Matador GlobeRider 45 Backpack Review
The biggest and newest, all-around travel bag from popular gear brand.
Matador GLobeRider 45 Review Introduction
Matador again? Didn’t I just review a new Matador pack recently? Yes, again. And I did (you can find those here actually: ReFraction Packable Backpack review and Seg28 review). But as I’ve mentioned in previous articles, it’s been a busy year for Matador!
One of the things missing from their lineup until this year was what I would call a “standard travel bag”. By that I don’t mean standard in make or quality or features, etc. No, what I mean is standard “in size”. So a 40-45L clamshell travel backpack. Enter the GlobeRider 45L travel backpack. This is the acceptable carry-on size for most US carriers as well as most non-discount carriers in Europe and Asia. (Think: BA, JAL, Air France, Cathay, etc.)
This bag promises to be the bag that has all the features and organizational spots the pro’s need, but a size that’s more friendly to the average traveler that’s not trying to squeeze their entire trip’s clothing and toiletries into a Pringles container just to tell people they did it. Some people want a nice bag that helps them do onebag travel (read: a single, carry-on only backpack) but allows them to not stress too much. That’s where a 45L comes in. We’ll discuss a few other use cases, too.
This is my review of the Matador GlobeRider 45 backpack. I took this with me on an 8 day trip from NYC to Italy to test it in the real world. I carried it on both planes with transfers (through Madrid to JFK) as well as on two different train rides through Italy (Milan to Florence and the return). To note, I also packed a pair of leather dress shoes AND my camera in here.
As always for full transparency, I purchased this bag with my own money and had no interaction with Matador for this review. I do use affiliate links which help to support the site if you decide to use them to make a purchase, but you’re under no obligation to do so and there’s no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
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Matador GlobeRider 45 Overview
Like I noted above this is Matador’s foray into the world of global travel bags and helps to round out their lineup and offerings. It’s a 45L pack that opens in a clam-shell style (which is my preferred style of opening). The bag itself is made of a lot of recycled materials that meet BlueSign standards and uses YKK zippers to keep the finishes high end.
The fabric here is meant to take a beating, and uses more ripstop than their previous bags. They utilize their famous waterproof coating as well as you would expect from Matador.
Something to note that many will like - this bag has a full internal frame. So, it’s going to be a bag that is built to help transfer weight from your body to the bag itself. I feel like that’s rare these days in a 45L and under, but shows you they mean for this to be a serious travel companion.
I think you can consider this bag to compete with Tortuga in styling and build quality.
Stats from the site:
Volume: 45 liters
Weight: 4lb 8oz (2041g)
Dimensions: 22 H x 12.8 W x 11 D in
(55 H x 33 W x 28 D cm)
Soft-sided design conforms to carry-on requirements (most airlines)
Outer Materials:
- 420D Bluesign® nylon UHMWPE (Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) reinforced ripstop, PU waterproofing
- 420D Bluesign® recycled nylon, PU waterproofing
Inner Materials:
- 100D Bluesign® Robic® nylon mini ripstop, PU waterproofing
Hardware:
- YKK® PU coated sealing zippers
- YKK® hardware
- EVA foam padded back panel, shoulder straps, and hip belt
- HDPE framesheet with aluminum framestay
- 210D nylon bonded thread with bartack reinforced construction
This bad boy comes in one color - black.
It retails for $350 USD as of August 2023.
Matador GlobeRider 45 Backpack Features
This kind of bag was made for a “features” section. There’s a lot packed into this bag - and there should be considering this is in the most premium segment. Let’s cover off on them here.
On a bag this size, you’re going to want the option of padded hip belts, and we’ve got those here. The hip belt and the padded backpack straps are also stowable. A good feature. You’ve also got yourself a sternum strap, and another nice to see - load lifters. These seem to be a dying breed on bags.
We’ve got quite a bit going on for the outside as well. A single water bottle pocket. A front, open stretch pocket that is big enough for jackets and spare clothing. There’s also a front admin pocket - this is the only real pocket on the outside so it’s going to serve as your quick grab pocket as well. This pocket does have its own volume, and this is where I would put my tech kit du jour (Bellroy Venture pouch review). Lastly for pockets, you’ll find a pretty large laptop pocket with access from the top of the bag.
Other external features are all nice touches. You’ll be looking at things like YKK zippers, secondary colored pulls for the main portion of the bag, aquaguard coatings on all external zippers, handles on most sides, and what I think is a pretty uniquely designed compression strap system. Let’s not forget to mention the tamper-deterrent loops that allow you to slip the zippers through - these make it not impossible to open, but virtually impossible for someone to do it without you noticing.
The harness system is worth noting. It’s an upgraded, beefier, padded set up that actually has zippers to pack away the straps (rather than the more common magnet or plain resistance versions). I’d say other than the stowable straps, it’s a similar make up to the Seg28 system. Not to mention an actual framesheet with some aluminum.
Inside the bag, the features go deeper. We’ve got two more pockets in here along the sides using a really nice mesh fabric (though they share a zipper which is unique). Plus an internal stash pocket on the inside of the left side flap. This side also has an internal cube-style pocket that is good for either packing cubes, folded clothes, or even as Matador sells it - your boots/hiking shoes.
Lastly inside, you’ve got some bungie compression straps to help keep things from moving around. These are helpful on a bag this size.
The Good
Fabric Macro For You.
There really is a lot to like about this bag. Now, frankly, for this price there better be a lot to like. But Matador knows what they are doing and they know how to design feature rich bags. I think they’ve succeeded per their usual design chops on this one. The materials really are top quality. All the zipper pulls and coatings, the YKK zippers, fabric itself, etc. When this bag arrives on your doorstep, you are not disappointed in the price to quality ratio. That’s always a good thing. You can also see bartacking all over this bag if you check the details, around all the reinforcement points or heavy stress points. The bag is very well made and looks the part.
The handles were also Matador’s typical, well made handles. I love the hand feel of theirs - no rough edges or sharpness. Slightly padded. They’ve also got them all over this bag for the most part. Good stuff.
I thought I would be disappointed in the no-top-slash pocket thing but it’s really a case of it not mattering much in practice. I loved the front pocket as it was perfect for a tech pouch or headphones case if you like to bring full on cans with you.
Inside the bag, I really do love when there are internal cubes for separation, and I love it when the “door” side of the bag is also usable in terms of volume. I found this side to be a great spot to put my button-up shirts in and a pair of pants.
Overall, the harness is a plus on this bag. When wearing it, it’s very comfortable and the hip belt is actually something that is usable in real life. Considering I had a full frame camera with me, and my dressier shoes per usual, having the hip belt while I was waiting in line in some of the famous European airplane boarding queues we all know and love was pretty comfortable (Seriously, can’t they implement actual boarding groups and tell people to wait until their group is called? The one-line system from the Land of Chaos and Disaster is absolutely brutal. After nearly 18 years of heavy travel and nearly 4 years of living in Europe during that time, I still can’t get on-board with these things. Also, I had to squeeze a pun in there folks, my bad).
Just a last bit of frivolous commenting - I really like the addition of the white/black ripstop to break up the all-black travel ninja look. Way to differentiate, Matador, I really like seeing that.
The Bad
No use avoiding the elephant in the room - the weight. This is not a lightweight bag, but in my opinion this is only going to affect you in two main scenarios. The first, is if you’re an ounce counter of a onebagger. This one can’t be avoided and if this is you, this probably isn’t your bag. The second, is for heavy packers. If you can’t pack objectively reasonably, a 45L pack is an absolute black hole of pack that allows bad-packers to take WAY too much stuff. So if you’re starting out with a heavy pack, and you’re the type to bring enough clothes to not repeat a wear for 6 months straight, you’re going to have issues with being tired. I suppose I can sneak a third in here in the sense that if you bring a lot of gear, it can get heavy. But, that’s what the hip belt is for also.
While I liked the attempt at innovation, I’m not sure the zipper-system on the strap stowage is necessary. It does work but it also doesn't and seems like it’s over complicating the entire thing? I can’t quite put my finger on that one. It’s most likely a symptom of needing to solve for the straps being beefier than many, and the traditional way bags stow straps would not hold them down this way. Makes sense, but maybe it’s just a matter of not having stowable straps? Thinking out loud here. I’d say they were trying to make a legit harness system as priority number one, and I do respect that. Then tried to design around that, maybe.
I wouldn’t mind seeing this bag come in around 40L. I think 45L is a bit big for the experienced travelers, and can be a bit too tempting for the bad-packers.
The Improvement Requests for the Matador GlobeRider 45 Backpack
Don’t have a lot of constructive criticism here as I loved so much about the bag.
But, maybe forgo the stowable straps to save some weight on that system. Keep the hip belt stowage though, and maybe removable.
Then, I think I’d like to see the bag closer to 40L. That would also cut down on initial weight, but would make the packer be a bit more economical, too. Further, you won’t stand out so much on discount airlines and that probably helps to get the bag dimensions more in-line with full spectrum carry on regulations.
This isn’t really a major issue, more so picking nits - but perhaps some thicker bungees for the internal compression. I didn’t have any issues but if you had heavier gear, it might be more useful.
Packing The Matador GlobeRider 45 Backpack
I also wanted to give you a bit of an idea of how I packed it. No secret science to this - I used packing cubes to help me organize and keep things together. I’m 5’6” for reference.
So, here’s some gear that I typically always have with me in some form or another. This time I’ve got a couple of Patagonia Black Hole packing cubes, a Peak Design Medium cube, my dress shoes, my Matador Camera Base Layer, Aer Split Kit (toiletry bag), and my Bellroy Venture Pouch (tech kit). One of my Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily t-shirts is making appearances as well - my favorite t-shirt for travel. I also snuck in two little pieces of kit for you that I find extremely helpful on my trips: the Matador FlatPak Soap Case and Small Waterproof Container (I typically use it for allergy pills). Again, this isn’t sponsored by Matador. I just happen to have lots of their kit (follow this way if you want to see a list of my favorite Matador gear). Also an extra picture showing the size of the left side internal compartment with two pairs of shoes. YMMV here but I’m a size US 7 for reference and scale. Not big. Hiking boots would easily fit in here for most people however.
Lastly, I threw in a side-by-side with the Seg28 (review of that bag here).
Final Thoughts On My Matador GlobeRider 45 Backpack Review
So what do we think about Matador’s first, classic travel bag? We think a LOT about it.
The bag is extremely well made with near bullet proof materials, and has a classic Matador kind of styling. It’s not too outdoorsy, but it still stands out a little with the contrast fabric. The clamshell shape and opening is a best-case styling for me in terms of how I want my travel bag to open, and the organization is really strong on this bag. I especially like that the flap has its own volume for a compressed cube or folded shirts.
That said, this bag won’t be for everyone. It’s on the heavy side, so that will rule out the ounce counters, and that’s OK. They are a particular bunch. I also think, unless you’re hauling some camera gear or specialist outdoors gear like bigger boots, this is probably overkill for a lot of really experienced onebaggers. I think if it was max 40L - it would convince a chunk of them to jump in, simply because of the quality of this premium bag. And, because of perhaps their loyalty to Matador as a brand.
That sounds like a knock against the bag - it’s not. I still think that leaves a LOT of people that would get great use out of it. I think sometimes people that belong to a niche group (like myself) often have trouble separating that fact from the wider market. If you’re in a niche, you are not in fact the wider market and can’t assume you’re the norm. Just like with indie music vs pop music. As we noted not everyone likes to take a super minimal approach to travel packing and they just like to kind of pack “regular”. This pack works great for that and still allows you to only have one bag. It’s going to protect people’s stuff in all kinds of weather, too. Further, if it gets gate checked, it’s going to withstand the abuse because it’s so well made. Even though I sounded like I was against the size from a personal perspective, 45L is actually a good size for those just getting into onebag travel or most regular folks not looking to stress about packing. It doesn’t ask for anything too extreme from people and it gets them away from those god awful 55L and 65L trekking backpacks that are complete overkill. This can help you pack like an adult! A high end, premium fabric kind of adult, but an adult nonetheless.
If you’re in the process of looking for a bag with thoughtful design and premium materials, and need a little more space than a 35L due to either gear or your packing habits, then you absolutely should give this a look. I do feel that you get what you pay for here - it’s more about analyzing your use case and needs.
As always with the indie brands, I’d suggest buying directly through their website for best service.
Wander more - and wander smarter everyone.
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