By Kaley Roberts for Scrimshaw Collective
The alarm didn’t even have a chance to ring – I was that excited to wake up. Rolling out of bed and into my bikini, I skipped across our always-a-little-sandy apartment to meet my roommates by the door. We lathered on sunblock (a little less than the recommended amount), stuffed the far-from-regulation sized beach volleyball into my Matador Transit Tote, threw a handful of other gear into my bike basket, and embarked. The shore was 5 minutes away, and that morning, we were coming to play.
Since moving to the West Coast, there are two major things I can thank my new Southern California hood for; new people and new adventures. Which did today bring me? A 5-on-5 volleyball tournament with our neighbors from around the block - today was shaping up to be a true hybrid of the two.
When tournament plans blew up our group message days before, I was psyched in too many ways. It was an opportunity to work out, to work on my tan, and to laugh. A lot. And, a major added plus, the 5-on-5 game was the ideal time to break out my fresh shipment of Matador gear.
Matador is a dope company that is revolutionizing my adventure game. Founded in 2014 by Chris Clearman, a former Senior Product Designer at GoPro, the brand began with tons of passion and just one product; the Matador pocket blanket. This waterproof blanket doesn’t look like much all packed up, but laid out, it can fit up to four sweaty & tired beach volley-ballers between heats.
Matador Pocket Blanket: tested & approved.
Now three years deep, the company continues to innovate their swag, figuring out just how much more convenient exploration can be. Based out of Boulder, CO, they’ve unleashed 15 distinct products on the adventure world, including a fresh indigo line, released last month. Their stuff has it all – every piece is packable, waterproof, and lightweight. Perfect for everyone from a casual beach volleyballer to an expert adventurer.
Can’t get enough of that Malibu indigo shade.
My personal fave from Matador’s line? The Daylite Hip Pack. It’s retro, high-quality, and fits everything I need: chapstick, sunglasses, scrunchies, a disposable camera, and the Matador nano-dry towel. Obviously. Plus, showing up to a volleyball tournament with a fanny pack is intimidating in a totally unexpected way.
It’s like the Nano-Dry towel and the Daylite were MADE for each other.
Everything about Matador feels good, right down to their mantra: “Put Yourself Out There.” As a brand-new SoCal resident, I live that mantra every day. Especially, though, during 5-on-5 beach volleyball tournament days. With Matador gear fueling our adventure, my crew and I put ourselves out there, came to play, and I am 98.3% positive that we took home the gold.
(Worth noting: There were a few disputes on the actual score.)
