Everyman Hideout Backpack Review (Updated 2023)
Everyman Hideout
Backpack review (UpdateD 2023)
- The best Everyman Hideout Backpack review on the web!
- Written by Digital Nomads
- Who the Everyman Hideout Backpack is perfect for
- If it’s not the pack for you – we’ll show you which pack IS for you
Everyman Hideout Backpack Video Review
Check out our EPIC video review below!
Everyman Hideout Backpack Overall Score
Our Take – While this is far from our favorite backpack on the market, the Everyman Hideout Backpack does have a few important things going for it.
We think it looks amazing – particularly the cylinder shape and ballistic nylon materials – and there is a decent amount of functionality to it.
But even with those pros, it is not designed with as much thought or detail as its competitors, and is ultimately a backpack that does way too little and costs way too much.
We give it 2.5/5
The Everyman Hideout Backpack is currently ranked #8 on our guide to the best laptop backpacks.
Everyman Hideout
Backpack Specs
Available as 24 Liter
- Capacity: 24 litres
- Pack Weight: 2 Pounds 6 Ounces/1.19kgs
- Dimensions:L: 11″ H: 17″ D (Filled): 8″
- Laptop Size: 17″
- Tablet Size: iPad Pro
Pros of 24L – 24 liters is a GREAT size for everyday carry. It will enable you to pack all of your daily needs, without feeling like you have a gorilla latched to your back.
Cons of a 24L – While the Everyman Hideout is great for daily use, it is way too small to be a long-term travel backpack (look for 35+ liters).
The Everyman
Hideout Backpack
is PERFECT for you if...
- You LOVE the shape/design/look
While we don’t think the Everyman Hideout Backpack is a masterpiece – we agree that it looks AWESOME.
If you are in love with the look (particularly its unique cylinder shape) then this could be the backpack for you…
- You love big, chunky zippers
The Hideout uses Premium Easy Pull Zippers, which are big, chunky, and mostly smooth to use. Mostly.
- That's it.
Sorry. Unless you are in love with the way this backpack looks, we find it really hard to recommend (especially at its price point of $229)
The Everyman Hideout Backpack is NOT for you if...
- You want a great everyday carry pack
This daypack is OK – it is not great. And for the price there are significantly better options out there.
→ If you want a great daypack, these are the best…
- Nomatic Backpack Review (Great for organization!)
- WANDRD PRVKE 21 Review (Simpler but amazing)
- Best Laptop Backpacks for Travel
- You are looking for a large travel backpack
Regardless of whether you love or hate the Everyman Hideout Backpack, it only has 24 liters capacity, which is not big enough to be a large travel pack…
→ In the market for a larger backpack?
- Nomatic Travel Pack Review (perfect for Digital Nomads)
- Tortuga Outbreaker Review (Durable!)
- Best Backpacks for Digital Nomads
- You are looking for a hiking backpack
While the Everyman Hideout Pack is fairly durable, it is a hiking backpack.
→ There are the best hiking packs we’ve tested…
- Osprey Aether (Huge men’s hiking backpack)
- Osprey Ariel (Huge women’s hiking backpack)
- Osprey Farpoint 40 Review (Adventure backpack)
- Osprey Talon 22 (Ultralight hiking daypack)
- You want a photographer backpack
There are TONS of amazing backpacks on the market that are specifically designed for photographers who have tons of DSLR gear
→ These are the best photography backpacks we’ve tested…
- You could use a sling!
While backpacks are classic – sometimes a sling is a better choice! If you don’t carry a ton of gear and want a lighter travel experience, you should consider giving a sling a go…
→ These are our favorite slings…
- Bellroy Sling Review (simpler)
- Peak Design Everyday Sling Review (more technical)
Everyman Hideout
Pack Style
One Color Option
The bad news is the Everyman Hideout only comes in one color.
The good news is that the color is black on black – which is always a classic!
We think the black looks fantastic on this backpack. It makes it look sleek, urban and freaking classy. Black never goes out of fashion, so you can be sure that when you buy the Hideout it will look just as good in 5 years as it does today.
It's Shape
OK ladies and gentlemen – if you love the look of the Everyman Hideout Backpack there is a 99% chance that it’s because of its shape.
Why?
Let’s break it down.
Most backpacks in the world have a similar shape – box-y.
While some backpacks can round at the top, most of them have a square-like shape.
There are a few reasons for using a more square like shape.
- You can (typically) pack more stuff
- Improved functionality
This is why most backpack companies stick to the playbook and keep a more traditional, square shaped pack.
But this is where Everyman said – ‘F the playbook!’
The Everyman Hideout Backpack utilizes more of a cylinder shape. This shape makes the backpack look sleeker and less bulky.
It also make the backpack feel better to wear as there is less drag from the corners, and the experience is much more streamlined.
Frankly – it’s awesome.
But with every pro comes a con, and this shape has it’s flaws – mostly when it comes to the functionality of the backpack (which we’ll discuss in detail later).
Giving the backpack a cylinder shape was a bold move – and some functionality was certainly sacrificed – but it is the defining characteristic of the Everyman Hideout, and the only reason why we could recommend purchasing it.
Ultimately – it makes the backpack looks really awesome.
If you are in love with the design, and are prepared to suffer a bit for it – then we give you our blessing to treat yo’ self 🙌🏻
How it Feels
Everyman Hideout Backpack Materials
On its exterior, the Hideout uses two primary materials…
First it uses ballistic nylon.
Although ballstic nylon can be a bit ubiquitious – we love the material! It always looks clean, sharp, and strong.
Plus not to mention that ballistic nylon is super durable and means the backpack will las the test of time.
The other material this backpack uses is 800g PVC.
We think the Everyman Hideout did a great job of balancing these two main materials.
The ballistic nylon has a rougher, stronger look to it, and the PVC has a sleeker, sexier look to it – and the two balance each other very well.
We’ve seen similar design choices with the WANDRD PRVKE and we are big fans 🙂
Zippers
Another noteworthy characteristic of this backpack is its zippers.
Why?
Because. They. Are. ENORMOUS!
Why is this different?
Because when it comes to the external zippers, there are typically 1 or 2 large zippers (for the main compartments) and 3-4 smaller ones (for the smaller compartments).
Most backpacks follow this playbook.
But yet again, Everyman re-wrote the playbook here – ALL of their external zippers are huge – even for the smaller compartments.
Our thoughts? We are a bit torn on this feature.
Pros of the zippers – the large, chunky zippers make opening and closing the the backpack super easy. The zippers are big and smooth, making the ZIP! process very satisfying.
Cons of the zippers – There are a few things that we DON’T like about these zippers…
#1 – They are a bit of an eyesore. This is because the zipper teeth are huge and can look twisted and warped which makes the bag look cheap. This is why most backpacks will have some sort of waterproof lining – to help make the zipper look more subtle.
#2 – There is a fair share of compromised functionality, particularly with the side panels of the pack. But this is something we will go into detail with a bit later…
Comfort
Overall, the Everyman Hideout Backpack has average comfort.
We’ll cover this in more detail when we highlight the back of the backpack, but just know that there is a LOT missing here in terms of padding and comfort.
Front of the Pack
Really when it comes to the front of this backpack – there isn’t a lot to discuss.
Which we like!
Everyman took a minimalist approach, which gives the pack its urban vibe and style. This minimalist approach helps give the pack a really nice aesthetic, that is complimented by the ballistic nylon materials.
There are two features in particular we are going to examine for the front of this pack…
Main Zipper
Excluding the materials, the only noticeable feature on the front of the pack is the main zipper.
It’s big. It’s chunky. It’s shiny. It is NOT subtle.
There are a lot of backpacks that utilize the same design as the Hideout – specifically a top-loading backpack with a center zipper to access the main compartment.
Here are a few examples…
As you can see there are different ways to tackle the center-zipper.
Some people will like the looks of Everyman’s zipper, but we aren’t crazy about it as it looks cheap to us.
Top Front Pocket
On the top of the front of the Hideout is what we refer to as a ‘quick access pocket’.
Overall this quick access pocket is average.
On the good side – it’s big and the zipper is easy to pull.
On the bad side – the pocket can be difficult to access and has no additional organization.
On the worse side – the lining from another pocket is INSIDE this pocket. This means that there is severe pocket-interference and it interrupts the whole flow of this pocket.
Frankly it’s just a poorly designed pocket.
Keyring Holder
We at Nomads Nation are a BIG fans of keyring holders – especially in daypacks. In fact, we are shocked how often backpack designers neglect or ignore this feature.
Thankfully Everyman did NOT neglect this feature.
But just because you have a. keyring holder doesn’t mean it’s a good keyring holder…
Pros of the keyring holder
#1 – There actually is a keyring holder.
#2 – It detaches.
Detachable keyring holders are the best! It allows you to reach into your bag, seamlessly detach your keys from the holder, unlock your door, and seamlessly reattach them.
It’s a thing of beauty, and Everyman nails this.
Cons of the keyring holder
#1 – It feels a bit cheap.
#2 – It could be more accessible. The keyring is located deep inside the pocket, and can get lost in the darkness.
But overall the keyring is there, and it works – the two most important things.
Middle of the Pack
Now in this Everyman Hideout Backpack review we are going to examine the middle of the pack – and there’s a lot to look at!
Compression Straps
Each side of the Everyman Hideout has two compression straps.
All four of these straps are made of basic nylon materials – but they get the job done.
NO Water Bottle Holder
With a lot of the Everyman Hideout’s features, we found ourselves asking the same question…
Did they make decisions to cut costs? Or were they genuinely trying to be innovative?
The truth probably is a combination of the two, but the lack of a water bottle holder is a great example of this perplexing question.
Water bottle holders are basically standard on these kind of urban backpacks, so NOT having a water bottle holder is very… strange. Almost aggressively so.
Granted you can easily store any water bottle inside your bag – but to retrieve it you have to open the main compartment and fish it out. Nothing can match the convenience and accessibility of a side water bottle, and we really prefer our daypacks to have one.
Weak Nylon Side Handle
Another super weak feature is the basic nylon handle on the side of the pack.
Most backpack companies take their side handles fairly seriously. This means padding, quality materials, and attention to detail.
Everyman just stitched a nylon strap on the side and called it a day.
Making such decisions is fine, and the lack of a bulky handle really does give the backpack a nice look – but with all of these corners cut, we just don’t understand the $229 price tag.
Top Leather Handle
While the side handle wasn’t (obviously) our favorite handle we’ve ever seen – we think the top handle is quite cool!
Unique and memorable, the Everyman Hideout has a leather handle that connects to a nylon strap via velcro.
It’s actually pretty neat!
The handle provides a nice, comfortable feel, and it’s easily removable. We all like the soft, but powerful branding Everyman used.
Overall, a cool feature.
Side Zipper Access
OK so as we said, the cylinder shape of the Hideout looks fresh. Very sleek. Very cool.
But this design choice comes at a cost – it’s functionality.
Specifically, due to its circular shape, the side zippers can be a NIGHTMARE to zip or unzip.
These side zippers are not strongly bound to the shape of the backpack, and because of that they get caught or the snag very, very easily. Not all the time, but often enough that it can become problematic.
In fact, we’ve had these zippers get caught for entire minutes at a time.
Which in backpack-time might as well be years.
Ultimately this is not the end of the world – but it NEEDS to be stated. The round shape of the pack means the zippers are going to get snagged sometimes.
For some this will completely ruin the experience of the pack. For others it is a small price to pay for a design that they love.
The choice is yours…
Main Compartment
The main compartment contains 90% of the flair and organization of the Hideout. There are a bunch of pockets, and dedicated spaces for your Digital Nomad gear.
Overall we found that the main compartment of the pack works pretty well.
Because of the cylinder shape it can get a little tight but we mostly found it to handle a decent amount of stuff.
You need to remember that at 24 liters this is NOT a longer-term travel pack. If you pack light you can easily get away with a weekend trip, but if you are backpacking around the world then this main compartment is not going to carry your entire Digital Nomad packing list.
Internal Organization
If you are the kind of person who loves internal organization then you should enjoy this main compartment.
The top zip pocket (and the compartment directly below it) are great areas for larger/flat items.
We found this spot to be great for larger notebooks or even a drawing pad.
Below the zipper are two small notebook compartments, divided by a single pen holder.
We really liked the idea and implementation of this internal organization – and the materials feel OK too.
If you don’t travel with a small notebook then this could be a great spot for an external battery or a pair of ear pods.
Interesting Side Compartments
On the sides of the main compartment you will find two identical pockets.
These pockets are large and span most of the width of the side of the pack.
We liked the idea of these pockets, but we found that using them was a bit more awkward than we thought it was going to be.
Again, they aren’t bad, they are just part of the cylinder-experience.
Also we noticed that putting anything with hard edges in these pockets results in the backpack looking severely warped – which does not do the cylinder-aesthetic much justice.
But on the flip side, the good news is that if you don’t end up using them (like we decided) then they do not interfere with the backpack at all 🙂
Back of the Pack
Up until this point we think that the Everyman Hideout Backpack is somewhere between an OK-to-good backpack.
But this all changes once we start to look at the back of the backpack… and it changes for the worse
NO Back Padding
Finally let’s get to one of the most bizarre (daresay infuriating?) things about the Everyman Hideout – there is NO back padding.
Nothing.
Nada.
Zip.
Cero.
You get the point.
We don’t want to accuse Everyman of being cheap – but a backpack without back padding in the $200+ price range seems borderline aggressive.
Now hear us out…
We agree that back padding can be a little overrated. If you are using a lightly packed backpack for quick spurts – 15 seconds here, 2 minutes there – then the back padding really doesn’t matter much.
But!
When your pack is full, and you have a 15 minute walk to make, or a 8 hour plane ride with a shitty layover – the padding goes a long long way.
And Everyman not including any type of back support is fairly bewildering.
This is a big problem with this pack, maybe even the biggest.
Cheap Shoulder Straps
While we obviously do not like the shoulder straps, we will admit that they are fairly comfortable.
But having said that they just feel incredibly cheap and they do not feel durable.
Again, these shoulder straps would be perfectly acceptable on a $89 backpack.
But for $229? Absolutely not.
Decent Sternum Strap
The sternum strap has a few good things going for it…
Pro #1 – It’s included in the price! Always appreciated.
Pro #2 – It’s removable and adjustable! While not the most intuitively designed sternum strap, the ability to adjust the placement or remove it all together is also always appreciated.
But unfortunately the sternum strap has a few cons…
Con #1 – Lots of dangle. If you look at the picture above you can see that the excess nylon strap dangles in two areas. Dangle is annoying.
Con #2 – It’s just a basic nylon strap and a basic non-magnetic buckle. Nothing really special about it.
Overall though we are happy that the sternum strap is adjustable.
Tech Compartment
By every measure the tech compartment on the Hideout is average.
The fabrics are OK – we are a bit torn on the wool fabric for the laptop/tablet sleeves… we don’t love it but we also don’t hate it.
But ultimately the tech compartment as a whole just doesn’t feel very tightly designed, which makes it feel insecure.
Which is not a feeling you want for your travel laptop.
Laptop and Tablet Sleeves
As mentioned, we are a bit torn on the wool fabric used for the laptop compartment.
On the good side the fabric is soft and doesn’t feel like it will scratch your laptop or tablet – which is obviously important. Also we think it looks quite nice! The gray aesthetic has a nice look to it.
But on the bad side the materials feel a bit cheap, and when a laptop is in place it doesn’t feel very tight or very secure.
Something to note here is the laptop strap – yet again Everyman made it with a standard, basic nylon material.
Most competitors in this price range use a nicer material for their laptop strap – usually something stretchy that enables you to tight secure your laptop and or tablet.
But this nylon strap is yet again another instance where Everyman used a basic material instead of a quality material, and it really screws with the feel of this compartment. Everything feels loose.
EVERYMAN HIDEOUT BACKPACK Pros
-
Awesome and unique cylinder shape
-
Ballistic nylon looks strong and is durable
-
Big chunky zippers
EVERYMAN HIDEOUT BACKPACK Cons
-
Incredibly overpriced
-
Compromised functionality
-
Lack of any kind of back padding
-
Tech compartment is seriously slacking
Other Everyman Products
Everyman has made a name for themselves the same way a lot of new independent backpack companies are – via Kickstarter!
Via Kickstarter, the Everyman Hideout Backpack raised almost $100,000 – notably with the help from a few other products listed below…
The Everyman Hideout 5-Way Commuter is the smaller and more versatile brother of the Everyman Hideout Backpack.
As the name suggest, the 5-Way can be carried in five different manners – as a backpack, messenger bag, tote bag, briefcase, and as a square block that you just carry by itself (if that’s your thing).
The Everyman Hideout Dopp Kit is designed to help you carry and organize all of your smaller travel gear.
The concept is interesting as it combines a toiletry bag with a tech bag – as there are dedicated compartments for liquids, as well as dedicated pockets for a watch and sunglasses.
And the best part? The Dopp Kit integrates seamlessly with the other packs in the Hideout series.
What?!? A pen that costs $35 USD?!?!?
I know, and yes, we admit, it’s a splurge item – but if you are someone who spends a lot of time journaling and writing – you might love a $35 pen!
Overall we found the pen to be high quality – made from fantastic materials. The weight might be a bit much for some, and the ink comes out fairly thick, but if you want to treat yourself to a serious pen, the Grafton Pen is a great place to start.
FAQs
What rating do you give the Everyman Hideout?
Although it looks amazing, the Hideout has some serious functional flaws and cheap materials. Our Nomads Nation score is a 2.5/5
Is the Everyman Hideout Backpack worth it?
Although there are some great features to the Everyman Hideout, we think that for the price there are better options available (listed in article).
What materials does the Everyman Hideout use?
The main external material is ballistic nylon, which looks and feels great. But unfortunately the internal materials are not as high quality.
Conclusion
To clarify – we don’t hate this backpack.
We think that it looks great, can feel good and has decent functionality.
If it would cost $99 – we would be stoked about the Hideout!
But it doesn’t cost $99. It costs $229.
But at $229, we believe that there are MUCH better options on the market.
Travel on Nomads.
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