EVOC HIP PACK PRO 3l on review - our Best in Test!

EVOC has been manufacturing bike backpacks for over 15 years and has secured one test victory after another. The HIP PACK PRO 3l is the spearhead of EVOC’s hip pack range and employs all the tricks and features the German brand has already implemented in their popular backpacks.

**Price:** € 90 | **Weight:** 428 g | **Volume:** 3 litres | **Optional hydration bladder:** 1.5 Liter, € 30, 139 g

While hip packs are fairly new to EVOC’s portfolio, the Germans can look back at a long history of success – one they’ve earned mainly through to their legendary backpacks. Now the Munich-based bag manufacturers have put their knowledge and experience into their hip bags – and you can tell! We’ve asked EVOC to send all four of their models to the test, the HIP PACK PRO 3l is the high-end model of the line. With a price of € 90 (120 € with bladder), it’s the most expensive model in test, which means we can expect a lot from it. And the HIP PACK Pro didn’t disappoint us!

The EVOC HIP PACK PRO 3l is the top-end model in EVOC’s hip pack range and offers many different features. However, with a price tag of € 90 without and € 120 with a bladder, it’s also one of the most expensive on the market.

At first glance, the HIP PACK PRO 3l might look a bit crammed, but once you start using it, you quickly realise that none of its features are superfluous. EVOC relies on a classic compartment layout: one large main pocket with a divider for the drinking bladder, a front compartment with small tool pockets that opens up from the front and two generously sized pockets on the hip fins. And there’s also a bottle holder below each of the side compression straps. The layout gives you many different options and even with the water bladder, there’s enough room to stow a jacket inside the main compartment.

With or without the water bladder, the main pocket offers plenty of storage space.

There’s a small zipper pocket for small items on each hip fin.

In our opinion, the two zipper sliders only make sense when the bag is lying flat.

But then, you can access all contents very easily.

With its stretchy velcro belt, the hip belt of the HIP PACK PRO 3l provides unmatched comfort.

As far as comfort and stability go, almost no waist pack can match the HIP PACK PRO 3l. The wide Velcro strap is made of a stretchy material and provides a very comfortable and snug fit. EVOC’s proprietary VENTIFLAP compression straps, which sit right under the side pockets, let you adjust how closely the pack is fitted to your back. The straps can be adjusted individually to increase the back distance, and thus increase ventilation, without losing the compression on the contents. These are compressed by a different set of straps placed on each side of the main compartment – these too, work incredibly well. No matter how full or empty the pack is, it provides a very stable and extremely comfortable fit at all times.

The compression straps stabilise the contents incredibly well…

By pulling the blue strap of the VENTIFLAP system, you’ll move the bag closer to your body. If you pull them backwards, you’ll increase the back distance and thus the ventilation.

The back wall of the Hip Pack Pro 3l is vertically stiff but horizontally flexible and its height is perfect for any body shape. Thanks to the open construction, the back padding provides good ventilation with minimal sweat absorption from the ground up. In addition, both can be improved by loosening the VENTIFLAP straps. For a bag this size, the HIP PACK PRO offers the best climate in the entire test field.

Thanks to the open back and well-positioned support pads the HIP PACK PRO 3l provides excellent ventilation.

But even the HIP PACK PRO 3l isn’t 100% perfect. The velcro waist strap and the many compression straps take some time to adjust and the many clever features also add some extra weight. In our opinion the double slider on the front zip is pointless, because it only makes the access easier when the pack is laying flat on a table or a bench. When the pack is attached to your hips, however, the double slider actually makes the access more difficult and there’s even the risk that the pocket won’t close properly. Instead, we’d love a dedicated, padded phone pocket and additional small pockets on the partition wall in the main compartment. Looking at the overall picture, all the important factors such as stability, fit, comfort and climate outweigh those few less positive aspects by far though.

Comfort

uncomfortable
unobtrusive

Stability

low
high

Compartment Layout

poor
excellent

Climate

unpleasant
pleasant

Ease of Use

fiddly
straight forward

Price/Performance

poor
very good

Conclusions

It’s clear that EVOC used their long time experience in building good backpacks to design the HIP PACK PRO 3l. And while it may be too big and perhaps a little expensive for some, it’s in fact the most versatile hip bag with the most comfortable, stable fit and most pleasant climate in the entire test field – a well deserved Best in Test!

Tops

Most versatile option
Good compartment layout
Plenty of space
Excellent comfort
Top carrying/ compression system
Best climate in test

Flops

Expensive
Heavy

For more information head to evocsports.com

The test field

Click here for an overview of the best MTB hip pack in test

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Words: Photos: Andreas Maschke, Christoph Bayer

EVOC HIP PACK PRO 3l on review – our Best in Test!