Evergoods CTB35 Review
The biggest model in the wildly popular Civic Travel Bag series. Obvious quality, but is it as practical as the smaller 26L?
Evergoods CTB35 Review Introduction
Evergoods - back with another review from the Civic Travel series. Or if you’re in the know - the CTB series. I’m not sure I’m cool enough to do that, but this way I give you options. Evergoods started this series for travel. No kidding. But their goal was to take their pristine materials and amazing EDC design, and transfer that ethos into a bag series with some tweaks that were geared more for us travelers. Things like how the bag opens. How the pockets are organized, etc. From there, they offered a few sizes in 20L, 26L, and 35L.
We’re focusing on the 35L. This is the size that is the “regular” travel bag for most people. With the 20L and even the 26L - that’s bordering more on EDC for many people out there. With the 26L still really only being good for a weekend trip, or for the really seasoned Onebaggers out there. To me, 35L is always the sweet spot for folks to be big enough to offer room people need and not stress too many folks out, but also still not be oversized check-in bags and to prevent those tempted to bring too much. It’s what I believe to be the most ideal and flexible size for most people. The CTB35 is Evergoods’ take on this niche.
This is my review of the Evergoods CTB35 - the Civic Travel Bag 35L. The largest bag in the lineup and the most “true travel bag” that Evergoods offers, we put it through its paces recently on a 5 night trip outside the US to the Caribbean. This involved two tries, as our original trip was canceled due to the nation-wide US storms we had at the end of January 2026. So, I got lots of wandering time and airport time with this bag.
For full transparency, all of my articles are 100% HUMAN written. I purchased this bag with my own money and was not sent the bag by the company. This is not a sponsored article. That said, I do use affiliate links to help support the site if you choose to use them to make a purchase - but there is no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
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Evergoods CTB35 Overview
Rearview.
Evergoods wasn’t really messing around with this bag, and it’s pretty much their bomb-proof travel bag. Their intentions, but my words.
This is the original, designed for what they say is 5+ day trips. I think that’s a pretty perfect estimate. It’s got a travel-focused design philosophy like how it opens, weather resistant materials, organization, etc.
It’s built to take a beating as well. They used their amazing materials science here to make sure this bag lasts you a long time. Thoughtful other touches are built in as well, that we’ll highlight in the feature section. But consider this your premium, do-it-all travel bag with a harness that’s meant to be comfortable as you’re walking around with it packed out. Though note, I would not say this is a trekking focused harness. It’s even got aluminum sidestays for support.
Here are the Materials and Size details from their site:
Shell Textile
- Solution Dyed Black: 420d High Tenacity Nylon 6 with Water Repellent Finish
- All other colors: 420d High Tenacity Nylon 6,6 with Water Repellent Finish
Lining Fabric
- 420d HT nylon with PU coating
Other Details
- Shoulder pad foam: Zote EV50
- Frame Sheet: HDPE
- Aluminum side stay: 7075 grade
- Zippers: YKK #10RC and #8RC with DWR finish
35L Dimensions
12"W x 9.5"D x 20.5"H | 30.5W x 24D x 52H cm
35L: 4lbs | 1815g
This bag is an investment at $365 USD at the time of writing in Feb 2026, which is high. It comes in the black that we have, as well as limited runs with olive green and a tan brown color - both of which look fantastic.
Cvici Travel Bag 35 Features
The AW fabric macro.
As this is a travel bag, they’ve certainly packed in some travel features. Packed? Get it? Ok fine this is probably the 10th time I’ve made that joke on this site, leave me alone, LOL.
For starters, it’s a vertically opening clamshell. This provides a big opening for when you want to pack or unpack, cubes or not (Team cubes, here).
Additionally, the harness is really well built out. Strong, robust straps and as mentioned earlier even has aluminum sidestays for support. It also comes with a stowable hip strap, with real supports, if you need it when packed out.
It’s got 3 different external pockets - a quick access on the front top, their token/genius quick stash on the top BACK (which as always is perfect for their smallest pouch), as well as a vertical zipper front panel pocket which has its own volume.
Inside there are some more pockets on the flap. One mesh, and one without. All zippered. Keep in mind these will conflict with whatever you pack in the front, just a note.
Rounding out the main features are a great laptop sleeve, water bottle pockets, keyleash inside one pocket, sternum strap, etc. We’ve also got great handles on the bag on most sides, and a couple of attachment points using the same material as the handles.
It’s not really a feature, but I like to call it out cause it’s such a great detail - the Evergoods patch on the inside of all their bags is as present here as always and also as always - looking fantastic.
The Wandering Loadout
On this trip, I was going to the Caribbean. So, I wasn’t packing a ton of heavy clothes, but that said I was packing a pair of loafers, gym clothes, and a shirt for almost every night. Also swim trunks/rash guard are not normal things.
I used an Evergoods packing cube which are frankly outstanding because they are kind of 2 cubes in one. Can be zipped together or laid flat depending on the space you’re working with. In this cube I put:
T-shirts (3 Capilene cool daily shirts)
Underwear
Socks (Darn Tough)
Rashguard
Swim Trunks
Undershirts (Uniqlo Airism)
Workout shirt
I then took a Peak Design Smedium cube where I put:
Western Rise Evolution Shorts (still the best travel shorts out there)
2 Linen Shirts
1 Western Rise Outbound Camp Collar Shirt
2 Resort Friendly Short Sleeve Button Shirts
Bellroy Toiletry Kit (standard one)
Loafers for dinners
Resort Toiletries: Solid Sunscreen, Picardin Wipes
Tech Pouch (Pioneer Carry Global Pouch)
I used the quick stash pockets for things like phones, keys, passport, Matador pills container, Foldies sunglasses, etc.
The Good
When you’re talking about a brand like Evergoods, you always always always have to list the quality of the materials in this column. You just do. They use really high quality materials on their bags and often bring out limited edition ones (like their waxed canvas versions) so this is something they price themselves in and it’s why they have such legions of fans. This bag is no exception and it’s incredibly high quality.
One thing to point out is that their stuff always has some clever design trick somewhere. Many times multiple examples but I’ll highlight one here for you on this bag and all the CTB. The stash pocket on the top, back of the bag. What’s so special about it? Just the way they constructed it with its own volume that doesn’t take away volume in front of it. It’s wild. They took this unused space that would be air or nothing at all, and filled it with material for the pocket. Not to mention, it perfectly fits their half liter pouch, which you can see in my pics as I have the orange model. It’s just a really considered bit of design and their lead designer is really known for these kinds of things.
The harness system is fantastic here. This bag is heavy (more on that in a minute) and it needs a real harness system. The harness on the CTB35 delivered. The hip supports are real, the aluminum stays are a brilliant choice, etc. I found the bag comfortable and I am also recovering from a destroyed shoulder. So I think that says something.
Overall the organization was a winner, even if I have some knits to pick in the next section. I really loved the options, the size of the pockets offered, and didn’t have any problem trying to organize what I wanted to. Organization is something that is really important for travel. I like how the front organization pocket has its own volume.
I really like the color choices they offer. We’re not talking Cotopaxi here, but the variety is great and they are subdued.
The Bad
Sometimes we talk about an elephant in a room. For this, we need to talk about two.
The first is the price. Now American designed bags, from small production runs, with super premium materials, are not going to come cheap. They just aren’t. If that’s what you’re looking for this isn’t the space for you to play in. No harm in that. But at $365, this bag is expensive even for the premium travel bag space. So that’s one con that people need to consider. Quality is extreme on this bag, but it might not be something you want to stomach.
The second elephant here is the weight. It’s over 4lbs when empty. That’s also on the high end for bags in this space. Now the trade you get for that is outstanding materials with weather resistance and superb durability. When you start over 4 lbs already, it can add up fast if you’re packing it out, bringing a laptop, etc. So for some people, it might even be a better road trip bag for that reason.
I don’t LOVE vertical admin pockets. I find them awkward to access, especially when you’re essentially one armed (as I was because of my injury). I like putting the bag standing up, and being able to access either pocket vs. having to take the extra step to put it on its side and open it up. Sounds like something little, but when you handle a lot of bags and travel as much as I do, you figure your preference out really quickly. Things also fall around in a vertical orientation, so it’s not my preference. This should be in no way a deal breaker for anyone, but listing it just in case it is.
Final Thoughts On My Evergoods CTB35 Review
It really shouldn’t surprise anyone here that Evergoods created a really premium bag that’s almost perfectly thought out (or at the very least, super intentionally thought out even if it’s not YOUR exact intentions). The CTB35 certainly is that.
The quality of the materials and bag itself, the thought behind the pockets, the really nice harness system - you can see why there is a legion of crazy people behind Evergoods. They also somehow always nail the understated design look, which I think a lot of people in the space want. There’s nothing that says you have to scream “Look at me” when traveling. Everyone is already looking. You might as well try and be low key. I can get with that.
The two main downsides (and frankly, really the only MAJOR downsides) are the price and the weight. But two things about this. One, price to value is subjective. And two, only you know your use case. For you, that weight may not be much of an issue. It wasn’t overall for me, though I did notice it, if that makes sense. And it wouldn’t have been too bad if I had two good shoulders. So, while those are the major cons and I want to mention them, those aren’t going to be universal deal breakers for people, especially those that are super loyal to Evergoods. If that’s already you, I think you'll def dig this bag without much thought.
Overall, it’s a really high quality travel bag from a quality company that takes their designs and materials seriously. I wouldn’t mind seeing this bag released in Xpac or a lighter version somehow - but I wouldn’t let that take this bag off your list to check out.
You can check it out directly at their site.
And remember - wander more, and wander smarter.
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Head on over to our Travel Bag reviews page for more like this as well as the Osprey Daylite Carry On 35L review or the rolling Level8 Gibraltar Carry On review.
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