Packable Matador backpacks recommendation

In a recent episode, Greg and Nick talked about their favorite travel gear. In this episode, we're featuring all the cool travel gear we learned about from all of you in your responses to that episode!

Favorite travel gear from the Giant Mailbag

Listen to the episode "Our favorite travel gear | Ep323 | 9-12-25" here

(01:28) - "For packable backpacks, Matador makes ultralight, water-resistant, packable packs. They’re pricey, but the build quality is excellent. They can usually be found on sale during Black Friday."

(02:44) - Cincha Travel belt - this can securely attach any backpack to your suitcase. Also a tide stain remover pen.

(04:11) - Cheap plastic flip flops. Hotel carpets are dark for a reason. They are a breeding ground for all kinds of yuck. Also a small washcloth. ...this is actually a Japanese small towel that is smaller than a traditional American washcloth (closer to a handkerchief).

(05:03) - Replenish your toiletry bag when you get home from a trip NOT before the next trip. That way it is always ready to go. And if I have to remove something from the kit, I leave myself a note to remind myself when packing.

(06:33) - A camping set of plastic bowl + cup + utensils (bought at an outdoor store)..... several tea bags of caffeinated & decaf tea each.

(08:02) - $3 drugstore rain ponchos. They last for a while and can even keep you warm.

(08:56) - Osprey travel backpack. Lifetime warranty and YKK zippers. Super comfortable to wear.

(09:37) - "For any men looking for great ways to use their Lululemon credits, Lululemon actually has fantastic lightweight travel clothing – ... all my athletic shorts, regular shorts, joggers, pants that I travel with are Lululemon. They’re pretty good quality, very easy to pack, and are lightweight, and they look good as well. (The ABC line is my personal favorite but you might find something else fits you personally better)"

(10:21) - A cheap lock in my backpack for when I’m at the gym or water park and need to use the lockers. A bottle opener and SIM card tool on the same keychain for the lock key.

(10:54) - The biggest side benefit of UK wall chargers: "On a recent trip to Mexico, my friends and I booked a slightly sketchy Airbnb. Since the patio door didn’t have a bar, we scattered the UK chargers we had left over from our Cyprus trip as ersatz caltrops and slept soundly, knowing any intruders would face crippling injury if they dared to break in."

(11:48) - "I put AirTags or FindMy compatible luggage tags on all my bags. I also have a FindMy enabled passport wallet and glasses case from Satechi — hopefully I won’t ever end up in a situation like Greg when he got his backpack stolen in Chile, but even just being able to track things that are easily misplaced can be a total game changer."

(12:14) - "One thing I realized nobody mentioned is a travel router. I have been carrying [a tiny router] for several years, and it has been a real lifesaver on occasion. When I get somewhere that has spotty WiFi reception, I try to find a spot where I can get at least a little reception, plug in the router there, and then I have reception in the whole room. (One time, I had it perched on top of an ice machine down the hall when WiFi was out on the whole floor.) It is also handy for sharing one login among everybody."

(13:09) - "For luggage, I love the soft-sided Platinum Elite spinner line from Travelpro. .... The Platinum Elite line has lots of nice built-in organizers like compression straps, multiple zippers and velcro pockets, and a zip-in plastic bag for liquids... There’s an internal zipper pocket on the walls that I use as my little “travel safe” for extra wallets/cards... The Platinum Elite luggage also has a sizable amount of handle position adjustments, and the spinner wheels magnetically align, which makes keeping the bag going in a straight line simpler and resists rolling down small inclines when perpendicular to them. I held on to cheap suitcases for years, but these were worth the upgrade as we traveled more, and we should have done it sooner."

(15:00) - "The 19″ Briggs & Riley Baseline Spinner will actually fit under the seat. So, if carry-on space disappears, you’re not looking to check a bag that you really don’t want to check."

(15:30) - "Interesting that Greg associated his towel (which he sometimes uses a scarf) with the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy because Douglas Adams actually took that recommendation from a reader tip in a 1980s edition of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to Europe, in which the writer said “Take a towel or a scarf, but not both — because you’ll never need both at the same time”."

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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads