Nomatic Backpacks & Travel Bags Australia 2026: The Complete Guide

📅 September 21, 2026 · ⏱ 7 min read

Nomatic is one of those brands that started with a single problem and refused to stop iterating. Cousins Jon Richards and Jacob Durham launched with a Kickstarter wallet in 2014 — less bulk, more organisation — and spent the next decade applying the same idea to packs, slings and packing kit. The result is a travel line built around dedicated pockets for the things you actually dig for: laptop, cables, passport, dirty laundry.

If you have watched a Nomatic video and wondered whether the bags are as organised in real life as they look on camera, here is the honest map of the range we stock in Australia, which piece suits which trip, and where the cabin-size claims hold up.

The ranges at a glance

Nomatic does not make wheeled luggage. Everything here is soft goods designed around how people pack and move through airports, offices and cities. The line splits cleanly:

• Travel Pack 14L — expands to 21 L, opens flat, the bag most people mean when they say “Nomatic for travel.”
• Backpack 14L — same volume family, more briefcase energy for work days that are not flights.
• Navigator — lighter packs, slings, a collapsible tote and a 42 L duffle that packs down when empty.
• Access — small sling and pouch for phone, wallet and keys without a full pack.
• Messenger 15L — Fidlock magnetic buckles, laptop panel, briefcase mode when you strip the strap.
• Packing system — cubes, vacuum bags, shirt organiser, shoe cube, toiletry bags, tech case.

Shop the full set in our Nomatic collection.

Travel Pack 14L — the weekend / cabin workhorse

The Travel Pack 14L (also in olive) is the centre of the range. Fourteen litres at rest, expanding about 50% to 21 L when you need the room. A full perimeter zip opens it flat like a soft suitcase, there is a dedicated sleeve for a 16-inch laptop, and the layout is obsessive about separating tech from clothes so you are not emptying the bag at security.

Empty weight is about 1.6 kg and the packed size is roughly 44 × 24 × 14 cm. That sits comfortably inside the 56 × 36 × 23 cm cabin frame Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar publish. Weight is the constraint, not volume: against a strict 7 kg Jetstar cap you still have roughly 5 kg of contents, which is a weekend of clothes plus a laptop if you pack with cubes. For how to actually do that, see how to pack a carry-on for a week.

Backpack 14L — cleaner daily carry

The Backpack 14L (and olive) is the sibling for people who want the Nomatic organisation without looking like they are permanently on their way to the airport. Same 14 L baseline, a milder expansion to about 17 L, same face-coated nylon and YKK / Zoom hardware, and a silhouette that reads more office than expedition.

Reach for this when most days are commute and coffee shops and the occasional overnight. Reach for the Travel Pack when the trip is the point.

Navigator — packs, slings and collapsibles

Navigator is the lighter, more modular side of the brand. The Navigator Pack 15L and Navigator RS Pack 15L both sit around 15 L with expansion headroom, RFID-safe pockets, and laptop sleeves. The RS version is the more organised of the two — three-quarter zip so it lies flat, denser pocketing — and it is also the lighter empty weight at about 1 kg.

Slings cover the days you do not want a backpack at all. The RS Sling 1L and Lite Sling 1L handle phone and wallet; the RS Sling 6L and Lite Sling 6L take a compact camera or a small daily kit. The Collapsible Sling 3L packs flat when empty.

Two pieces earn special mention for travel days. The Collapsible Tote 28L is the bag you bring empty for shopping or laundry. The Collapsible Duffle 42L weighs about 410 g empty, expands to a proper duffle (roughly 53 × 34 × 23 cm when full), and folds into almost nothing as a spare bag for the trip home.

Access — sling and pouch for light days

Access is the smallest everyday tier. The Access Sling (also in olive) and Access Pouch are for phone, cards, keys and a cable — the kit that usually ends up in a jeans pocket and then falls out in an Uber. They are not travel bags; they are the thing you wear when the Travel Pack is already checked or left in the hotel.

Messenger 15L

The Messenger Bag 15L is the outlier for people who prefer a shoulder bag to a backpack. Water-resistant tarpaulin shell, customisable interior panels, and Fidlock magnetic buckles that rotate through 360° and come off entirely so you can carry it like a briefcase. At about 30 × 42 × 14 cm it is a different shape to a cabin spinner — fine as a personal item on most Australian carriers, tighter if a gate agent is measuring every dimension strictly. Measure your own airline’s personal-item rules before you rely on it as your only bag.

Packing cubes, vacuum bags and toiletry

Nomatic’s packing accessories are useful inside any brand’s luggage, not just their packs.

• Packing cubes — small, medium and large, plus a shoe cube and shirt organiser.
• Vacuum bags — large and extra large for compressing bulky layers without a bulky pump ritual.
• Toiletry — small and large (large also in navy and olive).
• Tech Case — the Tech Case is a slim laptop / work-kit sleeve designed to drop into larger Nomatic pieces; when we have stock it is the natural partner to the Travel Pack.
• Waist straps — optional waist straps if you want more stability on a loaded pack.

The Wallet (and navy leather-tab) is still in the line if you want the original Nomatic problem solved at pocket scale.

Warranty and what it actually covers

Nomatic products sold through The Travel Shop carry the NOMATIC Manufacturer’s Lifetime Warranty — defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the product for the original owner. As with every manufacturer warranty, that does not mean “replace anything forever regardless of use.” Normal wear, misuse, airline damage and cosmetic ageing sit outside it; airline damage is a claim against the carrier.

Keep your order confirmation. If something fails under warranty we will help you start the claim with Nomatic.

Are Nomatic packs cabin-sized in Australia?

Short answer: the main packs yes on size; weight and airline still decide.

Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar all publish a main cabin bag frame of 56 × 36 × 23 cm. The Travel Pack 14L (~44 × 24 × 14 cm), Backpack 14L and Navigator packs sit inside that frame with room to spare. They are soft packs, not wheeled spinners, so they are usually treated as a cabin bag or a large personal item depending on how full they are and how the gate is enforcing.

Jetstar’s 7 kg combined limit is still the trap. A 1.6 kg empty Travel Pack leaves you about 5 kg of contents — workable for a laptop weekend, tight for a week. Qantas main jet services are more forgiving on weight. For the full rules matrix see our Australian carry-on guide and cabin bag vs personal item.

We do not badge Nomatic packs as “cabin approved” as a marketing line. The dimensions fit; enforcement and weight are still on you.

The verdict

Buy Nomatic if you care more about organisation than wheels. The Travel Pack 14L is the default recommendation for short trips and cabin-only weekends. The Backpack 14L covers the same volume for people who mostly commute. Navigator is the modular / lighter path — especially the collapsible duffle as a spare bag — and Access covers the pocket-replacement problem.

Skip Nomatic if you want a spinner you can roll through an airport, or a hard-shell case. For that side of the store start with Thule or our carry-on luggage collection.

Frequently Asked Questions