Canadian Made: Arcteryx Nomin V2 Pack

In this article we are going to do a deep dive into the Arcteryx Nomin V2 pack, that is a part of their Veilance line of products.

Appearance

The Nomin has a very minimalist, sleek appearance. The length is taller than most packs at 19 inches, leaving plenty of space on the interior. It has the perfect silhouette in my opinion, not too rectangular and not too circular, leaving adequate space for larger items such as a 16 inch Macbook Pro. The Nomin does a great job at holding it’s shape even when the back isn’t fully packed out.

Materials

The Nomin is made in Canada, where the Arcteryx brand was founded. Which should be expected at the $800 price point. The Veilance team specializes in using ultra high quality, hard-to-source materials, which is in line with the material on the Nomin. The exterior is a waterproof, AC2 plain weave nylon face with a urethane laminate. I find most waterproof bags to have a crinkly sound, which the Nomin doesn’t really have. The Nomin also has YKK zippers, similar to what you’d find on their more affordable line, Granville.

Organization

The Nomin definitely lacks organization compared to nearly every other bag on the market, but that’s sort of why you’d buy this bag. It’s made for a minimalist that would likely already be using EDC pouches or has no need for additional organization.

On the exterior, you have 2 zippered sections. One leading to the main compartment, which has an interior zippered pouch attached to the top of the bag. This compartment is fairly large. Arcteryx claims this bag is 20L but it feels more like 24-26L. Both zippered sections on the pack extend to the very bottom of the pack allowing you to open it clamshell style.

The other exterior section gives you access to the laptop compartment, along with a quick access pouch at the top of the bag. One downside to the design of this is that if you need to pay close attention to where your zippers are. If you are trying to get your laptop out and you open the section entirely, your quick access items can easily fall out at the top of the bag.

Comfort & Ease of Use

Comfort is definitely one area I think could be improved for the Nomin. I found the straps to be incredible, both in terms of comfort and the fact that they provide a dangle-free experience. The additional material is held on by a sliding attachment.

A pro & con, and what I think is the ultimate drawback for comfort, is the very rigid framesheet. On one hand, it provides more stability and comfort when carrying things like a laptop, and helps the bag maintain shape. But on the other hand, isn’t the most comfortable on your back. I’m 6 foot 2 and I found the bottom of the bag to dig into my back slightly. The frame sheet does wear in over time but for a bag of this price, I wouldn’t expect to have to endure any discomfort at all. I would personally prefer the bag to be shorter in length and slightly larger in depth to make up for the difference.

Travel

I’ve yet to take my Nomin as a carry on, but have tested sitting the pack on my luggage and am happy to report that the handle on the pack fits perfectly over my luggage handle (Tumi International Carry on). This is great news and something I was worried about. Whenever you want to take the load off, just sit it on your rolling luggage and you’re on your way. Because the Nomin has a relatively slim width, and longer length, there should be no problems fitting the pack underneath the plane seat.

Conclusion

The Nomin is the perfect pack for a minimalist who values bomb-proof construction, along with highly technical materials. Is it worth $800? That’s up to you. I think $500-$600 would be a more reasonable price point. The Nomin does seem to hold value quite well second-hand. If you are interested in this pack, you should also consider the Rofmia Daypack V2 Medium, DSPTCH Daypack RND Edition, or any X-Pac bag from Aer.