Gomatic Travel Pack
The Gomatic Travel Pack was designed for everyday use and for those shorter 1-3 day trips. It’s made with durable, water-resistant materials and YKK zippers. Starting at 20L and expanding to 30L, this bag is slim but expands when you need to pack more. The patent pending strap system allows you to go from backpack to briefcase carry for those times when you need to look more professional.
The full perimeter zipper, magnetic water bottle pockets, RFID safe storage, and hidden pockets are just a few of the 20+ noteworthy features that make the Travel Pack the most functional travel pack ever! On top of being packed with incredible functionality, the GOMATIC Travel Pack has a sleek minimalist design and gives you confidence for your life on the move.
Let’s just be upfront. The design of this bag isn’t for everyone. I’ve read it described as a buck Rodgers jet pack. And I can see the comparison. I had reservations when I initially brought the bag and even after receiving it I was not sure. The material is very Plastic/rubber-like.it does mark but it does seem to rub off. On the flip side, it is very waterproof, unless you are having a bucket of water thrown over you I don’t think you will have an issue. I used this as an EDC and for business trips, these range from visiting vessels as technical support to sales visits to clients.
Gomatic Travel Pack Review
The aesthetics work well and it looks smart. The straps are padded and provide lots of cushions, and lots of movement as well depending on how you like to wear the bag. The chest strap is there but I don’t think I’ve ever used it, they normally are just something that flaps for me so normally I just take them off. The bag was provided with waste straps which again I’ve never used. If you did truly want one bag with them I could see how they would help with the load if the bag was very full. They also have pockets built in big enough for a passport and ticket.
If I can sum up this bag in one word, it would be organisation. Depending on what you need the backpack to do that can be a good or bad thing. If you wanted to use this bag for a 6-month trip and wanted every square inch of the bag to pack as much in as you can, I would say you won’t get on with this bag. If you want something that you can use as EDC for college/school/office (with the knowledge it is bigger and heavier than you might like) that can also be used to pack for a few days worth of travel then this would be a good “one bag”. To explain this, let me go through the different pockets that are available.
The front pocket on this bag is designed to be your office on the move. Under the YKK zippers on the front flap, you will find an RFID-safe pocket if you are worried about that type of thing. It is a handy pocket for keeping your passport when you need to stash it after security until you board your flight. Below this what I would say is your primary admin section. There are two sections for pens, and to the right of these are two “mesh” pockets. I hope you like these as the bag as a fair few of these are of varying sizes.
These are a good size for business cards. I use one for that and the other for a whiteboard pen and hand sanitiser (because 2020). Moving from the front to the flap connecting it to the main bag. I mention this as it’s big enough to hold a Gomatic notebook. Moving to the admin attached to the main body. Here are 4 more mesh pockets and a pocket designed to hold the notebook, I have wipes in here and use them as a bigger loose pocket.
This is your primary storage area and where you will get the majority of your open space of twenty/ thirty litres depending on the travel mode. This section offers a full clamshell opening. On this flap when open you will find two large zipper pockets. I’m guessing this is for underwear/socks for travel mode. Moving the clamshell to the body there are 4 mesh pockets on the side above each other. These come with a key chain and hard glasses case for storage of those items.
Gomatic Travel Pack Review
There is also an internal zip in this compartment with a mesh divider. This is the bag in “compressed mode”. To gain the extra space for “travel mode” you will need to use the zip behind the zipper for this. Middle section and fully release it. If you have opened that mesh divider you will expand this middle section for full travel mode. This new section has a slip on the main wall, I’m guessing to store shoes.
It’s just that. Designed to put your phone or glasses in and not scratch. I’ve converted this to a quick-access pocket for keys etc. It does have a pass-through that goes to the front admin pocket if you want to charge something from a battery pack.
This is the paperwork and laptop storage area. Again this is a clamshell opening and is TSA approved section which in theory means you don’t have to remove your laptop/tablet when travelling (never been brave enough to try this feature though). On the front wall, you will find an elastic quarter-height pocket which is for paperwork. On the other half of the clamshell is your laptop and tablet storage area. These are slits that can take a laptop and tablet in separate storage areas. I would say you can get a 15-inch minimum laptop in the main sleeve and an apple air in the tablet sleeve.
The back of the bag has a padded grab handle that is relatively easy to grab. Moving onto the back padded panel. I think this part can be very subjective so for me, I find the airflow good, there are lots of side channels for air to flow. The padding itself I think is firm but comfy. It’s not super soft, but it’s not rock-hard. It feels like it would stay that way for a while. The straps are the same, thick and firm. There is a cross strap that is adjustable. Not something I’ve used though.
The straps can also be tucked behind the padding to convert into a “briefcase mode” by using the side handles. Why anyone would need to do this I have no idea. It’s more useful for storing under seats on planes or long-term storage at home. On the back panel, there is also a secret pocket. I’ve found this pocket to be a bit hit-and-miss. Its location is well hidden. Though the cases are hard. I keep an emergency card and wallet in here in a slim card-only wallet and it is a pig to get in and out! Finally, there are loopholes to attach hip supports to take the load off. I have these, but I’ve not used them.
Gomatic Travel Pack Review
Something that I think Gomatic has done a really good job of doing is creating an ecosystem to support the bag. For example, if you have a Gomatic toiletry bag it fits in the middle section without expansion nicely with a medium packing cube. If you need to you could probably stick a packed shirt in there as well in a shirt travel slip. It’s a bit apple-like with how it all flows.
I also want to mention customer service as twice they have gone above what I’m used to. First, when I ordered my travel pack I did it the day before Black Friday (yes silly me). I cheekily asked the next day if there was anything they could do, and they gave me the difference back from the full retail price to the sale price. They didn’t have to, but they did!
Secondly, I ordered a 40-litre travel duffle from them. On opening it, I found a dead cockroach inside, which did make the bag smell a bit. Again I contacted customer service with a photo and they sent me a replacement free of charge. I managed to clean and remove the smell from the bag and now I have two for me and my partner to use. The final part I will say is this review is for the mk2. The original Kickstarter bags had issues with the zip. The Mk2 has transferred to YKK zippers and this seems to have fixed that issue
Overall, the Gomatic Travel Pack allows me to have a bag for everyday needs and then for travel for a few days. The organisation included is great, if that’s something you need. The expansion ability is handy. As someone that lives in Europe where carry-on weight and bag size are more of a factor, it’s a great middle ground. One thing my partner has said, as someone on the shorter side (5ft3) she finds it a little bulky. I’m 5ft 10 and I don’t have that same issue. Living in Europe, Gomatic is currently not available due to licensing issues. And I have some concerns if they will sell these now “older” bags in the re-branded form. The new series of bags have gone away from the versatility that the previous generation of bags offers very one-role options.
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