Matador Blog

Over the past year, Gear Patrol, Popular Mechanics, and HiConsumption put hundreds of backpacks through rigorous testing, ultimately looking for the best hiking backpack of 2021. Matched up against some of the biggest companies in the outdoor industry, in a competitive field filled with heavily-featured frame packs, the Beast18—a packable backpack—topped all three lists. Packability without compromise is something you'll...

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s still 90 degrees where we are in Colorado, or maybe it’s because we just upgraded our most waterproof packs and we want to put them to good use. Either way, we’ve been dreaming of some big travel objectives on the water and want to share the stoke. Here are 5 water-objective-based trips you should...

For many well-seasoned, outdoor oriented travelers planning a ground up trip to an unpublished, unknown objective is a bucket list peak experience. As our National Parks and outdoor spaces get more and more crowded, the experience can feel more curated than ever. Antelope canyon has escape ladders bolted in the walls, Half Dome has cables up the steep part, folks...

We took the new Advanced Series to Alaska to put the bags through some thorough testing on real objectives we've had our eyes on. Check out the new collection here.

Recently a new kind of polymer has hit the outdoor fabric market: UHMWPE or ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. This material has a strength-to-weight ratio 15 times greater than steel and is being used to make modern bulletproof vests, commercial fishing nets, artificial hips and knees for joint replacements, and it's even replacing large steel chains in heavy industries all...

When planning an objective, the difference between an epic day and getting skunked can come down to the quantity and quality of time spent researching beforehand. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of the mapping and routefinding portion of you pre-trip planning. Satellite imagery The 800lb gorilla is obviously Google, and their Maps app is...

We have a challenge for you. Imagine you have to go home and pack for a trip right now. But- you only have 10 minutes to pack, a 30 liter bag, and have no idea where you’re going. Ready, set, scramble! Turns out you’re going to the Galapagos for a week, hope you packed a rain shell. Maybe you missed...

We took one of our best selling products and gave it a complete redesign. Matador founder Chris talks us through some of the design decisions the team made to take the Camera Base Layer to the next level.