Nomatic Navigator 6L Sling Review (Updated 2023)
Nomatic tech sling 6L review (Updated 2023)
This Nomatic Tech 6L Sling review is for the business professionals who are looking for a modern tech sling with a hardshell.
This modern tech sling is 6 liters in capacity and comes in only one color— black. It also has a good ventilation and decent comfort. It’s durable and weather-resistant with a hidden water bottle pocket!
Watch our epic Nomatic Tech 6L Sling review below!
- Volume: 6 liters
- Weight: 1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
- Ipad Pro: 11" (9.74 x 7.02")
- Style: Smart, modern, business-y
Get the Nomatic Tech Sling 6L
Due to a trademark issue, Nomatic had to rebrand to ‘Gomatic’ in Europe and the UK. Although the brand name is technically different, both versions sell the exact same high-quality gear 🙂
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Overall Score
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling Pros
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Has amazing materials
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Super comfortable
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Has slim profile
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling Cons
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Weird main compartment opening
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Laptop compartment is not as suspended as we prefer
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Not for girthy water bottles
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Alternatives
Just in case you aren’t sold on the Nomatic Tech 6L Sling yet, we’ve added some alternative recommendations below.
These recommendations are very similar to the Nomatic Tech 6L Sling, but have some important differences that might work better for you!
Alternative #1
Aer Tech Sling 2
Sling for business professionals
Alternative #2
Boundary Supply Errant Sling Pack
Retro-futuristic backpack/sling hybrid
Alternative #3
Nomatic Navigator 1L sling
Not a sling but it’s small enough, yet big enough
* UK & European Customers – Due to a trademark issue, Nomatic had to rebrand to Gomatic in Europe and the UK. You can buy the Gomatic Navigator 1L Sling with the link below.
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Gist of the Sling
Welcome to our Nomatic Tech 6L Sling review.
There are some things about this sling that are innovative and absolutely amazing, and there are some things about this sling that just kind of suck.
Okay, let’s talk about the specs. But, first off, we’re going to start with just the overall gist of this sling because it’s not your normal everyday sling. Most slings look like this, small, compact. Not this guy. This six-liter sling is like the first hard shell sling I’ve ever used and that I’ve ever reviewed. It comes in one color option, black.
The capacity is obviously six-liters as the name infers, but it don’t feel like six-liters. If I had to guess if I was blindfolded and, like, “How many liters is this sling, Aaron?” I’d say 10? 11? The price currently comes in at around 130 US dollars.
Okay, now let’s talk about the style of this sling. It’s got a really modern-look techiness to it. These reflectors right here are sort of the signature design of this Navigator series. The logo is recessed into the material right there. It looks very smart, very sharp.
So if you’re looking for like a business, techy sort of a sling and you dig the hard shell look because the hard shell look is not going to be for everyone because I think some people think it’s a little like turtle shelly. But if you’re cool with all that, this is actually one of the more business professional slings I’ve ever seen. It’s got a really smart look to it.
But while I’m a big fan of what it’s going on aesthetically, let’s talk about the materials where I’ll be a little bit more critical. As mentioned on the exterior materials, we have like a ballistic nylon here, but it’s not like Cordura. It’s not a brand name ballistic nylon. It’s definitely not as great as like Aer’s ballistic nylon that uses Cordura.
Then we have this tarpaulin material right here. I do like the tarpaulin material. It’s better than Nomatic’s previous tarpaulin materials. It’s more durable than the previous tarpaulin they used, unlike the Nomatic backpack or the Nomatic travel pack.
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Front of the Sling
Important points: Quick top access pocket, locking mechanism of the zippers, and basic keyholder
Okay, let’s talk about the front of the Nomatic Navigator Six-liter Sling. Now let’s talk about, actually, we just got the chic sort of front panel right here and then a single pocket. This pocket is accessible right here, sort of a quick-access small pocket. It’s accessible with Nomatic’s new zippers that are on their Navigator series.
We’ll talk about the zippers, actually. You’ve got steel here, like a steel wire in the actual zipper pull itself. The zippers feel smooth and this particular pocket has like a locking mechanism. I wouldn’t say locking. It has like a locking mechanism.
Then when you’re inside the actual pocket, what do I got here? I got my AirPods and I got my keys. We have the actual key ring solution right here. Pretty basic setup, just a little clip, so you can pop your keys off, pop them back on.
I like the functionality of the location of this because this particular pocket is the quick access to the keys. All you do slide it over, unzip and bada bing, bada boom, you got your keys. Now you can either unlock your door like this or simply unclip, unlock your door, put your keys back in and you’re on with your day. That’s it for the front.
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Middle of the Sling
Important points: In the middle of the sling, we’ve got a stowable water bottle solution, RFID-safe pocket, cord pass-through hole, and lockable zippers.
Let’s talk about the middle. Talk about the side handles, basic nylon webbing, a little bit of padding in there. They’re fine.
We got two compartments. Let’s get into the largest compartment. We’ll call it the main compartment. We got this guy right here. I got it packed out with a few things. We’ve got a book, we’ve got a cord pass-through hole right here. So if you want to pop anything in the tech compartment in the back, the section we’ll cover next, you can then charge like your phone or something in this compartment.
We also got a designated pen holder right there. I actually think it’s a pretty nifty little pen holder. I quite like it.
Then from there we got one, two, three, four pockets, three of which are mesh. Let’s start with this guy right here. All the mesh is the same. This is a zippered mesh. These two aren’t. The zipper, pretty easy access. I got my portable battery in there. I’ve got a phone cable.
Nomatic’s mesh is actually quite nice. It’s got a real nice elasticity to it. While they may have skimped on some of the other materials, I think this mesh is pretty nice.
From there, we’ve got an RFID-safe pocket. RFID just basically means that if you got your credit card in there, no one’s going to be able to scan it and steal your information. Super basic pocket, I got my wallet in there. No other internal organization in that pocket.
On the flip side, we got these two pockets. Same mesh on this pocket so same feelings I have towards that mesh. Then we got a smaller pocket. I’m keeping my shades in there and yeah, that’s basically the gist of it.
I quite like this main compartment because you have a decent amount of organization options with these pockets, but it’s also not too cluttered. There’s not a lot going on, which has been a criticism for Nomatic products in the past.
But the biggest thing to take note of is just how big this is. This is a small backpack and you can just fit a ton of stuff in there. You can fit a water bottle in there. Let’s see it. You could fit like three water bottles in there.
Speaking of water bottles, let’s talk about one of the unique and possibly controversial features of this sling and that is the stowable water bottle solution. You have the same mesh, same exact mesh that’s on the interior and, in essence, this is supposed to be a water bottle holder. The jury’s still out on the effectiveness of it. It’s a little difficult to get your water bottle in, but once you’re in and it sort of just hangs out on the side like that.
So this water bottle holder solution is questionable for a few reasons. The functionality, first of all, it kind of holds your water bottle. I wouldn’t recommend a big water bottle. I’d recommend a smaller water bottle if you’re going to use this water bottle holder on a daily basis.
The other questionable aspect about the water bottle holder, aside from the functionality, is just the look. I think it’s cool. Tab was laughing his ass off, though, because he thinks it looks like horse (beep). So you can see it kind of hangs off the side like that. I’m not sure. To each their own.
Overall, I think the idea was quite cool. I’m not sure if the implementation was perfect. I’m not sure if they (beep) nailed it, but I do commend them for trying to come up with an innovative idea.
All right, next up, let’s talk about the last section for the middle and that’s the call it the tech compartment. Pretty basic. I just got a Moleskin notebook in there, but it’s just two pockets. Then you also have access to the cord pass-through hole from the main compartment.
I call this the tech compartment because Nomatic advertises this as a good location for like a tablet. In fact, it says that this can fit up to an iPad, what is it? iPad Pro 11 inch.
One thing to note about this compartment, though, is that whatever you do put in here, make sure it’s a little bit flatter because if it’s like bulky and bulges out, this is the part that goes against your back. So if you put your computer charger on that part, it might be digging into your back a little bit.
One other quick note about the zippers is they are lockable as to where they can sort of intertwine and tie into each other. Then they are now connected so you can see the one zipper actually pulls both zippers. Yet again, not a feature that’s going to keep your sling totally secure, but it’s just a little extra feature that gives you a little bit extra peace of mind.
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Back of the Sling
Important points: It has cozy shoulder straps, a well-ventilated back panel, a magnetic sternum strap, and a luggage pass-through holder.
Okay, let’s talk about the back. We’ve got a little lash right here just for hanging your sling.
Moving down, we have the actual shoulder strap. Now there’s a few things to talk about with this shoulder strap. We talked about the comfort. Let’s say it’s probably in the average. Not uncomfortable, not super comfortable, not too dense, not too like cushiony.
Moving down a little further south, we have another reflector right here and then we have a card holder and this card holder has two really cool points. You got this little like thumb push right there. It just gives you quicker access to your card. Then there’s also some sort of like rubbery material in there, which just kind of helps keep your card in place. It’s not going to be slipping and sliding all over the place and it’s definitely not going to fall out.
Moving on down, we’ve got an external lash point right here and then we have the actual buckle. The buckle, like I said, is non-branded. It should be fine.
One cool note about the buckle is we had a problem with the Boundary Supply Arclite Sling where if you unbuckle it, the back of the sling actually flings behind you. But this guy, boom, you’re good to go. When you unbuckle it, it is done the right way so the sling’s never going to fall behind you. Good design there Nomatic, good design.
The last thing about the shoulder strap as we’re heading south is we actually have a really cool dangle solution right here. You can see right here, just sort of like a clip system. This is actually one of the neater and tidier like dangle solutions we’ve seen on any product.
Then finally with the shoulder strap, we’ve actually got this little guy here. This is an additional system to keep your sling stationary, especially if you’re somebody who runs or bikes or you’re just like, “I just want to keep my shit extra tight.” Then you go ahead and pop this guy out, place it in there, clip it on in, give her a tighten, and now you’ve got a little bit extra stability with the sling. Stable. Then when you don’t need it anymore, unhook, pop it all together and stash.
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Pros and Cons (Detailed)
Let’s give you the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Let’s talk about what we think the overall pros and the cons of the Nomatic Navigator Six-liter Sling are.
Pro number one is it’s very unique sling. While there are other slings in the market that are sort of like a sling-backpack hybrid, which is what this guy is, there’s no hard shells that I’ve seen. There’s none that are quite in this shape and there’s none that have this specific look to it. It’s definitely a very unique and interesting sling.
Pro number two has got to be the impressive amount of storage. I mean, this thing packs.
Pro number three just got to be the overall innovation of this product. I mean, I’m not going to say they nailed everything, but whether it’s like the stowable water bottle solution, or the really interesting dangle stopper right there, or the stowable extra clip on, I mean, they really try to do some interesting things and you got to give them credit for that.
But there’s definitely some cons with this sling.
Con number one definitely has, to me, this is a really big buzzkill is the poor stitching and this sort of waviness right here. Just kind of a buzzkill for me.
Con number two is that at the price point, I think that Nomatic could have used better materials.
Con number three is that with the comfort you are going to have this little guy sort of digging into your chest. The more stuff you carry, the heavier your load, the more it will dig into your chest.
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Alternatives (Detailed)
All right, let’s wrap it up. Who is this sling for? This sling is definitely for you if you’re looking for a business sling. I think this is the best business option on the market. It has a sleek and professional look and also gives you enough space to pack all of your business stuff, minus a laptop.
This is definitely the sling for you if you’re looking for a backpack/sling hybrid and you want something that has a little bit extra protection. This semi-hard shell is really great for anybody who carries a ton of gear, whether it’s tech gear or anything that’s fragile. It should stay very well protected in this, at least better than any other sling/backpack hybrids can keep protected.
If you’re looking for a really nice businessy, sleek-looking sling, but it also carries your laptop, check out the Aer Tech Sling 2. Watch our full review here.
This is also not going to be the sling for you if you’re like, “Dude, I love like the backpack-sling hybrid, but I’m not feeling the look.” We got another backpack/sling hybrid, which is like a cyberpunk sling from the freaking future. If you’re interested, check out the Boundary Supply Errant Sling pack. Watch our full review here.
This is also not going to be the sling for you if you’re like, “Dude, totally dig the look, totally dig the functionality. Just too big for me.” Worry not. Nomatic has a one-liter version of this sling that is also available. You can watch our full review here.
Nomatic Tech 6L Sling
Conclusion
What do you think about the Nomatic Tech 6L Sling? Water bottle solution. Love it or hate it? I like it, Tab hates it. If you own this, let me know. Do you have the same problem with the comfort with the little material on the chest there? Also, if you own this, let me know. Do you have the same like wavy stitching bullshit up here? Your comments are always appreciated and they help not just our community, but the whole internet make more educated decisions for which pack or sling is best for them.
Thank you so much guys, and we’ll see you next time. Bye!
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