Before heading to Seattle to cover Pax West 2026, I thought it was a good time to check out a new travel backpack. However, I did not want to check out just any backpack. I was particularly intrigued with the Nomatic Travel Pack, a bag that caught my eye on the show floor of CES 2026. The Nomatic Travel Pack is a feature-rich 22 pocket backpack with a TSA-approved laptop pocket. It comes with two size variations, a 14L bag that expands to 21L and a 20L bag that expands to 30L. Here, we will be looking at the 14L variant, which I have been using for my day-to-day travels to and from the office. So, let’s dive in.
Nomatic Travel Pack (14L) Specs
| Weight: | 3.5 lbs |
| Capacity: | 14L (expands to 21L) |
| Dimensions: | 17.5″ H × 11″ W × 5.5–6″ D |
| Laptop Compartment: | Fits up to 15″ laptops (13″ × 10″ × 1″) |
| Materials: | Water-resistant tarpaulin (nylon + polyester blend) YKK zippers 100% vegan construction |
From the moment I opened it up, the Nomatic Travel Pack impressed me with its versatility. The 22 pockets allowed for a variety of storage solutions for essentials I carry with me wherever I go.
Within the outward-most facing flap, you have eight pockets, with two of those pockets being zippered as well as a thin one for pens or pencils. The topmost of the zippered pockets provides RFID protection, which is the perfect placement for a pocket that is this accessible. As such, I found this eight-pocket compartment to be handy for fast quick access items like chewing gum or high-use cables.
This front-top zippered pocket works as a nice place to store small quick-access electronics, like wireless earbuds. There is even a passthrough from here into the bag’s largest compartment. This gives you a clean option to feed a cable through here to a battery pack if you choose.
The main compartment of the Nomatic Travel Pack is no joke. The flap for this compartment opens up to lay flat, giving you easy access to all of its pockets. Here you have two large, zippered pockets, two side hanging pockets, and access to the zippered net compartment. Behind that zippered net, you have a large pocket designed for storing footwear.
In one of the side pockets, you have an included hard shell glasses case, holding a soft pouch and a retractable key leash. For my day-to-day office travels, I used this case as designed, to hold my sunglasses. However, for my flights to and from Seattle, this pocket was perfect for holding onto my Anker (25K, 165W) Power Bank. The side pocket’s placement was perfect for allowing the power bank’s cabling to reach into the passthrough in that top front pocket.
Looking at the rear most compartment, this area has two large pockets. One of those pockets is the dedicated laptop sleeve, featuring thicker cushioning and a Velcro strap to help keep your PC stable when stored. This compartment can also open up to allow the laptop sleeve to lay flat, which can be acceptable at some airport checkpoints. Where applicable, this can save you the trouble of having to remove your laptop from your bag before sending it through a scanner.
All of the Nomatic Travel Pack’s pockets are easily accessible, whether you have the bag in its 14L or 21L form. In its 14L form, the bag is tight and compact, making it a nice low-profile accessory for any commuter. With a simple unzipping around the bag’s center, the Nomatic Travel Pack expands to its larger 21L form. The 21L form does more than just give you more storage space. It also gives you a new means of splitting the bag between its main compartment and the side with footwear and laptop pockets. If you are using the back for travel, this is especially handy when you need to rummage through clothing. It gives you a neat way of both seeing and accessing only what you need without making a mess while doing so.
The 14L Nomatic Travel Pack is designed for light travel, which is perfect for my daily commute in New York City. My daily load consists of two 14-inch laptops, some health supplements, and my gym bag with a full change of gym clothes.
My personal laptop is the ASUS Zenbook Duo, a thicker than most 14-inch laptop due to its dual 14-inch screens. Nevertheless, the bag’s dedicated laptop sleeve had no issues fitting this PC, as well as my 14-inch Dell Latitude office machine in its neighboring sleeve.
In its 14L form, the Nomatic Travel Pack not only holds these contents with ease, but it also does so in a neat and compressed form, perfect for daily subway travel. I was even able to fit a mobile gaming controller as well as its carrying case, without much effort.
On days where I pack in a little extra, like a sizable lunch container, the bag’s expanded 21L form is more than enough to cover the extra load.
My Seattle trip was a 5-night stay, where the Nomatic Travel Pack gave me two options for how I could travel. In its 14L form, I was able to use it as a neatly packed personal item to complement my carry-on luggage. Since it was a 6-hour flight, it gave me a means of carrying my laptop, my glasses, two battery packs, an over-ear headset and a gaming controller for entertainment. The 14L form also slid easily under the seat on my JetBlue flight.
However, if I wanted to travel especially light, the 21L option also allowed me to fit my laptop, four days of clothes, gym clothes, and some toiletries. All my clothes fit snugly in the main compartment. When the bag I expanded to its 21L form, a new middle compartment made itself available. This is perfect for storing my toiletries for quick access if needed. Then of course, my laptop slid right in to complete the neatly packed package.
Topping off the Nomatic Travel Pack is the bag’s overall comfort. Soft breathable padding line the bags rear and shoulder straps, allowing for comfortable wear regardless of the weight I was carrying. That level of comfort was quite welcome considering my regular baggage of two laptops, gym clothes and the occasional meal. The bag also has sternum straps that adjust both in height and width for added wearing stability.
The Travel Pack features a side handle for carrying horizontally by hand and a pass-through strap for sliding onto your luggage. Lastly, you have bottle holders on both sides that close magnetically when not in use.
From the moment I started using it, the Nomatic Travel Pack easily became my go-to bag for everyday use. Its 20-plus pockets and general versatility make it a solid traveling companion regardless of its storage size. In its 14L form, it is a compact bag that allows you to travel lean. Its 21L form then expands it for use on short-term travel, or when you are simply coming home with more baggage than when you left it. Toss in its TSA-compatibility features, RFID protection, and overall general comfort, and you have yourself a bag you can hardly leave home without.
Whether you are a light traveler or a frequent flyer, the Nomatic Travel Pack is a bag definitely worth checking out for $349.99. If you want to look into this bag for yourself, you can do so by clicking here.
† We were provided with a 14L Nomatic Travel Pack for review purposes and were not compensated for this review.
