Matador
This is not a sponsored post. This is a love letter to good gear.
Many brands have good products, but few consistently hit their target with such quality and considered execution as Matador. By sheer volume, Matador is my most trusted brand, supported by my favorite Japanese-manufactured YKK zippers.
Matador Travel Equipment has high-performance travel gear primarily targeted towards the ultralight backpacker, but regardless of your lifestyle, if you're looking for high-quality light and packable bags and accessories, Matador has you covered. With expansion into the ReFaction Series, Matador is clearly reacting to the Nomad and Travel lifestyles.
When I started using Matador gear a few years ago, I was spending my time on the coasts of Mexico. During the week, I wanted something small enough to carry to restaurants but big enough to fit my [ancient] Kindle. Still, during the weekends, I was taking water taxis down the coast, inserting into small fishing villages, and hiking back into the jungle to find waterfalls. With the river crossings and waterfalls, I quickly realized I needed something waterproof, as holding my things above my head isn't the safest in rapids.
Enter the Freerain Waterproof Packable Hip Pack. This hip pack that I wear as a sling is perfect for fitting my Kindle, watercolors, Go Pro, rechargeable battery, and the dozen random everyday carry things I've picked up along the way, including Matador's Pocket Blanket Mini which provides sitting space for up to two people when you need some dry ground cover.
From there, I expanded into their other bags and accessories. Before we get to my day pack, I want to shout out to their Flatpak toiletries.
The 3oz ultralight bottles are excellent for things like toothpaste and sunscreen. Each has a little label on the hangable clip and massively cuts down on bulk and weight, but the real value is that they stay close regardless of how much they've been stuffed into your bag or the pressure applied to them. No more worrying about that bottle of sunscreen exploding all over your toothbrush.
Speaking of keeping your toothbrush clean, the Soap Case is suitable for more than just soap. Using technology indistinguishable from magic, anything you put in one of these will dry out without getting anything else wet. I use one for my castile soap and one for my electric toothbrush head and Invisalign retainer. It can get a little funky if you're not putting soap in it, as it's not anti-bacterial, so make sure to wash or swap between your cases occasionally.
Lastly, the microfiber towels. These come in two forms: factors and sizes. The NanoDry with the rubber case is designed to hang outside your bag so it can dry on the go without getting anything else wet, but it does add bulk. I prefer Ultralight in the mesh case, which can be clipped all the same. What's different about these microfiber towels is that they don't feel like the normal ones you see in the store; they have a more flat texture, which doesn't make my skin crawl in the same staticky way.
When I go on a weekend hike or trek, all these items get loaded into my Freefly16 Packable Backpack. As a 16-liter ultralight bag, this thing is big enough to handle everything from essential grocery shopping to carrying my Mac Book Pro while being small enough to pack up and stow away in my travel bag.
The real magic of this bag is that it's also Weatherproof, meaning it can resist rain when you're on the trail, but I use it to do my laundry. It's not entirely waterproof; it will still get water-saturated like any rain jacket, but if you fill it with your clothes, water, and castile soap and zip it up, you have a handy travel washing machine.
After a year of using the Fly16 as my washing machine and daypack, I did manage to spring a few leaks in it. Because of the water sealing, I couldn't just sew the holes back up, so I reached out to support to ask for recommendations on repairing it.
In general for small tears or other damage that the customer feels can be repaired with glue we recommend Tenacious Tape(peel-and-stick fabric adhesive patch) and Seam Grip(urethane based adhesive/sealant). These should both work well on the Freefly16.
While I lost this particular bag in Columbia before I could attempt the repairs, I think it says a lot when the brand knows how to repair it and offers advice. Sadly, most brands would reply with a discount code and encourage you to buy a replacement. Matador stands by their gear, so I happily purchased my 2nd Freefly 16.
I hope my love letter to Matador is helpful. This is not a sponsored post, but I understand if you don't believe me. What brands do you love?
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