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The Evoc CC 6L is a functional, lightweight and simple pack designed for the bare essentials on shorter cross-country themed rides.

The CC 6L is from the ‘Lite Performance’ range at Evoc, designed to carry all you need on those one or two hour rides with a minimum of fuss and weight. It holds 2L of water and enough tools and snacks that unless complete disaster takes hold, you’ll get by.

Sleek lines and sensible colours - there's no doubt this pack looks cool!

Sleek lines and sensible colours - there's no doubt this pack looks cool!

The pack is aesthetically very pleasing to the eye, I liked its sleek lines and well thought out colour way. Fitting the pack was a quick and easy procedure, positioning the shoulder straps involved setting the length of the straps and letting Evoc’s Brace Link System move the straps laterally so the most comfortable angle of the strap was achieved over the shoulder. The CC 6L uses a thin waist strap to keep the pack close to the back. Here we missed the hip pockets so common on other bags but, this pack is designed to be light weight so I guess Evoc had to draw the line somewhere.  The outer material is tough and although not waterproof, it stood up to the elements well. This pack saw me ride in some pretty horrendous showers without dampness seeping through. The smooth nature of the outer of the pack means dirt doesn’t get lodged easily, leaving it dry, brushing off the grit and you are good to go again.

The Brace Link moves laterally and with the body for optimal adjustment of shoulder straps

The Brace Link moves laterall and with the body for optimal adjustment of shoulder straps

The 2L water bladder sits within a divider in the main body of the bag, a slight annoyance if you need to refill during a ride but we guess, with the purpose of this pack in mind, you probably won’t be restocking your water supply. Refilling does however require some repacking to get everything sitting neatly again. Evoc’s bladder uses the slightly fiddly ‘slide top fastening’ for the bladder itself and features a lockable mouth piece, it’s not the fastest flowing though and requires some effort to get a big mouthful of water. Remember when buying the bladder is an optional extra, it's £64.95 for the bag and £84.95 for the pack plus the 2L bladder

Water bladder sits inside the main pack

The 2L water bladder sits inside the main pack

Handy velcro tab to keep the bladder flat and upright

There is a handy velcro tab to keep the bladder flat and upright

On the rear panel of the bag, the Evoc CC 6L uses their Air Pad System, a ventilation design comprised of four separate pads, each in contact with the back of the wearer, allowing air flow down and around the large channels in-between these pads. I found this to be a much improved system over Evoc packs of old especially when coupled with the perforated shoulder straps. Despite the relatively large surface area this pack covered on my back, it was sufficiently cool to wear this summer.

The Airpad system provides better ventilation than Evoc packs of old

The Airpad Ventilation System provides better ventilation than Evoc packs of old

Storage wise the pack is comprised of one main pocket, two small outer pockets and a mesh one inside for valuables. The main compartment is accessed by zip, which handily almost circumnavigates the whole pack making packing and removing items a doddle once the pack is off your back. The length of the pack means it is pretty roomy, we stored a hand pump, innertube and associated tools for a tubeless repair, jacket, phone, snacks and glasses with no problems at all.

Mesh pocket with clip for keys

Mesh pocket with clip for keys

The two outer pockets serve for smaller items, phone or glasses in the top one, here I’d have like to have seen the soft inner lining extend to cover the whole interior of this pocket rather than just one side. The bottom pocket is larger with a zip from top to bottom, Evoc say this is a ‘map pocket’ but we’re not sure quite who will need a map for their two-hour loop, we stored snacks instead!

Items tend to rattle about inside the Evoc CC 6L

Items tend to rattle about inside the Evoc CC 6L

That’s it for pockets, which brings me quickly to my bug bear with this pack – even for the bare essentials I carried I found items languishing randomly in the bottom of the pack, out of sight and out of reach when I needed them. The lack of separate tool organisation compartments, really lets the Evoc CC 6L down, a small tool roll here would be a great addition. Our pack weighed in at 525g, if more storage was required we would check out the Evoc Stage 6L, it weighs a little more at 640g but features a tool compartment with separate access and those hip pockets we mentioned earlier.

Sleek lines and sensible colours - there's no doubt this pack looks cool!

No storage leaves us feeling that a Evoc Stage 6L  might be a better buy

Whilst climbing the pack sits still with the hydration hose easy to reach and quick to clip back out of the way. When riding smooth and flowing singletrack the pack also kept still without moving either vertically or side to side, the waist strap and the flat design of the pack keeping it low to my back and diminishing cause for sideways movement. It was then things got going in the downhill direction that the Evoc CC 6L got somewhat unstuck. As I manoeuvred drops or steeper terrain the pack jumped up and hit the back of my head, a combination of the use of a thin waist strap rather than a sturdier hip belt and the weight evenly distributed over the whole of the pack rather than sitting down low, led to the annoying knock to the helmet.

The Evoc CC 6L offers a great looking and sturdy companion in the pack department. It’s light enough for those fast cross-country spins yet roomy enough to hold a decent sized pump and extra layers should you need them, albeit without organised storage. The bag moves around when the going gets steep but for regular trail rides it sits still on the back and it’s not too hot either.