Adventures

Designed to handle the mountains, perfected for travel beyond the outdoors. Equipment tough enough for the mountains is surely good enough for the day to day of city centered travel- but it’s not optimized for it. Optimization matters, performance and specificity go hand in hand. If you’re wondering what makes On-Grid different from the rest of our line, you’re in...

Designed for city travel using materials perfected for the outdoors, On-Grid Series bags are built to perform as beautifully as they look. Sam, one of the designers on this project, takes us through the design decisions that make these bags optimized for travel on the grid.

While it’s looking like most international travel is still not in the cards for the foreseeable future, National Parks are opening back up, and road trips are looking like the way to go this summer. With restrictions in place to ensure social distancing, it’s actually a great time to visit without the crowds you typically see this time of year....

Micheal and Tabitha Coen, better known as CoenFilm, have been good friends of the Matador team for some time now. Over the years, we've collaborated on countless videos- from our dynamic studio demos to those epic lifestyle videos that push the limits of what a bag promotion can and should be, they've been the folks in our corner with that magic touch.  In...

As a consumer shopping for a new piece of outdoor gear, fabric terminology can be a bit confusing. The old “apples to oranges” analogy often applies when comparing backpacks made by different companies, of varying fabrics and feature sets. Spend a few minutes(or hours, or days) Googling and you will find more information than you likely bargained for on the...

The SEG42 is a revolutionary new architecture of travel pack designed for one-bag travel. Sam, one of the product designers behind the pack, walks us through all of the behind the scenes details: from ideation to prototypes to the final product.

There’s a reason the FlatPak Soap Bar Case was named “Best Gear of the Year” by Popular Mechanics, and won “Best Accessory” during the annual Carryology Carry Awards. Our customers have described it as “space magic”. We know what you’re thinking, what could possibly make a soap bar case, of all things, award-winning and rave-worthy? Traveling with soap has long...

‘Tis the season for searching high and low for gifts that are unique, useful, and thoughtful. If you have a traveler on your list, look no further than right here. We’ve rounded up 6 gifts that are perfect for anyone planning to hit the road and take a trip this year. 1. Freerain24 2.0 The Freerain 24 2.0 is designed...

As a consumer shopping for a new piece of outdoor gear, fabric terminology can be a bit confusing. The old “apples to oranges” analogy often applies when comparing backpacks made by different companies, of varying fabrics and feature sets. Spend a few minutes(or hours, or days) Googling and you will find more information than you likely bargained for on the...

With all the options on the market these days, sometimes it feels like you need a PhD in Gear just to find the right backpack for your needs. We asked our Product Designer, Sam, to break down some gear terminology so you can find the right backpack for you, and impress your outdoorsy friends with new words like "denier". As a consumer...

We first heard of the Trashy Girls Collective when they posted a photo of a recent beach cleanup using Matador Hip Packs to free up their hands while they picked up trash. We were so inspired by their work, we asked them to tell us a little more about how they got started, and how we can emulate the work...

I’ve been a Matador fan and ambassador living in San Diego for 4 years. When Matador asked me what I’ve been up to lately, I was stoked to tell them about my newly launched company - Driftline, where we are excited to announce Drifties™, our patent-pending wetsuit-lined boardshorts. Drifties provide all watersport athletes, like myself, with a supportive and super...

A diversity of waves, fragrant curries and smiling faces, Sri Lanka is the surf destination of your dreams. From November to April, the South Coast offers consistent waves for all levels. From May, summer brings world-class waves to Arugam Bay, a fishing town on the East coast. With year round surf, Sri Lanka has something for everyone! Arriving to the...

Traveling to Sayulita has been on the top of my list for a while now, so when I recently had the opportunity to join some friends for a trip, I was quick to jump on it. As I was packing, I thought it would be a cool idea to write up a quick post about the Matador pieces that I...

We dropped down over Taldyk Pass, and the tiny town of Sary Tash lay spread out before us at the base of the mountain. When my pre-arranged taxi ride from Osh, Kyrgyzstan to Murghab, Tajikistan fell through, I had experienced a few minutes of panic. My Tajik visa was date-specific, and my permitted time in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Area was...

Photo by: Nils Nedel If you spend a lot of time at airports, you know that little comforts can make a big difference. Whether it saves you from standing in an hour-long line, or gets you access to a free sushi buffet before your flight, sometimes paying a little extra is worth the small luxuries. But in a world of...