great for holding a jacket or my bike helmet. This was unexpected, as I usually dislike exterior bungee carry systems, but this one works great.
- The 1050D ballistic nylon is very durable and hasn’t shown any wear at all.
- There’s Velcro lining all of the inside of the backpack allowing you to easily add Alpha One Niner (or other brands) organization.
What I’m not a fan of
- The roller bag attachment strap doesn’t make sense. It also doesn’t get in the way, but I don’t get why it’s there.
- The inner concealed carry or “other” compartment. It’s cool if you have something that makes sense to go there. But if you don’t, it adds extra bulk to the backpack that you’ll never use.
- The smaller (outside) zipper compartment gets a little snug when you put even minimally larger items into to (like an iPhone charging plug). It would be nice if this was a little larger or had a little stretch to it.
Overall
This bag rocks, and I plan to keep using it as my daily everything pack (EDC). It’s does everything that I’m looking for from an EDC backpack. With the added hip belt, the Evade 1.5 could easily be used for short runs and mort intense mountain biking. Heck, you could probably even use this backpack for skiing/winter sports.
Links
Evade 1.5: https://www.alphaoneniner.com/products/pre-order-only-alpha-one-niner-evade-1-5-full-backpacks?variant=32065456177265
Alpha One Niner: https://www.alphaoneniner.com
Update
I have now been using the Alpha One Niner Evade 1.5 backpack for 10+ months, and it’s still the best everyday carry pack that I’ve used. Not to mention, it still looks completely brand new after all this use.
If you have any questions for me… Please put them in the comments below or shoot me an email at joe@allaroundjoe.com.
