Autumn is my favourite time within the South. There’s a day, often in late October, when the humidity lastly breaks, the air stirs, and you may really feel it in your bones: Summer is over. If you’re within the Midwest, that could be a disgrace as a result of snow is coming, whereas these of you in California would possibly suppose, “What are seasons?” But for these of us down right here close to the Gulf of Mexico, cool, dry air is a factor of magnificence. 

The limitless hum of the air conditioner cuts off and you may hear the bugs once more. The home windows are thrown open and you may lie on the sofa, ebook in hand, and bear in mind why it’s you reside right here within the first place. This, my associates, is an efficient life. The solely downside is that the great afternoon breeze can blow away whenever you’re busy making dinner. By midnight, your open window is an invite to the thunderstorm soaking the sofa and the bag filled with digicam gear and batteries you left on it. That is exactly what occurred to me earlier this yr.

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High Tide

Couches dry. So do baggage. But the digicam and batteries would have been ruined (together with one, ahem, that wasn’t mine), besides that I had determined a pair months earlier to maintain my batteries and cameras in dry baggage inside my precise carrying bag. 

I spend a variety of time close to water, so this isn’t as overkill as it would sound. But the true key to this resolution was my discovery of Matador’s very modern, slim, light-weight dry baggage. A conventional rubber-type dry bag is cumbersome and tough to get out and in of one other bag. I’ve conventional baggage, however I actually solely use them after I’m on the water paddling. 

The genius of Matador’s new baggage is of their light-weight building. The 8-liter bag weighs a mere 2.3 ounces and is made out of waterproof 70D ripstop nylon, which isn’t cumbersome. Even with such light-weight supplies, they obtain an IPX7 ranking (which means they’re submersible at a depth of 1 meter for half-hour).

Something for Everyone

There are two sizes obtainable, a 2-liter and an 8-liter. I take advantage of the 2-liter to retailer all my batteries, and the 8-liter to carry my Sony A7 together with two lenses and a pair of binoculars. This setup means I simply seize two baggage on my approach out the door and I do know I’ve all the pieces I want, whether or not I’m placing them in a backpack, shoulder bag or camping bin. The Matador dry baggage even have a flat backside, which suggests you may set them down they usually gained’t robotically crumple over (whether or not they keep upright in the end depends upon what’s inside, however mine do).

The baggage aren’t seam-sealed, which gave me pause at first, however Matador claims the welded building it makes use of is extra reliable and sturdy than seam-sealing. I’ve solely had them for about three months so I can’t remark an excessive amount of on long-term sturdiness, however up to now they’re high-quality and I’ve seen no proof of any seam-peeling or delamination alongside the seams. They have a really sturdy really feel to them, they usually additionally include a 1-year guarantee. The baggage are eligible for repairs even after that.

Perhaps the very best function is the little clear vertical window operating down the facet of the bag, which lets you see the contents of the bag with out opening it. With solely two (of various sizes), I do know what’s in them, however after the rain incident I ordered one other one and it’ll be good to see at a look which has batteries and which has garments—all of them, dry. 

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