Matador Blog

UL has been a movement in the through-hiking community for quite some time. Ultralight means much more in some circles than just low in weight, it has grown into a style of travel from trail to jet bridge. Around here, weight is pretty much always front of mind. It’s where we started, and reducing base weight has become a top...

Surf travel has a vibe all its own, one we are looking forward to soaking up this summer. Spending a little time working with Volcom’s team this past year on our collaborative surf travel line has us seriously anticipating our next surf trip. An excellent way to experience a little travel without straying too far from home, we have put...

The term waterproof is thrown around an awful lot.  That’s why we’re taking our waterproofing to a whole new, third party certified, level. IPX6 is one of a few variations of IP code, or Ingress Protection Code.  IP Codes classify protection from both water and dust.  In the case of the new Base Layer Line, the protection IPX6 is referring...

Today’s world of digital cameras is this endless maze of strange and seemingly arbitrary acronyms and designations. There are so many different makes and models that claim to do the exact same things. For someone relatively new to photography, navigating this landscape can be pretty time consuming. I’m Jonndre- Matador’s staff content creator, here to share my thoughts on travel...

A frame does a lot for a pack. Responsible for distributing weight from the shoulder straps to the hip, the frame is a key part of any effective suspension system. For a pack designed to wear for long hours, covering long distances, or hauling any real weight- a good frame is the key to comfort. Matador®’s reinvented Beast Series Packs...

Vitamin B If you’re like us, you probably land at your destination with a packed schedule and don’t have much time to be tired. Vitamin B is great for boosting energy and getting over jetlag.  One of the (many) active ingredients in 5 Hour Energy, you can skip the jitters that come with the energy drink alternatives and chew on...

You’ve probably heard of the Leave No Trace principles by now. These 7 principles teach you how to be responsible and ethical in the outdoors. It includes guidelines like respecting wildlife, packing out your trash, and more. The general ethos is that when we’re in the backcountry we’re not in our own home, and it’s important to acknowledge and respect...

A term we’ve recently started using around HQ is “objective-based travel”. It’s the type of travel most of us here thrive on, and it’s the type of travel we design our products for. Objective-based travel is setting out with a purpose. Whether it’s traveling to Tanzania with the goal of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, or heading to Turkey to motorcycle the...