Best Matador Travel Accessories
The second brand showcase from us - this time taking a look at the brand made famous by packables.
Best Matador Travel Accessories Introduction
Matador has grown from a very niche company in the travel space - to the dominant player in that same space that has now exploded in terms of competing products and options. It’s a good time to be in the packable space as places like the Onebag sub on Reddit and bloggers/YouTubers promote travel products and the one-bag style.
Not only has Matador stayed true to their roots and kept up with their pretty large inventory of adventure focused items, they’ve also expanded into more urban focused travel products as well as products you can just plain use on any trip you want. Choice is a great thing.
Or is it? (How about THAT segue?). The problem with choice for many people is that they have a problem doing just that - choosing. It’s interesting to see as someone that hangs out in various online forums. On Reddit for instance, there is a near constant stream of “Help me choose between these…” etc.
So with that, here’s my list of Best Matador Products for Travel. My goal here was to pick out a bunch of my favorites from them and help you narrow it down. I tried to keep it to things that while they might be a bit extra - they are still extremely functional and true to their purpose. Nothing here is over superfluous in the sense that it’s a made up product that is solving a problem that never existed. I think that’s important. If I’ve done a full review of the product, I’ll link that out for you.
For my usual transparency: Most of these items I have in my possession and use all the time, and if I don’t, I’ll state that in the description. I had no collaboration with Matador for this article and it is not sponsored. I’m just looking to help narrow down their product catalog for my readers with some products I respect and use myself. Thanks for stopping by!
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Matador Travel Accessories That I Have
Why don’t we split this into two parts and I’ll start with the products I currently have. I was looking at my usage and was surprised to find just how many Matador items come with me on nearly every one of my trips - that’s how the idea for this article came up. We’ll begin with those in my actual possession.
FlatPak Soap Case
This piece of kit is one that is with me on virtually every trip. Whether I’m going somewhere more wild and I need to bring my all-in-one bar (I like the 100Senses Bar to eliminate liquids), or bringing my stain/hand wash bar (I like the Ethique bar). Between those two, it’s always with me. I do more hotel trips these days so I don’t often need shower toiletries and that means it’s the handwash bar that is usually my choice (No liquids also means easier Security lines!!!). But, no matter what, this product comes on every trip. This little thing rocks and it’s a super reasonable price for something that should last near-forever. It works by allowing moisture to permeate the material as vapor - so you can put a soap in that’s still a bit wet, but then pack it without fear of it leaking. And because the air can escape, the soap also dries. While it’s slightly different in reality, I liken it to the way a permeable rain jacket allows your body moisture to escape in one direction but it doesn’t allow water to get in from the outside. To me, it beats a gross ziplock bag any day of the week and it gets more ziplocks out of our garbage. For $14.99 USD - you can pick it up here:
Refillable Toothpaste Tubes
I love these things, plus there are two sizes for shorter or longer trips and you get them both in the same pack. While there are DIY ways to do this on your own, frankly this just makes it too easy and they are cheap enough where the cost-benefit analysis makes it worth it to me. Time is worth money, too. Colgate alone sells something like 9B tubes of toothpaste in a year. Billion. Now, think about how many of those little travel ones are lying around. The scary thing is that unless you’ve burned those - ALL of them are. All. Of. Them. Ever. With these, you can buy full size toothpaste tubes to refill them, and choose brands that make recyclable tubes. Does it fully solve the problem overnight? No, of course not. But all-or-nothing requirements like the laughably absurd comments on Instagram ads (“Why is this not a closed loop, double-triple vegan, biodegradable and self-sustaining product on your first try that also costs 75 cents? No thanks!!!”) don’t actually make progress happen. It also ignores/hurts innovation, economies of scale, and actual business. It has to happen in steps and it has to start somewhere. To me, this is a good step in that direction to eliminating those brutal travel tubes forever. Get them here.
Waterproof Travel Containers
These are straight up simple, but work. I have both, but mostly use the small one for allergy pills. I believe you could use these for more…green…matters, too, if you wanted to, but I’d recommend only doing that on road trips within the borders of the US. Do not fly like that. Simple concept, well made, and wicked light. They do what they say. Trailmix, pills, hair goop, go wild. You could prob even fill one with your homemade candle to take with you. ****MIND EXPLOSION****. Check them out for yourself.
ReFraction Packable Series
I can’t list the best products from Matador without listing the new line of their packable backpacks (Reviews here and here). Afterall, packable backpacks are what put Matador on the map. The ReFraction series is their newest, all-around use case focused version. It’s also my newest “evergreen” packable. That means the one I keep with me for personal use when I’m not testing another for a review. This is less outdoorsy (though the materials are fine for that too) in design and more so targets the urban traveler looking for minimalist function and versatility. I recently reviewed the backpack and duffel, and both knock it out of the park. I think if you’re looking for a versatile packable bag - you shouldn’t have to look much further than here. Now I don’t own their outdoors focused versions, but know those are great too. Grab a ReFraction below.
Camera Base Layer
If you’re a photographer (hobbyist or otherwise), and like to rock one lens on your trips (I do my best to do this), then this accessory is for you (Review here). I love it. I pack my A7 IV and either a 24-105mm lens or will be upgrading to the new 20-70mm lens from Sony to lighten my load. Either way, if you want to avoid a camera cube, don’t need to bring multiple lenses, and want lightweight and waterproof (it’s rated as waterproof, though not submersible) protection that you can carry around - this is your huckleberry. Not only do I take this with me on all one-lens trips, but this also came with me on safari in Tanzania and was fantastic for carrying my second camera but not needing to pack it away in a bag each time I was putting it down or while in transit. This helped me have quick access to that camera if the situation called for it. It’s really well made and a clever travel solution for one of your most expensive pieces of kit. Click through to check it out. And yes, that is in fact an elephant in that photo. See our Safari Pics here.
FlatPak Waterproof Toiletry Case
This is pretty much the perfect no-fuss, practical toiletry kit for the adventure set. Camping, hiking, boating, this thing will have you covered (Review here). Made from similar material as the FlatPak soap case, this toiletry bag has a roll top that means it’s going to be waterproof. Drop it in the river while still trying to wake up from a late night at camp? No problem. But, it comes with Dry-Through as well so your toothbrush moisture will escape over time. This is another product I tested while on safari and had no real complaints. It’s not going to scratch the itch of the mega-organizers because it doesn’t have a thousand little pockets. But for those that don’t need that feature set and would rather have the functionality, it’s a great, durable option at a really nice price. Click for more.
Speed Stash
This one was admittedly an impulse buy. I liked the idea of having a specific spot to “stash” my phone and passport when I’m heading to the airport. That meant I didn’t need to take my bag off. Did this work? Yep. It’s a good spot for your keys or wallet as well. One downside is to remember that you’re putting a “thing” on top of another “thing” - so it does affect the streamlining of your gear. This is a situation where when you are taking the bag off or putting it on, you will need to remember this is on there or you’re going to knock it around and twist it. Also, this was made for Matador bags, so YMMV if you have a different brand. Doesn’t mean it won’t fit, but brands use different sized backpack straps so it’s all in the width. This little thing is pretty handy though, even if a little bit extra.
Nano Dry Towel
I have an older version of this one, and the overall product has been updated since my review. The image here is from my review and is the previous version, FYI. There are two versions now, and I think they made the right choice. This was actually one of the first reviews I did on the site! Nostalgia aside, it’s a good product with a lot of use cases. My biggest gripe was that it was maybe too big for a pack towel, too small for a shower towel. Well, those geniuses have thought of everything. They’ve basically split it into two sizes, one for each of what I just mentioned. So now there is a perfect size for impromptu jumps in any kind of water of your choice, or a full size one to use for the shower (hostel, camping, hockey, hiking - take charge of the oyster that is your world). It feels a little odd on your skin because it’s not cotton like you’re used to. But does it suck up water like the dickens? Why yes. Yes it does. Dry yourself off like a travel tech nerd here.
Best Matador Travel Accessories That I Don’t Own
OK this section is going to be admittedly short. One, because apparently I own quite a few Matador products. But two, I’m not making a list of EVERY Matador travel accessory. I’m making a list of what I think are the most practical. So, need to put an end to it somewhere. Let’s cover the last couple recs, though.
Pocket Blanket
Here’s a really straightforward one. A blanket that folds up small enough to pack into your pocket. Take it to the beach, take it hiking, or just keep it in the glove box of your Wrangler. No picnic or random sitting session was ever complete without a blanket. And Matador makes two versions depending on the group you’re looking to accommodate. It’s water resistant fabric, and frankly the small version packs so small into a sack I think String Theory physicists study it to understand how matter can invert into itself. Take care of your sitting needs with these things.
Toothbrush Cap
What to say about this one? It’s a cap for your loose brush that you toss into that dopp kit with no protection. How dare you. But, this one is silicone so it will last longer, resist germs better, and because it’s food grade silicone it’s dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. White or black, pick your poison. Protect your bristles over here:
FlatPak Dry Bag
I think you can tell what this is without some verbose description. And, I’m sure you can think of any number of uses. The most obvious is when you can’t resist the ocean or pool before you have to get moving en route either home or to the next destination. Put your wet clothes in here and get outta' dodge. Two sizes, and both ultralight for when not in use. Protect your dry clothes this-a-way:
Final Thoughts On The Best Matador Travel Accessories
Matador is no longer the small niche company it once was. In fact, it’s a bigger niche company now. Instead of just focusing on packable backpacks they are focusing on packable everythings. And since we’re here I’ll be frank - they are killing it. They make so many useful, but in my opinion, still reasonably priced items that truly do add to your packing ability. As I mentioned earlier, they aren’t trying to solve a problem of their own creation just to sell a product. These are really useful pieces of kit.
That said, which ones are best and which ones do YOU really need? That latter part is up to you. But that first bit, hopefully I helped you narrow that down to a solid list of truly useful, well made items.
As always with the indie brands, I’d suggest buying directly through their website for best service. Use the button below to head directly to their Accessories page to check them out. While you’re there - take a look at their backpacks lineup too - the Seg28 is my favorite travel pack ever (to date that is).
Wander more and Wander smarter, everyone.
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Head on over to our Travel Accessories Reviews page for more reviews on accessories like the Bellroy Venture Pouch review, or our Packing Cubes Comparison article.
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