Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L vs. Nomatic Travel Pack

Two carry-on travel backpacks, compared spec for spec.

Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L

Front facing view of the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L
Capacity45 L
Weight1.7 kg
Dimensions56×37×19 cm
Airline fit26%
Price$240

Feature by feature

Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45LFeatureNomatic Travel Pack
Storage
N Compression N
None Expanded Capacity None
1 Opening 1
top Passport back
Y Passthrough Y
Carry
Y Backpack hideable
N Hip Belt N
Y Sternum Strap Y
Inside
15in Laptop 15in
5 Main Compartments 5
N Organizer N
Outside
× Hard Shell ×
N Rain-fly N
2, side Water Bottle Holder 2, side
Y Water Resistant Y
Material
14.1-oz 900-denier 100% postconsumer recycled polyester ripstop with a postindustrial recycled TPU-film laminateWaterproof tarpaulin

Nomatic Travel Pack

Front facing view of the Nomatic Travel Pack
Capacity20 L
Weight1.9 kg
Dimensions47×30×15 cm
Airline fit93%
Price$300

Key differences between the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L and Nomatic Travel Pack

Both have: luggage passthrough, sternum strap, laptop sleeve, water bottle pockets, water resistant.

Which airlines take each bag as a carry-on

We checked both bags against the carry-on size limits of 189 airlines. 49 accept both. 0 accept only the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L, and 126 accept only the Nomatic Travel Pack.

Only the Nomatic Travel Pack fits

Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Asia, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air Caraibes, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air Macau, Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Niugini, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Air Wisconsin, AirAsiaX, Alaska Airlines, All Nipon Airways, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, ANA, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Austrian, Avianca , Azerbaijan Airlines, Bahamasair, Bangkok Airways, Belavia, Biman Bangladesh, Blue Air, Boliviana de Aviacion, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, Cathay Pacific, Cayman Airways, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, CommutAir, Copa Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Airlines, Dragonair, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Eurowings, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Flair Air, flybe, Garuda Indonesia, Gol Linhas Aereas, Hawaiian Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Icelandair, Indigo, InselAir, Interjet, Iran Air, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, jetBlue Airways, Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Juneyao Airlines, Kenya Airways, KLM, Kulula, LATAM , Liat Airlines, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Luxair, Mahan Air, Malaysia Airlines, Mango, Meridiana Fly, Mesa Airlines, Nordwind Airlines, Norwegian, Oman Air, Pakistan International, Peach, Porter Airlines, Qantas Airways, Qatar Airways, Regional Express, Republic Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Ryanair, S7, SAS Scandinavian, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sky Airlines, Skywest, Inc., South African Airways, SriLankan Airlines, Sun Express, Swiss Int'l Air Lines, TAP Air Portugal, TAROM, Tianjin Airlines (A320 & E190), Tiger Airways, Trans States, TUI, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International, United Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, VIM Airlines (Closed), Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, Volotea, WestJet, Xiamen.

Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L vs. Nomatic Travel Pack: which should you pack?

The Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L carries 25L more than the Nomatic Travel Pack (45L vs. 20L), while the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L is the lighter pack at 1.7kg (vs. 1.9kg). For carry-on flexibility, the Nomatic Travel Pack fits 93% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; if you want to travel lighter, the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L is the better call.