Summer 2017 has finally arrived, with the glorious three-day celebration that is: Memorial Day Weekend (MDW). Despite some cloudy weather, we ventured up to Groton Long Point / Mystic for a few nights, for the first of many trips this summer. And now, heading outta town for a long (or short) weekend away, just got much much easier, with the extremely lightweight packable travel gear from Matador! 

Originally born in the Bay Area, Matador, the packable travel & adventure gear company quickly grew, and relocated to one of the country’s sunniest towns, Boulder! Creating products they ( - AND WE - ) LOVE, focused on form and function, Matador takes on the great outdoors to test their goods. You won’t find any Dexter’s Lab shenanigans here, but what you will find is Matador’s product development team taking advantage of the Colorado elements to screen their gear before distribution. And now, we've been testing this gear on our own from the Central Pacific to the New England shores, and we 1000% approve.

One of our favorite's from Matador is their waterproof packable backpack, the Matador Freerain24 Backpack! This 24 litre waterproof pack, also collapses to roughly the size of a beer can - fits like a glove in your hand. Made from the finest materials avaialble, it holds up phenomenally getting unpacked and repacked into it's attached case, and is perfect to either use as your only bag for a weekend away OR to bring as a day pack for your adventures around town.

But what would be time away from home, without your camera! If you're leaving the bulk of your camera gear back at the apartment, and are just on the fly with your SLR, then the Matador Camera Base Layer is exactly what you need! Think a down puff for your little guy, which also has an integrated rain fly to keep your camera safe from bumps, scratches, and unexpected weather. It's wicked easy to get the layer on-and-off the camera, and when you're shooting, just clip the case onto your back or even your belt.

What also seriously came in hand once the sun showed up was Matador's Pocket Blanket 2.0. This ground layer is water repellent, puncture resistant and extremely compact - when folded up, its just about the same size as an iPhone! You inside it out from it's case, and the VOILA - you've got a great ground layer for a picnic, a quick lay in the park, or even a wrap on the boat. Two great perks for this piece include: A) four small metal steaks tucked underneath each corner, so you can secure the blanket into the ground; and B) patterned stitching on the underside of the blanket to guide you on ALWAYS packing it up perfectly back into itself. A++!

Build for durability and to last, Matador creates on-the-go, compact travel gear for everything from a three-month trip overseas, to your daily commute. Matador has encouraged us to put ourselves out there, and we hope you get some gear for yourself and do the same. #PutYourselfOutThere