interviews
interviews
elaine / Feb 27

Talking Travel with Nomatic’s Marketing VP

elaine / Feb 27

Fellow crowdfunding alum, Nomatic, specializes in thoughtfully designed travel products that make traveling effortless. Nomatic’s brand philosophy is to inspire confidence through innovative and highly functional products. Nomatic is a proof that customer-centric products designed to exceed expectations can bring massive success. Originally launching its first Travel Pack in 2014, the travel brand has grown from 6,000 faithful backers in the early days to hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide.

We were thrilled to collaborate with Nomatic on an exclusive LARQ x Nomatic Bottle Flip Top which comes with a Filter Straw upgrade for trips where the tap water might not be as pure as you’d like. It’s the ultimate travel companion to go along with your Nomatic gear. Now available at Nomatic.com.There are boundless ways to access water when you add on the PureVis™ Cap for UV-C protection, too.

headshot of James Atkin of Nomatic

We recently sat down with James Atkin, VP of Marketing at Nomatic to learn more about its success and perspective on sustainability and travel.

How would you describe Nomatic’s unique philosophy?

We strive to exceed expectations through premium and thoughtfully designed products that improve people’s lives and free them up to focus more on the journey. We aim to live intentionally, growing physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually and to help others do the same.

What inspired Nomatic? What were some of the pivotal moments of Nomatic’s success?

Founded in 2014, Nomatic started with a single innovative product. Two cousins, Jon Richards and Jacob Durham, launched a crowdfunding campaign hoping a few dozen people would support their idea. To their surprise over 6,000 people backed the product, setting the stage for future products and designs. The company has continued to bring innovative photography, travel, everyday products, and accessories to the global market that have category-leading functionality, design, and durability. Crowdfunding has been a strategic part of our success with more than $15.7M raised, as of 2023, allowing us to push the envelope on our design, materials, and quality. We’ve relied on a close relationship with our consumers from the beginning working to meet and exceed expectations.

Since the beginning, our focus has been to create highly functional gear for our community. Our goal has been to bring products to the global market that have category-leading functionality, design, and durability. It is our belief that the items we invite into our lives should make it easier to navigate. We seek the space between the physical burden of carrying too much and the mental burden of carrying too little. Confidence and comfort are built by knowing what enough looks and feels like. Whether you are moving toward a destination or toward the best version of yourself- a LIFE ON THE MOVE is a life well lived.

Can you share any projects you’re excited about for 2024?

For 2024, we are really excited about expanding our photography product line as well as new products for Travel!

Name 5 products you never travel without. 

Travel Pack 20L. This is key as it has multiple pockets for organization and can expand up to 50%! This feature is great when traveling when you have more items that come home with you than you packed to start the trip. 

Packing cubes are game changers. You can fit more in your travel bag/luggage. 

Toiletry Bag. Something that keeps your toiletries organized and isolated so that you don’t accidentally get toothpaste on your other items. 

A proper jacket. Our new Outset Jacket has been a new addition to my ‘never travel without’ products. Something light, enough insulation for those weird temperature changes from when you board to when you’re in flight. Our new jacket also stuffs into its own pillow which is fantastic to have both options. 

Hydration. A proper refillable water bottle. Say no to plastic. I use the Larq filtered bottle and it’s made its way into my top 5 products to travel with. The filter is great when on the move and you don’t know for certain if the water is safe or has a bad taste. 

How has Nomatic made efforts to be more sustainable? What are your sustainability goals for the future?

Our goal is to make the most durable products so that they have a longer life and don’t end up in the landfill. A long-term sustainable approach. We’ve also been implementing ways to save on how many shipments go out by utilizing systems to limit multi-shipment packages.

What do you think is the most challenging part of living a sustainable lifestyle?

It’s always changing with new information that comes out on the daily, so staying on top of the newest information is pretty critical. Commitment over the “easy way” (most of the time). It’s hard to take the first step, for example, to stop using plastic, but once you take that first step and commit in your mind, the other steps tend to be a little less work than that first step. 

What are some sustainable habits you practice while traveling?

Limit plastic use. A refillable water bottle is a top one for me. 

What is one thing you wish was more sustainable?

Capitalism

What have been your all-time favorite (top 3) places you’ve traveled to? 

What are some destinations you’re looking forward to traveling to?

Costa Rica and taking the family on a Euro adventure!

Learn more about Nomatic at nomatic.com and give them a follow @nomatic.

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