Skip to main content

Matador is Making the Adventure Packing Gear You Need

Matador
Packable adventure gear brand Matador is doing us a huge solid by making outdoor products that make us say “Torro! Torro!” to the daunting mountains and molehills we set out to explore.

Founded by a former Senior Product Designer at GoPro, Chris Clearman took his design prowess to the world of outdoor solutions to innovate bags and blankets that fit the needs of a true, unadulterated adventurist. Whether it’s a weekend trip to Boston or an endurance trek at Machu Picchu, Matador’s mission is to “bring on the elements.” Its method? Get a gang of outdoor and adventure wildcards and have them do all the designing and testing.

Related Videos

It all started as a simple pursuit to make a pocket-sized blanket in the confines of a 10 x 10-bedroom operation in San Francisco. The team was fed up with using their own jackets as blankets to sit on in the park or at a hike rest-stop. We’d bet money if you spend time outdoors you’ve run into the same problem.

After uprooting to the adventurists basin of Boulder, Colorado in 2015, Matador swelled into a roughly 10-item range of drool-worthy and hyper useful duffels, packs, blankets, and camera carriers. Founder Clearman told The Manual that after the shocking success of the pocket blanket, “I was shopping for a trip and noticed I couldn’t find a single packable backpack that I actually wanted. It was all cheap junk, not real gear. I sat down and started designing one myself.”

You can also credit some of Matador’s product expansion to its burgeoning ambassador team of 14 or so, including Hawaii-based photographer Kevin O’Reilly, graphic designer/mountain man Joel Matuszczak, and others with the literal job title of athlete, filmmaker, photographer, and thrill-seeker.

Between the in-house crew and remote ambassadors, Matador’s vibe definitely has some kick behind it. When asked why all its products are gray, the initial response from their design team was, “because gray is the right color.” Once elaborated, you get a gist of just how proficient this brand is at hitting adventure on the head, and doing it with attitude. They added that gray doesn’t show dirt like white or black, it isn’t polarizing like orange or green, stylistically fits in the woods or city, and unlike white, can be worn after Labor Day.

If you’re asking how exactly this team of misfits made Matador take off, assuming they took to Kickstarter or Indeigogo, we’ll correct that misconception with a sturdy hell no. Matador was created as a pure bootstrapped start-up, without outside influence from suits and investors. In today’s world of wannabe outdoor companies, this is almost unheard of… and largely why Matador’s products kick so much ass and have amounted a hardcore group of loyal followers.

If you need another indicator of Matador’s popularity and design savvy, go try to buy its signature Transit30 Duffel, Daylite16 Backpack, or Camera Base Layer. Each adorn a harrowing Sold Out sign, and will be that way until mid-January 2017.

That’s because pieces like the Transit 30 Duffel fit into your palm while being a 30-liter pack made of waterproof (not water-resistant, gents) siliconized Cordura ripstop material. For reference, Cordura is used amongst high-quality outdoor brands Black Diamond, Big Agnes, Eddie Bauer, Carhartt, and Astral.

Another item to swoon over is the ultra lightweight, 68 grams (that’s lighter than an egg) Camera Base Layer, which looks like a down sleeping bag for your DSLR. But in the re-stocking meantime, we’re getting our hands on Matador’s most expensive pack, the Beast28 Packable Technical ($89.99), its Droplet Wet Bag ($14.99) (because we don’t recommend putting your sweaty cotton shirt with the rest of your dry clothes), and the always essential Matador Mini pocket blanket ($19.99). It’s about god damn time I stop using my technical baselayer as a blanket.

Photos courtesy Matador.

Editors' Recommendations

Ski tips for beginners: 13 essential things to know
Learning to ski involves more preparation, equipment, and a greater sense of adventure than many other sports
Pro Tips for Beginner Skiers

So you’ve decided to become a skier. Welcome to the party, pal! Prepping for your first day on the slopes can seem daunting. Unlike simpler outdoor pursuits like hiking or biking that require minimal gear, skiing is an entirely different animal. It’s more like scuba diving in that it involves more preparation, equipment, and, you could argue, a greater sense of adventure, especially if you're gunning to ultimately take on backcountry skiing. You’ll need to figure out what clothes to pack, which gear to buy, and how to transport it all to the mountain.

And all of that is before you even get to the mountain. Then there’s the matter of actually learning to ski. Should you book a proper lesson or go it alone and hope for the best? There's no right answer, really. Here, we tackle these questions and more with the best pro tips for beginner skiers (and a few for intermediate and expert skiers too).
Prepping for the slopes

Read more
I tried nearly all the ski lodges in Whistler and Banff: Where you should stay
The best Whistler and Banff hotels for every type of adventure
Whistler.

With its epic mountain landscapes, the Canadian Rockies and western coastal region offer some of the most renowned outdoor opportunities in the world, whether you’re into snow sports, mountain biking, or simply enjoying magnificent scenery. The Banff and Whistler areas in particular are popular thanks to their combination of natural splendor and charming mountain hamlet vibes. With dozens of hotels to choose from, which one is right for you? Here, we’ll check out the top Banff and Whistler ski resorts and hotels for a variety of trip categories: Budget, family-friendly, and so on.

You can rely on these recommendations, as I have vetted each and every one of them personally. Last summer I spent three solid months crisscrossing the region, and along the way I stayed at nearly two dozen lodges. Not all of them are worth planning your outdoor adventure around, but here are several that will provide a superior experience.

Read more
How you can get started with backcountry skiing, gear, and avalanche safety this winter
Getting started with off-trail skiing requires a little know-how, the right gear, and a sense of adventure
how to prep ski gear man backcountry skiing unslapsh

These days, more skiers and snowboarders are venturing farther beyond official ski resort boundaries than ever before. With the explosion in popularity of backcountry skiing, so-called off-piste exploration has opened a new winter playground for a growing number of riders. But there’s a world of difference between carving a groomed trail and bombing the wild, unmarked backcountry.

From exiting a resort boundary gate to skinning up from a trailhead, backcountry skiing requires a different mindset and a new set of skills and tools than your typical day at the resort. If you’re planning on hitting your first powder stash, now's the time to plan your out-of-bounds tool kit and learn some essential backcountry skiing skills.

Read more