Matador Freefly Packable Duffel Evaluate

Backside Line

CleverHiker presents the Matador Freefly Duffel! Power overpackers, memento lovers, gymnasium rats, campsite hoppers, and anybody who likes to be ready for any journey eventuality, rejoice! This light-weight, packable, easy, and streamlined duffel is the proper companion on your bits ‘n bobs, irrespective of the place you’re headed.

It packs as much as the dimensions of your hand, 8.5 oz, and is prepared in seconds, so you possibly can pack soiled mountaineering boots, smelly clothes, that additional layer you had to purchase when temps dropped, or souvenirs. 

We convey it in our backpacks when touring to commerce exhibits in anticipation of coming dwelling with a slew of pattern gear and snacks. It additionally will get used after dusty and muddy mountaineering trails to maintain soiled gear quarantined. It additionally comes with us in our baggage once we go to go to household, figuring out we undoubtedly can be despatched dwelling with baked items.

It’s a helpful, sturdy piece of bags that’s simple to convey on any journey, together with tenting, highway journeys, and air journey, because the small measurement can be utilized as a private merchandise when not packed full.

How We Examined

We examined the Matador Freefly by loading it full of motorbike gear for native rides, behind the automotive to stash soiled footwear on highway journeys, and for lugging meals and kit to walk-in campsites. We received it soaked, dragged it round filth parking tons, and tossed it out and in of autos to see the way it carried out.

Carry Consolation

For a bag this small, we had been stunned to seek out there are 3 ways to hold the Matador Freefly duffel, greater than many different duffels that made it onto our favourite duffels listing. It has a shoulder strap, duffel handles, and makeshift backpack straps. Not surprisingly for a bag this small and lightweight, most of them aren’t that comfy for prolonged carry. 

Prime seize handles are outfitted with a tough sheath to maintain floppy webbing from creating uneven strain throughout your palms. Nonetheless, the handles are skinny, so weight isn’t distributed effectively, which makes them uncomfortable when the bag is filled with heavy objects. Granted, you want to be packing bricks to load it down, given its 30-liter capability.

The shoulder strap is webbing, which additionally dug into our shoulders throughout lengthy carries by way of airports when the bag was overstuffed. Nonetheless, it’s adjustable, so we might select from over-the-shoulder or cross-body carry to combine it up and relieve some strain. There are additionally skinny webbing seize handles on both finish of the bag for simple loading and unloading into automobiles or overhead bins. 

And although you technically can rearrange the compression straps to behave as backpack straps in a pinch, they’re simply webbing, so that they weren’t comfy for various minutes.

That stated, the bag is designed for light-weight carry, together with quick jaunts to the automotive, gymnasium runs, and carting extras to the campsite, not lugging heavy tools, so consolation might not be as essential an element as with different duffels we’ve examined.

Compressibility & Packability

In terms of packing the Matador Freefly duffel, it’s not the simplest bag to fill, however that’s the worth you pay for a duffel as packable and light-weight as this: there are going to be trade-offs. The bag itself has no construction, so it collapses flat when empty, which makes it harder to toss footwear or gear into shortly and simply: packing requires deliberate effort.

The highest zipper is only a slit opening, however because it’s good and lengthy, it nonetheless presents full entry to the inside. When it’s full, it holds its form properly and is simple sufficient to look by way of. If it’s not full, nevertheless, it turns into a shapeless blob, and it’s troublesome to find objects inside, particularly as a result of the inside is black.

As for compressibility, that’s the place this duffel shines. It packs into an included pouch that matches within the palm of your hand when not in use. It is a superb piece of substances to convey alongside in one other backpack or duffel in case you suppose chances are you’ll be touring dwelling with greater than you arrived with. 

Exterior compression straps cinch the bag down when the bag isn’t full, so contents don’t shift round as a lot.

Sturdiness

After we took the Matador Freefly Packable Duffle out for testing, we weren’t simple on it. We dragged it by way of filth parking tons, swung it round by the handles, and tossed it out and in of autos. By means of all of it, it picked up some filth, however there have been no scuffs or indicators of everlasting harm. That’s doubtless due partly to the strong UHMWPE-reinforced cloth on the underside of the bag and a light-weight ripstop nylon on the physique. 

The webbing and handles, too, appear sturdy, although to not the identical degree as lots of the different duffels we’ve examined. They’re thinner and lighter for higher packability, however we expect they’re going to put on quicker with common use than some larger manufacturers’ duffels.

The zippers are all waterproof, that are notoriously extra delicate and liable to breakage and malfunction than non-waterproof varieties. So they are going to require extra cleansing and a spotlight after particularly dusty or sandy outings.

Climate Resistance

Although the Matador Freefly Packable Duffle is PU-coated and marketed as weatherproof, we discovered it doesn’t fairly meet that standards. After a quick however heavy rainshower, clothes in direction of the highest contained in the bag was moist regardless of the waterproof zippers.

The strong exterior pocket did handle to maintain contents dry throughout the identical rain bathe, although. Even so, we wouldn’t belief it to maintain gear and clothes dry in moist environments that exceed a light-weight drizzle.

Group

The Matador Freefly packable duffel bag is designed to be packable and easy. Because of this, there’s little or no group in-built. Along with the primary compartment, there are solely two accent pockets. Each are on the surface (one is a sturdy stretch mesh, the opposite a strong, opaque pocket). Each characteristic waterproof zippers.

They’re an excellent place to retailer small objects we would like easy accessibility to, together with bike gloves, a hat, snacks, or gear like headlamps and cathole shovels. The mesh pocket particularly proved worthwhile once we forgot to unpack the bag after a moist hike: the soggy socks we caught in there have been capable of dry as an alternative of getting mildewy.

Ought to You Purchase the Matador Freefly Packable Duffel?

This duffel is designed primarily for portability, not consolation or group. It can attraction to vacationers and outdoorists who want one thing like a reusable grocery bag, however a degree up. It weighs little, packs down as small as a pair of tall mountaineering socks, and will be deployed instantly. We like it for grabbing groceries on a highway journey, operating gear from the campsite to the automotive, separating soiled gear, or bringing dwelling items from our travels.

It’s the proper bag for “simply in case” and is so mild and small that there’s little purpose to not stash it in your baggage or backseat.

That stated, in case you’re in search of a regular-use duffel for journey or one that may maintain various pairs of footwear, will stand as much as baggage declare abuse, and can be extra comfy to hold on lengthy walks when packed filled with heavy objects, a extra conventional duffel would in all probability swimsuit you higher.

What Different Duffels Ought to You Think about?

For those who’re unsure the Matador Freefly is best for you, chances are you’ll need to take into account one of many different stand-out duffels we’ve examined.

REI Roadtripper Evaluate: Moveable, packable, and out there in a variety of sizes, the Roadtripper packs down small, however is a extra reasonably priced choice.

The North Face Base Camp Evaluate: Nonetheless small, however packs a punch. The North Face Base Camp isn’t as packable, but it surely’s extra useful for frequent use and options extra organizational choices.

Patagonia Black Gap Evaluate:  For a extra conventional duffel, take into account the traditional Patagonia Black Gap. The massive single opening, a number of carry choices and better waterproof score make it a strong alternative for a lot of vacationers.