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Peter McKinnon’s first collaboration with Nomatic made a splash in 2019 with a Kickstarter campaign. Now, they’ve teamed up again to release the Nomatic Everyday backpack. It recently completed its second round of Kickstarter crowdfunding and is currently in production.
The Nomatic Everday Backpack retains many classic features such as quick top access, rear access, a pass-through luggage handle, and plenty of customization options. Their latest innovation is a smaller version of the classic camera bag that doubles as a daypack.
Much of the attention has been focused on the collaboration with Peter McKinnon. Even the press release we received highlighted his social media presence during the launch. The Nomatic Everyday Backpack has a variety of options and cool features to suit any need. Does it really deliver the comfort and personality its name suggests, making it your everyday bag? We got a prototype to see if it’s worth the $324 price tag.
The Nomatic Everyday Backpack is an innovative backpack that offers a variety of customization options. Comfort can be further improved to accommodate a variety of body types and to be used as an everyday bag.
I used the large compartment of the Nomatic Everyday backpack. The large compartment can hold a Canon 5D Mark IV, a Canon 85mm f1.2 L II lens, a lens hood, a charger, instant film, a Brown transceiver, and a GoPro. The top compartment easily holds my Hasselblad 501cm and an instant camera.
I was also able to fit a 16″ MacBook Pro, two water bottles, memory cards, lens caps, and a few personal items with plenty of room left over. This large box can accommodate smaller cameras and multiple lenses found on most DSLR systems.
The backpack can hold a Fuji 70-300 f4-5.6 lens and a Fuji XT-4 camera, but it also has enough room for more gear if you’re using a compact camera like the Leica M-mount and new mirrorless cameras.
Let’s start with the exterior of the Nomatic Everyday backpack. The molded EVA back panel features a skull and crossbones graphic and features padded shoulder straps, an adjustable sternum strap, and padded carry handles.
Molded EVA panel with a slot for a suitcase handle on wheels. Inside the padded compartment is a laptop compartment that can accommodate a laptop up to 16 inches.
The backpack has magnetic water bottle holders on both sides and can also be used as a tripod by attaching the outer straps to the Molly system. There are also several Molly systems on the front of the backpack for securing larger items, such as a large tripod or jacket.
The Nomatic Everyday Backpack provides top access to your essentials or carry-on. Plus, you can easily access your belongings by fully unzipping the back of the backpack.
For this review, we used the Main Capacity System as a fully functional camera backpack, complete with a large storage box and ladder system. Inside the backpack, you’ll find a large, removable storage box and a removable ladder system. This allows for easy access to your gear from the outside without having to unzip the entire backpack.
The back offers various storage options. It consists of four mesh pockets for storing small items such as memory cards, batteries, GoPro cameras and chargers.
The Nomatic Everyday Backpack is made of waterproof material and features zippers. The bag withstood the test of Montana thunderstorms and the contents stayed dry the entire time. The padded handles and molded EVA back panel add texture. The overall construction of the backpack is high quality and will not wear out quickly.
These storage boxes provide soft protection, although not too thick. If I were carrying a high-quality camera and lenses, I would prefer a little more padding. I would also like a double layer of mesh specifically to protect the tripod from the inevitable wear and tear that occurs during transport.
The Nomatic Everyday backpack is quite large. If the backpack is not fully loaded and there are a lot of things in the trunk, they can easily press on your back if the straps are not tightened all the way. However, this is not the case when the backpack is completely full. It is also quite heavy, which makes me dread long commutes and climbing up to the fourth floor at the end of a long shooting day.
The adjustable chest strap fits most body types. I am a fairly average woman and found the chest strap to sit a little oddly. It is most comfortable in the middle position. However, this tends to highlight the chest in a less than flattering way. The top is too high and can easily push the chest down.
The shoulder straps are wider, making them suitable for shorter people. The chest strap needs to be fastened tightly so that it doesn’t feel like it’s slipping. When all the compartments were full, I burst a blood vessel in my shoulder. I usually only experience this when doing heavy squats at the gym. When wearing heavy gear for a long time, the straps feel like bra underwire, like you’re digging into them.
The top access is very convenient. I often put my camera there when I go out. I also like to keep my instant camera and instant film in the top compartment for quick shots between shoots.
To access the items in the large storage bin, you have to place the bag on the ground and unzip it completely. I think the organizer should be attached to the back of the bag so that the laptop can rest on the straps when it’s on the floor. Placing the organizer on the front of the bag and unzipping it transfers the weight of the laptop to the back of the bag, which is a bit odd for this prototype. But at the same time, it’s a smart design.
The compartment and ladder system allows for further personalisation of the contents, providing easy access from the top without having to fully unzip the bag.
The Nomatic Everyday Backpack offers a variety of customization options that are sure to suit the needs of most photographers. However, all of this convenience comes at the cost of size.
The weight won’t be an issue when worn for short periods of time, but we’d like to see them redesign the chest and shoulder straps to make them more comfortable for women and those with less athletic builds.
Since this is just a prototype, there may be some improvements in comfort levels during production. For now, we give it three stars out of five.