Packing Comparison for the Evergoods CPL24 and CTB26

I just got my CTB26 last week, and since I recently took a weekend trip to Chicago I thought it might be helpful for people to see how I packed things out in my CPL24.

Packing Comparison for the Evergoods CPL24 and CTB26

This was originally posted on the Evergoods subreddit, but I’m adding it here so I can easily find it.

I just got my CTB26 last week, and since I recently took a weekend trip to Chicago I thought it might be helpful for people to see how I packed things out in my CPL24.

For context, I only brought the CPL24 on the trip. I normally travel with a backpack and wheeled suitcase (carry-on), but wanted to keep things light for this trip.

What I packed for a 3 day trip to Chicago

Things I packed:

  • Peak design medium packing cube
  • Rain jacket
  • Peak design toiletry case
  • 16” Macbook Pro M1
  • iPad Mini
  • Ricoh GR III
  • Charging cables
  • Sunglasses
  • Spare battery
  • Snacks

Evergoods CPL24

CPL24 fully packed

The pictures show what I packed and how it all fit, but here’s some notes about the CPL24:

  • The CPL24 fit everything, but it was very very snug. I couldn’t fit it anything else.
  • The CPL24 was very comfortable even when fully packed out. Walking through airports was no issue.
  • I wasn’t able to fit my Sony a7IV in the CPL24 so I had to travel with my Ricoh GR III as my only camera. It worked out great, but I missed my bigger camera.
  • I’ve travel a few times with the CPL24 and I’ve found things to get a bit tight pretty quickly.
  • The CPL24 fit under the airplane seat no problem.

Evergoods CTB26

I haven’t actually used the CTB26 yet, but here’s some first impressions:

  • It fit everything from my Chicago trip with room to spare. The extra front pocket is going to come in handy.
  • Walking around my home, the bag feels similar to the CPL24. I can def tell it’s larger, but comfort feels like it will be the same.
  • I like the more flexible material. Seems like it will make the bag flex and compress better. This is a personal preference.
  • The luggage pass-through is a nice bonus since I normally travel with a carry-on wheeled suitcase.
  • The water bottle pockets are going to be sooooo nice for travel.

I’m likely going to be selling the CPL24 since I don’t see myself using both. The CTB26 seems like a hit to me. Gives me the same great experience of the CPL24, but a little more space a functionality for travel (which was my main use for the CPL24).