Nomatic Travel Bag Kickstarter First Look and Review 

When the Nomatic Travel bag went live on Kickstarter in the summer of 2016, it was pitched with all sorts of hyperbole (like most Kickstarter stuff). It was supposed to change the way I travel, keep me more organized, and make packing a breeze. Plus it has over 20 new features that, of course, no serious traveler can really live without. 

I wanted one. Kind of. The pitch video was cool, the bag looked usable and clean. I love bags.

I couldn’t justify another bag though. I simply have too many. I have too many and I’m caught up in this “Made in the USA” phase right now that involves Topo Designs, GoRuck, and Tom Bihn bags more than any others. I’m not against bags made elsewhere; I’ve owned lots of them. I have several Patagonia bags I like and tons of other bags made elsewhere. My Strayfoto Youtube channel stands as a testament though that I’m partial to bags made in the USA. I’ll usually spend my money on those over most other options. 

Luckily my buddy wanted this one bad enough that he ordered it. He was kind enough to let me borrow it for a fist look.  Video below, text and more photos below that. 

It’s a decent bag. The zipper to the main compartment is under the shoulder straps instead of on the outside of the bag. This gives it  a very clean look if it being worn backpack style. It looks pretty sleek that way (yeah, I wish I’d shot some photos of that too before I gave it back). 

If you’re using it duffel bag style, then the shoulder straps are on the bottom and you’ll have to flip it over to get into the main compartment. It’s not a big deal, but something to consider. Someone pointed out to me on YouTube that I’m an idiot and the duffel straps merely pull through and lift up on the same side as the entry, making the back part of the bag the bottom. This makes more sense than the way I was doing it, and makes the straps seem long enough with no worries. The main zipper appears to be waterproof. 

There’s a ton of pockets and they’re well-organized. There’s a fleece one for a phone or glasses, and there’s an RFID one that should block some forms of ID theft. 

Shoulder straps are wide and flat with a little padding. I like shoulder straps like that; I find them more comfortable than thick ones. It’s got a sternum strap. The top handle is well padded and seems like you could carry it by that handle without too much trouble. All in all it seems like a well-built, well-designed bag. 

Without really having a chance to use it I was cautiously optimistic that it was a good bag. I thought the laundry hamper / mesh bag was a little cheap and the dopp kit or shaving bag matched. These both seemed like afterthoughts rather than quality matching accessories. I know I’d rather have a larger laundry bag than that one and I’d rather my existing dopp kit than the one the bag came with. 

All in all though, the Nomatic travel bag seems like a decent attempt at a travel bag, especially from a company that has made only wallets, notebooks and some quartz watches up to this point. 

As of this publication (Feb 2017) I can’t actually find out where to buy the bag. The link on the Nomatic page takes visitors to an Indiegogo page that doesn’t seem current. This is what led to my confusion in the video above. Hopefully the folks at Nomatic can get this cleared up and get this bag to more than just the backers at launch. 

UPDATE:

Someone on Youtube asked about a padlock for zipper RFID compartment and whether or not the padlock would work on the other zippers too… I never even noticed the lock.. I went back and found it. Yes. It’s there and it works on the RFID compartment and on the main zipper too. no others though, they’re not the right style. Photos below. I believe any TSA lock would work the same. Enjoy. 

Thanks.