Pack Hacker and Matador Launch the ReFraction™ Pro: A Limited Release Packable Backpack for Urban Travelers

DETROIT, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The team at Pack Hacker, the leading travel gear review site in the AllGear Digital active-lifestyle enthusiast media portfolio, has teamed up with the best-in-class designers at travel gear brand Matador to create the ReFraction™ Pro Packable Backpack.

The ReFraction™ Pro leverages decades of travel and pack knowledge and adds thoughtful elements such as admin pocket organization, a dedicated laptop compartment, and location tracker storage – refinements regularly unavailable in packable backpacks.

Pack Hacker reaches millions of viewers each month across YouTube, Pack Hacker Pro, and gear guides, cultivating a loyal community of gear enthusiasts. Matador products have long been a staple of Pack Hacker's one-bag travel guides and packing lists, and collaborating on a bag design was a natural next step.

"Our deep consumer connection enables a unique opportunity for gear brands to leverage expert user feedback to shape product design and direction," explains Eric Phung, CEO of AllGear Digital. "We're excited to partner with Matador, one of the most highly respected brands in travel, to show the power of bringing traveler voices into the product design process. It's proof of what can happen when real-world feedback guides brand innovation." 

"Working with Pack Hacker meant blending their deep traveler insights with our design expertise," said Chris Clearman, Founder of Matador. "Together, we developed a pack shaped by the needs of people who use it most."

"The original ReFraction™ Packable Backpack is the highest-rated Matador product on Pack Hacker," said Tom Wahlin, Founder of Pack Hacker. "Building on that foundation, the Pack Hacker team provided insights from thousands of miles of travel, community feedback, and years of in-depth product testing to help Matador elevate the design."

Key product upgrades influenced by Pack Hacker's expert reviewers include:

• Admin pocket with organization, sized for passports and small tech.
• Dedicated laptop compartment for up to 15" devices, with dual zippers for easy access.
• Location tracker pocket for an AirTag or Tile tracker.
• Carabiner key tether that's sized for PALS webbing and doubles as a key leash or accessory clip.
• Dual hypalon tether points for attaching external gear such as a bike light, towel, or wet clothing.
• YKK® sealing zippers for increased weather protection.

The Pack Hacker® x Matador® ReFraction™ Pro Packable Backpack is available in an exclusive Pack Hacker colorway and in a limited run for $85.

Media Contact: [email protected]

About Matador
Matador is based in Colorado and began with a wallet-sized park blanket designed by founder Chris Clearman for motorcycle commutes. The company incorporates its simple, innovative design that allows for unconstrained travel into every product it makes, iterating and testing each item until it does exactly what it's designed to do and has everything a traveler needs. Matador is employee-owned with no outside investment.

About AllGear Digital and Pack Hacker
AllGear Digital delivers award-winning outdoor journalism and gear reviews to an engaged audience of active, outdoors enthusiasts. AllGear Digital and AGD+, AllGear Digital's extended advertising network, have a combined global monthly reach of over 60M, leveraging AGD Studios to tell powerful stories that inspire and engage. Based in Los Angeles, California, AllGear Digital is a diverse-owned media company committed to inclusivity.

Pack Hacker, part of the AllGear Digital media portfolio, is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The team of gear testers uses their expertise and real-world experience to create in-depth product reviews, guides, and packing lists. Pack Hacker also partners with leading brands to develop products shaped by real traveler insights.

SOURCE AllGear Digital