- In this video, we're going to be taking a look
at all of the products in Matador's new Advanced Series.
I'm Tom, the founder of Pack Hacker,
and we love helping people optimize
their travel experience with guides
and reviews, just like this one.
So if you're new here, consider subscribing to the channel.
Let's jump right into the Advanced Series from Matador.
[upbeat music playing]
Recently, Matador updated all of their products,
and even released a couple new ones.
They call it the Advanced Series,
and it includes the Freefly 16,
Freerain 24 2.0, the Transit 30 2.0,
the FlatPak toiletry bottle, FlatPak soap bar case,
and FlatPak toiletry case.
If you've been keeping up with us,
you know that we've done reviews
on first versions of a lot of these products,
and we've also done a full review
on the FlatPak toiletry bottle,
as well as the FlatPak soap bar case.
So go check those out if you're curious,
we do a huge detailed review on those items.
Some of these reviews are in video form
on our YouTube channel, and others are
in text and photo form on our website.
Overall, Matador has some really great design thinking
with all their products going on,
and everything is usually highly compressible,
and they're very mindful of packing it in larger bags.
So let's jump right into each individual item
in the Advanced Series.
Kicking off with the Freefly16 -
this is basically the pack that replaces
the Daylite version, the Daylite16
that Matador previously had released.
One thing to note here on the name is
that we think Daylite was already taken
by Osprey, so it was a bit of conflict
of interest going on there in the same category.
That's why we think they updated it to be named Freefly.
It offers one massive compartment
and a smaller zippered partition on the front.
There are two cinchable water bottle pockets
on the sides with some improved stretchiness compared
to the old Daylite16.
Plus, there's a brand-new harness system
with stiffer mesh straps that are a tad
crinkly, but highly water-resistant,
and don't soak in inclement weather.
Moving on to the Freerain24 2.0 -
this is the second iteration of the first Freerain,
and it's their highly weather-resistant packable day pack,
arguably waterproof.
We've even tested it, and submerged it,
and it works well. It keeps everything inside dry
at a shallow depth.
And it's pretty much airtight when you roll it up correctly.
If you're planning to be in inclement rainy weather
for long stretches of time, this is
definitely the pack to grab out of the entire bunch.
They made a couple of detailed improvements compared
to the 1.0.
The first thing on that list is a removable sternum strap.
Now, you don't necessarily need a sternum strap
for a pack of this size, but if
you have it really loaded up, it can help keep
your load a little bit more balanced and more comfortable.
There are two different ways to secure the top rolltop -
and one of those ways is like a typical dry bag.
And this will keep it pretty much submergible,
air and water-tight, when you implement it in this way.
The second way to close this thing is a lot cleaner
than the previous.
You have additional buckles on each side here,
you roll it down in the back, and
then you're able to kinda cinch
it down and create a lower profile.
This looks a lot better, and great
for usage in urban environments.
Although when it's rolled in this mode,
it won't be waterproof and submergible,
although it'll still be highly weather-resistant.
Also, they've removed the load lifter straps
from the harness system. And arguably,
again, you don't need those for a pack of this size.
However, when Nathan and Rebecca were
each testing the Freerain24 1.0,
they enjoyed the ability to adjust the straps based
on their body types.
So that covers the biggest changes -
some great little improvements going
on here, to make it a better overall pack.
Next, we've got the Transit30 compressible duffle,
and this thing is a beast.
It's 30 liters, and also highly compressible.
We found this optimal to bring on your trip,
especially if you plan to acquire more things on the road.
So say you want to bring back a bunch
of souvenirs for your family - like some scarves
or T-shirts, or things like that -
easily uncompress this 30 liter,
stuff everything inside, and boom,
you have another duffle bag to fit all that stuff in.
The material on all these are
siliconized 30D Cordura Ripstop that is puncture-resistant.
However, we'd still recommend putting softer items
in the duffle - and all these bags
really, if you put in a lot of square items
that have harder edges - it's just going to be uncomfortable
to carry, overall.
There are a couple key differences
between the 1.0 and 2.0, as well.
The duffle handle is now buttonable,
making it a little bit easier to manage and carry.
There are better pull tabs and looped attachment points
on each side of the zippers.
There's also a wider opening
on the front zippered compartment -
good for keeping quick-grab items
in that you want faster access to.
Lastly, with all three of these bags,
the compression pouches that they're stored
in offer a rolltop design, instead of a drawstring design.
Additionally, these are now detachable,
which is a great little detail
and improvement from the 1.0 versions.
Moving on to the FlatPak toiletry bottle
and the soap bar case.
These are handy little items you can use
to keep your toiletries compressed
and out of the way inside of your Dopp kit.
The three-ounce size with the toiletry bottles are ideal
for TSA checkpoints. Plus the flexible form factor
and flatter design make them optimal
for packing when compared to harder plastic bottles.
The soap bar case is a nicer way
to store shampoo bars and bars of soap
on the road compared to a plastic bag
that can tend to get more grimy.
I'm not going get too much more into it.
We have done two very detailed full reviews
on both of these items that you can go check
out on our YouTube channel and our website.
Maybe they're even too long, but we like
to get into all those details and provide them to you.
Lastly, we have the FlatPak toiletry case.
Now, we haven't had the chance to get
our hands on this one yet, but it looks pretty slick.
The closing mechanism is similar
to that seen on the Freerain24 and the soap bar case.
It's a rolltop that helps with weather resistance.
So you have this thing in the bathroom,
in the shower, it's going to keep it pretty dry
with the siliconized Cordura, to boot.
Also, we appreciate the minimalistic thinking here,
and it's basically one giant compartment
with a rolltop where you can dump
everything inside, good if you don't require a lot
of organization in your Dopp kit or your toiletry bag.
Thanks for taking a look at our quick look
on the Matador Advanced Series.
Be sure to stay tuned, where we'll be doing a full,
in-depth, and detailed review on the Matador Freefly16.
Thanks for taking a look at this video.
We'll see you in the next one.
And lastl ... [beeps]
If you have been keeping us ... [beeps]
They did a lot of iteration, had ... [beeps]