Matador GlobeRider45 Travel Backpack Reviewed in 2025

Initial Thoughts Of The Matador GlobeRider45

When you first lay eyes on the Matador GlobeRider45 you are instantly struck by the quality materials and hardware on the bag. The YKK® PU coated zippers lined with great rubber are the first noticeable sign that this is not your typical travel backpack. The plastic hardware, including its clips and strap adjusters, is equally high quality.

The bag is made of Bluesign® nylon. Bluesign is a standard that certifies materials are made in a safe environment, are safe to use, and are also environmentally sustainable. This specific nylon also looks great and feels like it can take a beating, which is an important quality to have in a nylon travel bag.

Apart from the fact that this bag immediately looks expensive, it also looks great and subtly fashionable. The black and white color scheme is both practical and chic. You can wear business casual or hiking gear, and this bag will match perfectly.

When you start to look a little closer at the bag, you begin to notice all sorts of compartments. Sure, you see the outer pouch, the daisy chain, and the upper zipper pouch right away. But there are several additional zippers that are designed to be discrete.

When you finally open up this clamshell pouch, you see there are even more design elements geared towards easy organization. There is a pouch for shoes or dirty clothes, a bungee to keep clothing in place, and more. The 45-liter volume makes it possible to pack for an entire week with relative ease.

Needless to say, the initial impression of the Matador GlobeRider45 Travel Backpack is a positive one. But looks can sometimes be deceiving. It is not just the initial look of this bag that matters. At $350, it is important this bag performs perfectly and that it is built to last.

A Rugged Travel Backpack Built With Lasting Comfort In Mind

One of the most striking design elements of the GlobeRider45 Travel Backpack is that it is built with features similar to a hiking backpack but is meant for global travel. It has cushioned shoulder straps and back padding, as well as a padded hip belt. These are qualities you expect from an overnight hiking pack, but Matador included in a carry-on. This innovative Matador design gives you the comfort of a long-distance hiking backpack with the storage of a carry-on.

What is most fun about the shoulder straps and hip belt is that when they aren’t useful, you can tuck them away and carry the bag like a travel suitcase of sorts. We also love this feature on the Peak Design Travel Backpack. This is perfect for those who sometimes need to grip a bag by a handle and other times need to have both hands free. This versatility is incredible for those who travel often and are often walking from place to place.

In addition to its comfortable and innovative design, it also has some notable materials. The bag’s nylon is indeed rip-resistant and holds up well against rain. It is not waterproof and might leak in an all-out downpour. But this bag is likely to fair better than most if you find yourself caught in an unexpected rain storm.

How The Matador GlobeRider45 Performs In The Real World

The GlobeRider45 has some great design elements and high-end materials, but how do they perform in the real world? In short, this bag does pretty well when put to the test. For the most part, this bag is as practically useful as it is well-made, but with a few exceptions.

On the plus side, this bag is as durable as one might expect. After several weeks of rugged use, the bag looks as good as new. Its rip and water-resistant 420D Bluesign® nylon holds up when it brushes up against hard surfaces. The water-resistant nature not only helps against rain but makes this bag very easy to clean. This helps keep the bag looking fresh longer.

The bag also makes organizing for a three-to-seven-day trip easy. There is a pouch for your laptop, a compartment for valuables like a passport and wallet, and even a separate place for dirty items like dirty clothes or shoes. The added bungee to keep your folded clothing in its place helps make the GlobeRider45 a bonafide carry-on, even if it looks more like a hiking pack than airport-ready luggage.

The main downsides are its ease of use. Specifically, this bag’s zippers are often hard to open. They are waterproof and professionally constructed, but opening and closing the clamshell bag is a bit of a challenge. After you use this bag for a week, you get used to how hard and careful you need to be, but there is a very real learning curve.

The pack also has a size that takes time to get used to. When carrying it as a backpack, it almost feels too small to have the added hip pads and clip-ons. But if you have this pack filled with heavy items, it is helpful. Still, if you are on a shorter trip, these add-ons can feel like more of a hindrance than a help. For the most part, though, you can tuck the straps beneath the back padding to make them mostly disappear.

For those with a smaller build, the bag also can be a bit awkward and may take time and adjusting to get used to as a backpack.

Discovering Exactly How Water Resistant The GlobeRider45 Is

Matador does have some waterproof products, but the GlobeRider45 is water resistant, not completely waterproof. So if you need a completely waterproof bag, you might want to look into different models. The good news is that although this bag is not waterproof, it holds up very well in wet conditions.

After walking through light rain, the bag’s interior was perfectly dry. Even the padded straps dried quickly, as did the back padding, thanks to its breathable nature. The zippers are built to handle even harsher conditions. The only time you need to run for cover when carrying this bag is if you encounter heavy rain or a full-on downpour. It is always good to be prepared with electronics in a waterproof dry bag within this bag if you anticipate very wet conditions.

The nylon material on the exterior of the GlobeRider45 is durable, but simply can’t keep out completely saturating conditions. It is also important to note that the outer pouch on this bag does not zip, and is exposed to the elements. But as a backpack designed to get a traveler from one place to another, regardless of weather, the water resistance is more than adequate.

Unzipping The Notable Features Of the Matador GlobeRider45

The Waterproof Zippers

The first feature that pops out when you first use the GlobeRider45 from Matador is the various YKK® PU coated zippers. As waterproof zippers, they work great. They are all fantastic at keeping moisture out, as well as keeping the zippers fresh.

They are, however, a bit difficult to use. They require a lot of effort to open and close, especially when you first purchase them. The amount of effort you need to pull them is alarming at first – it’s almost as though they are snagged on something.

Once you use them more, these zippers are easy, especially when you find the sweet spot of pressure needed to open and close them. But a slightly easier opening and closing would make these waterproof zippers even better.

Padded Shoulder Straps And Back Padding

The thick and breathable padding on both the shoulder straps and back padding are not standard for carry-on style travel bags but add great comfort to this carry-on “outdoor inspired” backpack. They are comfortable enough to carry this bag for hours on your back if needed. While many people might not need to carry this bag for long distances, it is great to know that this bag can do so with ease.

The padding is breathable, but if you travel with this bag a long distance, you are likely to sweat, just like with any other travel backpack. Still, its cushioning and breathability make this a great pack for those who rely on walking and public transport to reach a hotel or final destination.

For those who don’t want to use the shoulder straps, they can be easily tucked away. This makes it easy to grip the bag more like you would a suitcase.

Padded Hip Belt

If you opt to fill the bag to capacity and need to bring it a long distance, there is a padded hip belt to make this journey easier on your shoulders and back. The hip pads are exactly like those found on most hiking packs and have a similar purpose. For the most part, these pads are likely unnecessary unless you travel with this pack on a long walking journey. But you can tuck them away, so there is no harm in having this extra support. In fact, it is likely to come in handy if you travel to hard-to-reach locales.

Multiple Discrete Compartments

There are several external zipper pouches that make for both easy access as well as discrete storage. One of the most handy external zipper pockets is the admin pocket located on the top of this bag.

It has zipper pockets to secure critical items like travel documents and a wallet. There is a secure clip for your keys, and this pocket has small compartments for things like a cell phone charger, headphones, and pens. It is a great discrete yet easy-to-access compartment that makes on-the-go travel easier.

Clamshell Design With Internal Organization Features

The main interior of the bag looks shockingly similar to any other well-made travel luggage bag. It has secure bungees to lock in all your organized and folded clothes. There are additional zippers that make it easy to pack away other items. The 45-liter volume makes it easy to pack for a full week in warmer destinations and 5 days if you need to pack heavier clothing. Regardless, it has more than ample space for any weekend destination. The interior of this bag leaves very little to be desired.

External Daisy Chain

The external daisy chain on this pack makes it a hybrid-hiking bag of sorts. While the interior clamshell storage is reminiscent of a typical suitcase, the exterior is much more outdoorsy. If you insert your own bungee system, you can further maximize the exterior of this bag. You can use this daisy chain to store a jacket, travel pillow, mosquito net, or other light-but-bulky items.

Built-In Laptop Compartment

There is also a handy laptop compartment. This compartment is located near the rear of the pack. The back padding gives some cushioning, and the pocket is located off the ground, which makes a direct impact on the ground highly unlikely.

The compartment can fit a laptop up to 15”, which is helpful. Unfortunately, if you have a travel case for your laptop, it is unlikely to fit in with the laptop unless it is very thin. So while the compartment is well-designed, a slightly larger opening would be better for those who find comfort in always having a laptop in a separate traveling case.

Large Exterior Pouch With Stretch

There is an exterior pouch that can also come in handy. It can fit a narrow sleeping bag, flip-flops, gloves, a yoga mat, or a beach towel. Anything you want quick access to can fit here. There is a little bit of stretch to the material, making it possible to fit items snuggly into it without the risk of them easily sliding out.

There is an additional smaller exterior pouch built for a water bottle. It can comfortably fit most 32oz water bottles and also keep them still with its tight-fitting stretch.

Multiple Carrying Handles

The variety of handles on the GlobeRider45 is shocking and impressive. There is a side handle that allows you the ability to carry the bag like a standard suitcase. There are also handles on the top and bottom of the bag. This makes it possible to carry with both hands and easily store it in an overhead compartment. This, combined with the shoulder straps make it possible to carry this bag in nearly every way you can imagine.

Is The Matador GlobeRider45 Worth The Price?

So now that you know all about the GlobeRider45, its great features, and its few but notable drawbacks, the big question is if it is worth $350, or if you are better off with another, cheaper, travel backpack. The answer is, it really depends on the person.

If you are a world traveler who is constantly on the go and uses public transport and walking as a frequent mode of transportation between the airport and your accommodation, then The Matador GlobeRider45 is worth the money. It is a perfect travel backpack for those who travel frequently and find themselves in a variety of situations.

This bag looks great on the back of someone walking through a busy city street and does not stand out in the least on a desolate hiking trail. This is to say, while it costs a lot of money, for some people, this might be the only travel backpack you need. So if you are always exploring, then the $350 is money well spent.

If, however, you aren’t always traveling or are accustomed to more typical traveling methods – this might not be the bag for you. Those who rarely walk when traveling or who value a wheeling bag or a great travel duffel bag over hands-free luggage should look elsewhere.

While this bag is built to last and is water-resistant, there are other cheaper bags that have similar base qualities. In other words, this bag is definitely worth the money for professional travelers and digital nomad lifestyles, but not for those who only take occasional vacations or like to use a wheeled case.

Matador’s Three-Year Warranty

One added value worth noting for those on the fence about the Matador GlobeRider45 and its price is its warranty. Matador bags come with a comprehensive three-year “Total-Protection-Warranty.” So if you are a constant traveler who seems to go through travel bags as fast as you go through shoes, then this bag might be for you. Even outside the three years, Matador replaces faulty hardware and equipment.

Our Final Recommendation On The Matador GlobeRider45

The Matador GlobeRider45 Travel Backpack is an impressive and well-thought-out bag. It is the perfect bag for those who take frequent trips, especially if those trips are three-to-seven-day journeys. It can work as a causal hiking pack but is stylish enough to take to any urban destination under the sun. It was built for the world traveler, and any year-round digital nomad is destined to fall in love with this bag.

But at $350, it is not the best usage of money for those who don’t travel frequently. It is also suited for the adventurous traveler who hops off a plane and heads for the subway instead of the taxi stand.

If you are an active and frequent traveler, this bag is worth considering. Its zippers are a little difficult to maneuver at times, and it isn’t ideal for all types of travel, but it is hard to find a quality travel backpack in a perfect carry-on size as durable and versatile as this one.