NOMATIC X Peter McKinnon Luma Camera Pack 18L Review

The NOMATIC X Peter McKinnon Luma Camera Pack 18L is a super customizable pack designed with the everyday photographer and videographer in mind. This cleverly constructed bag was developed in collaboration with well-known photographer Peter McKinnon as part of their series (NOMATIC X Peter McKinnon) to meet the needs of everyday photographers. As the dedicated backpack in The Luma Camera Collection, this pack combines form and function in a unique style with nice color options.

Ideal for carrying a light to medium amount of photography, videography, and drone equipment, it is a slim, stylish, and unique camera bag that can be customized to accommodate a variety of gear. It offers quick and easy access with a variety of quick access options. It is designed with mirrorless cameras in mind and provides ample protection and storage with thoughtfully designed internal pockets and exterior attachment points.

External Components

The NOMATIC X Peter McKinnon Luma Camera Pack 18L is constructed with a 900D polyester fabric with an additional coating to ensure water resistance. The combination has a pretty smooth feeling to the touch. The bag has YKK zippers, which are known for their reliability and smooth operation, and they do not disappoint. All of the zippers are incredibly smooth, even around corners. This pack comes in four distinct color options: Sage, Black, Stone, and Rust, providing a much brighter set of choices than their previous collaboration, which is only available in black. As for branding, there is only a tiny flap on the front with the NOMATIC X Peter McKinnon logo.

This pack features numerous attachment points for extra gear, designed to serve as accents on the pack and blend in unnoticeably until needed. They are placed strategically around the front and sides of the bag and consist of two layers of external nylon webbing for a secure hold. Due to their size and rigidity, it can be a bit tight, but getting a carabiner through is still possible. They can accommodate larger carabiners effectively but are most practical when used with the included shock cord strap. We can also attach various other gear, including a hidden boot for a tripod.

The pack has one grab handle on the top and a luggage pass-through on the back. The unique design of the top grab handle, attached to both shoulder straps instead of the top of the backpack, causes the bag to lean forward when we use it. However, this approach prevents the shoulder straps from unnecessarily dangling, making it an interesting and functional design. It’s just basic nylon webbing, so while it has a small amount of give, it lacks padding for comfort.

The luggage pass-through on the pack is fairly basic, consisting only of a strap extending from one side to the other with minimal slack. When not in use, it is not even noticeable. Its design is similar to the external attachment points on the front of the bag and adds to its cohesive aesthetic. When placed on a roller luggage set, the bag maintains an upright position, which ensures items do not fall out of pockets, particularly the water bottle pocket on the side.

The shoulder straps on this pack are relatively thin but fairly rigid, almost like they have a stiff cardboard core. Despite this, they are flexible and bend but always revert to their original shape. They have a lot of dense padding for comfort that decently distributes the weight. One of the shoulder straps has a nylon webbing attachment point that is not the easiest to get through, while the other has a small NOMATIC logo. The pack also includes a non-removable sternum strap that slides easily on a rail system, allowing for easy height adjustment even while wearing the backpack. Using the rail to adjust the height is super smooth. The sternum strap connects using a basic buckle system with a surprisingly loud click, and you can adjust the length with the smooth nylon fabric. The shoulder straps are also adjustable using the same silky nylon material. These straps are some of the easiest to adjust, even on the fly. However, it is worth noting that there are no strap keepers, which could be a downside for those who dislike dangling straps.

The back panel has ample perforated padding for ventilation in warmer climates. Another layer of dense padding is also behind it, presumably adding protection for the dedicated laptop compartment.

Fit Notes

This pack has a somewhat blocky yet unique aesthetic with slight curves around the sides and a slanted top. The Sage green variant we tested stands out thanks to its semi-neutral color scheme with gray and cream-ish accents. NOMATIC designed this bag with the modern photographer and videographer in mind, and we find it difficult to disagree. It’s versatile enough for office use, although the Sage and Rust variants might attract more attention. The Black version, with its all-black aesthetic, is more discreet and might be a better choice for travel as it makes the bag’s entry points less noticeable. Despite its modern look, it doesn’t overtly signal that it’s a camera bag or a holder for expensive equipment. However, depending on the color and shape, it’s still likely to draw attention.

Inside The Pack

The NOMATIC X Peter McKinnon Luma Camera Pack has a simple approach to secondary compartments. A top quick-access pocket extends the entire length and width of the upper lid, providing a decent amount of room. This pocket is lined with soft felt padding, making it ideal for storing sensitive items like a phone, glasses, or anything with a scratchable screen. Something to note when it comes to the internal zippers is the orientation of the pull tabs. They are perpendicular to the zipper, which may initially be confusing, but it’s easy to get used to. However, they are a bit small, so those with bigger hands may feel awkward trying to get a good grip.

The bag features a versatile bottle pocket that you can use to store a water bottle or tripod, depending on what you need. When not in use, this pocket sits flush against the bag and is secured shut by a magnet. Thankfully, an elastic gusset allows the pocket to expand significantly, easily accommodating items like a 1-liter Nalgene bottle, although we sometimes have to use two hands to get it in. When used as a tripod holder, the included shock cord anchors the tripod’s top to the previously mentioned attachment points on the bag. Combining this shock cord with the pocket ensures your tripod will not fall out during transit. It is always nice to see flexibility built into the bag, and when we needed to carry both a water bottle and a tripod, securing a water bottle in the dedicated water bottle pocket and attaching a tripod to the front with the shock cork and hidden tripod boot worked flawlessly.

With a dedicated laptop sleeve hidden between the main compartment’s zipper and the back panel, this bag can accommodate up to a 16-inch laptop. This design allows easy access to a laptop or tablet without opening other compartments, a feature we greatly appreciate, especially in a busy lounge or airport. However, the compartment’s zipper placement next to the main compartment zippers initially caused a bit of confusion. The laptop compartment seems to have adequate protection but has some shortcomings. Specifically, there is a lack of a soft lining or elevation from the bottom of the bag, so we stress caution when setting the bag down. Additionally, while it can hold a 16-inch laptop, the fit was tighter than expected, particularly around the corners, raising some minor concerns, especially since there is no felt or plush lining.

The customizability and flexibility of this pack really shine in the main compartment. It includes numerous felt-lined dividers in small, medium, and large sizes to protect and separate your gear. You can remove these dividers entirely if you prefer, using the main compartment as a simple storage space for all your gear or packing cubes. We found that, even with lining the dividers around the side and bottom, we could still fit in a decent amount of gear without ditching or leaving the dividers behind entirely. The dividers offer plenty of customization, which we appreciate. Although rigid for protection, the medium and larger dividers allow a slight bend, which helps when planning how to pack.

We can access the main compartment in three different ways. The first method is through the top, which they cleverly refer to as “the shelf.” It operates like a traditional backpack opening, providing a top-down view of all your gear. We find it simple and convenient to create that shelf at the top with one of the longer dividers, which effectively transforms the top into a dedicated pseudo-compartment for quick access.

The second method provides on-body quick access through a side door. You can slide the bag around to your front with one shoulder strap for easy access. While this requires some strategic planning for setting up the interior, we found it worked well. With the side access door in mind, arranging the dividers is easy, so whatever you need is just a zip away. We tested this feature with a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera with a 24—105mm lens. The only challenge encountered was configuring it so that we could keep a good grip on the camera when opening the bag this way.

The third method for the main compartment is a clamshell-style opening. It provides an overview of everything inside and is perfect for planning and separating gear for the day. This compartment also features three additional flexible mesh pockets on the back panel, divided into two small ones on top and a larger one underneath. These pockets use the aforementioned small, perpendicular-aligned pull tab. An interesting feature is that the top two mesh pockets are secured with a single zipper, meaning that you have to unzip both pockets to get into them. A slight inconvenience we noticed is that, depending on the height of items placed in the main compartment, gear in the zippered mesh pockets can compete for space, requiring occasional rearrangement and adjustment to zip the bag. With our Canon EOS R and lens, we had to move some items around for it to close fully without smushing the camera.

The NOMATIC X Peter McKinnon Luma Camera Pack 18L is a versatile and customizable pack with a unique design and modern aesthetic. The bag features durable materials inside and out, including YKK zippers for reliability. It also includes various attachment points for attaching gear to the outside and a hideaway tripod boot. With a comfortable harness system using comfortable shoulder straps that are thin but rigid, a sternum strap for stability, and a wide array of customizable organization inside, this pack stands out from the rest, not only in aesthetics but also in flexibility and function. Despite the lack of a plush lining for the laptop sleeve and competition for space in the main compartment, this pack is a solid option for many users, especially if you never leave your camera equipment behind.