EVOC Hip Pack Capture 7L: A Mountain Biker Meets Photographer Dream Bag
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If you’re like me and enjoy having that feeling of your shirt flapping in the wind as you descend down that fast, dreamy, and loamy trail littered with playful jumps and drops, then you also agree that a backpack kind of ruins the vibe. Not to mention the fact you need to be able to carry all your camera essentials to capture that sick YouTube film! Backpacks with all this gear tend to trap so much heat against your back and make for a rather hot and not-so-playful day out on the trails. Well, I have the perfect solution for you. The EVOC Hip Pack Capture 7L!
Bottom Line Up Front:
THIS THING RULES (with a couple draw backs)! Let me begin by saying this post is not sponsored or backed by Evoc in any way. They likely have no idea this post even exists. I simply have owned and ridden this hip pack for about 6 months now and think it is worth a review. It has been on some short playful hot laps and some longer 25 mile trail ride days. This pack has simply been perfect for it all without sacrificing the playfulness I want to maintain on the bike. I’ve been able to carry my Sony a7rii camera body with up to 2 Tamron Lenses (a 17-28mm f/2.8 and a 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6), a small tripod, spare batters, ND Filters/ Polarizer, some snacks, bike repair essentials, and a water bottle all inside this pack. Yes it is heavy. No it does not feel weird in my opinion. The waist strap sinches down nice and tight and I have not had any major issues so far with it slowly loosening up. The only time I have noticed some slipping is when it is fully loaded up as mentioned above. Even then, the slip is minimal and not significant enough that it is a noticeable issue when descending. I typically just give it a small tug if I take a break or am between segments simply to ensure it doesn’t bounce around too much. When sitting on my bike or in the attack position, the weight seems well balanced and doesn’t feel like it wobbles around hardly at all. For the sake of complete transparency, the longest ride I have done with my bag fully loaded out, as mentioned above, is 10 miles. This is a very standard length ride for me, and I experienced no backpain or discomfort from it. Because of that, I have no reason to believe these would occur on a longer ride, but having not done so, I cannot say definitively. I have done some 20 to 25 mile rides with this bag with only the essentials. That being my bike repair equipment, snacks ( I do carry a lot of these), water, my Insta360 X4, and a light rain jacket since I live in the PNW. I had zero issues with this bag and loved not having a backpack that captured extra heat or make me feel constricted. So, with that, lets get into the pros and cons of this bag.
Pros:
Massive amount of storage space (7 Liter bag)
Padding in main compartment that helps me feel confident camera gear is safe.
Sleek design
Inserts to customize the storage space for your camera gear
Bottom side straps for a small tripod
Water Bottle pocket
Waist strap zipper pockets
Feels extremely durable
Water proof (I live in the PNW and all my camera gear has always been kept dry and safe)
Bag itself is lightweight for the size (610 grams)
Feels snug and secure while riding. I have not felt like the pack was shifting around while descending. Waist strap has had very minimal slippage when compared to my Dakine hip pack.
Cons (explained):
Front Pockets are somewhat useless. I believe these were intended for memory cards in which case they would be perfect. Personally, I carry my memory cards in their own small case and not individually in pockets like these. I think these pockets would be better utilized as larger zipper or mesh pockets to store bike tools, snacks, or something for the sort. Aside from memory cards, I have found these small pockets to be nearly useless for anything else.
Its a bit bulky. For reference, I am 6 ft, 210 lbs. It looks like a fairly normal sized bag on me since I am a bit of a larger person. My wife is only 5’4” and she finds it a bit bulkier on her. I do not think it at all looks awkward myself, and my wife would agree. I also value function over fashion. Here is a side by side so you can decide for yourself.
Water bottle pocket is a bit small. Again, not a huge issue for me because I also have a water bottle cage on my bike. There is also a strap that allows you to cinch the bottle down so it doesn’t move, but then it becomes harder to get out and put back while riding. If you don’t want to have to cinch down super tight, you can only fit up to I would say a medium sized water bottle in it without having fears it may fall out. For refence, I would consider a large bottle to be the classic green and orange Gatorade squirt bottle you see in every NFL game. This has not been a huge issue for myself because I have water storage on my bike, but if you live somewhere that is very hot and require lots of water for each ride, this may be an issue for you.
Ventilation is good but not great. Don’t get me wrong, this is wayyyyyy better than a backpack. No where near as hot as that. I do find the the low of my back does still get fairly warm and sweaty with this bag but not enough I would consider this a problem. Just something worth noting really. I honestly do not think it is possible to not get extra sweaty beneath ANY bag if wearing a bag…
Would I buy this bag again?
Yes, absolutely! This bag has opened up so much opportunity for me as a photographer and mountain biker! This is hands down the best Hip Pack I have tried! I would give this bag an 9/10 overall. It is the perfect balance for a person that wants to be able to photograph their rides with a camera while also maintaining the playfulness of a hip pack. I do not think the drawbacks are significant enough (with the exception of the small front side pockets) to make me look elsewhere. Go buy yours NOW!
That being said, there is an alternative version of this bag that fixes this issue (not sure how well it works with photography gear). I do not own nor have I ever used the alternative option. Here is the link to check that option out though.
An alternative I can recommend if you are looking for something a bit smaller because perhaps carrying a camera isn’t a priority for you, check out the Dakine Hot Laps 2L Bike Waist Bag.
