Matador FlatPak Soap Case vs Ziploc Bag (Soap Bag Comparison)
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- The Matador FlatPak Soap Case gets a lot of attention as a great travel product, but how well does it actually work. Let's find out! Specs and Links below 👇
💼 - Matador FlatPak Soap Bar Case
onebagtravels.com/refer/matad...
💼 - Ziploc Freezer Quart Bag - amzn.to/3QeVECE
Specs:
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Matador FlatPak Soap Bar Case
Cost: $13.99
Capacity: 6 fl oz. (0.18 L)
Dimensions: 4” x 2.4” x 1.3” (10.2 x 6.1 x 3.3 cm)
Weight: 0.4 oz. (11 g)
Materials: Cordura nylon; Dry-Through ™ coating
Origin: Made in China
Ziploc Freezer Quart Bag
Cost: $0.14
Capacity: 1.0 quart (0.95 liter)
Dimensions: 7” x 7.4” (18 x 19 cm)
Weight: 0.2 oz. (5 g)
Materials: Low Density Polyethylene
Origin: Made in USA (maybe)
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Matador Soap Case vs Ziploc Contents:
0:00 - Intro and Overview
0:22 - Wet Soap Bar in Bag Experiment 1
2:01 - Allowing Soap to Dry Experiment 2
3:51 - Size Test
5:18 - Functionality in Shower
5:55 - Summary
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Visit My Site For More Reviews:
onebagtravels.com/
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Thanks for watching my Matador FlatPak Soap Bar Case vs Ziploc Bag Comparison Video! If you have questions or comments about any of my travel or gear reviews, please let me know in the comments!
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Thanks for your honest review! I nearly fell for the marketing by buying the Matador.
I love my Matador soap case and haven't really had too much of a problem with it not drying. One big quality of life upgrade I did for the bag is to get an exfoliating/foaming net/mesh bag. You put the soap in the net bag then put the net bag with the soap into the Matador soap case. This creates a barrier between the soap and the bag so it's easy to remove from the case and doesn't leave behind residue.
That's a good idea, I have a few mesh bags. Any one brand in particular work well for you?
@@OneBagTravels I ended up getting the Cobahom 6 Pcs Mesh Soap Bag on amazon because of the double layer of mesh but there's many options on amazon
I use a ziplock bag but I put a very thin piece of sponge in and place the soap on top. Works well.
Two upvotes for a soap saver/sponge inside the bag. This is a fantastic idea, don't know why I never thought of doing that 😫
@@OneBagTravels "traveling is the mother of invention" - me 🤣
@@OneBagTravels I also use a soap saver in my Matador bag. They're easy to cut down to get them to fit in the bag and also allows your bar soap to dry out in the open at location. I don't throw my bar soap back into the bag until I'm on the move and by that time, it's dried off enough where the Matador bag does really well to get rid of the last bit of moisture.
@@JAFrk It seems like everyone has a different solution for drying out their soap, I like the idea of putting a little soap saver in the bag to help it along.
I usually travel for six weeks and before I had to carry two bars of soap. After buying the Matador bag I only carry one bar and I have leftover soap.
Since my soap is not a Dover brand, I do notice that there is a lot of difference.
And it’s more pleasant to bathe with a soap that isn’t “gummy”.
Great demonstration video, I don't know if anyone who's covered the Matador soap bag like this! Almost like an "America's test Kitchen" level comparison!
I was very hopeful when the MSB came out but the scientist in me didn't think the soap would dry the way marketing wanted you to believe.
My first issue is the issue I have with all Matador products. Although I love wearing black but it has its downfalls and in traveling accessories, especially day bags a huge con. In this bag you can't tell what type of soap you might have put in, or even if it's starting to dry, you just have to shake it until the bar slides into your hands.
The second issue I had was that it only comes in one size and the only soap bar I ever travel with would be a big chunk o' Dr Bronner's. It's not really the size of the Dr B's it's that the square corners, especially in a new bar, don't like to get into that little bag especially when you have soapy hands in the shower. I think your a comparison was more than fair especially when you consider them the soggy test was using a very rounded, smushy American brand - Dove!
I've been using a happy medium for some time. Not near as expensive as the MSB... Not as cheap looking as a ziploc.. A silicone "Stasher" bag!
If I use a medium sized stasher I can even enclose a soap saver like you use for use in public areas., and no way does it allow your soap to dry but if you're in one place for a time you can always vent the lid open the opening. It's triple locking grooves guarantee it is leak proof and comes in clear or colors so you can actually see if there's soap in that bag, and if more than one person is traveling together you can distinguish different bars simply by the myriad of colours the make. Not near as inexpensive as a ziploc, but will last a lifetime.
I really wanted to like the MSB. The dry bag rolling top, the claim of even slight soap drying. But inevitably it was the black bag getting lost in my bags and finding my personal solution that makes it a "no" for me.
Thanks again for a great video! Cheers!
Great comment. I have a Stasher bag that I use for food storage, I've considered using it as a toiletry bag, but it didn't occur to me to use it as a soap bag! They have that smaller "snack" size bag, I wonder if that would work as well. And using a soap saver inside the bag is genius, it also never occured to me to use these outside of a soap dish. Would be good if it could fit in the MSB bag, but that seemd doubtful especially with the larger Dr. Bronners bar.
@@OneBagTravels I even have a Stasher that has a built in carabiner. It's the size of my iPhone so I started using it in lieu of my heavy Pelican case! As you know, no liquid is going to get past Stashers triple Ziploc closure so I trust them with my iPhone.
Therefore when I started using them for soap I was sold! However.. I've tried cutting a bar of Dr Bronner's down to the size that I could put in the snack size but have you ever tried that?? I think it would be easier to saw through quartz!
@@IntriguedLioness I'm going to have to test out some more Slasher bags, I just have the one, seems they are more useful than I imagined! And no, I haven't tried cutting down a Dr. Bronners bar, but they're thick, so I imagine it would be difficult!.
@F L Whoops, Stasher, not "Slasher" 😆 www.stasherbag.com/ They're a reusable snack bag, with a very thick, durable silicone and a great seal so have other uses as well.
What's a "soap saver?"
I like my Matodor bag, I use Dr.bronners for my soap and I never have a issue with it being wet after sitting over night in the bag.
Was wondering this exact comparison. Thanks!
Thanks for the test we’ve all wanted to perform!
Glad to do it!
Thanks for doing this comparison - a true scientist!
I've had the Matador for years, and it has worked wonderfully for me. A couple of things to consider: 1)Climate matters--I live in California where it is mostly dry; people that live in more humid climates may not see it dry out thoroughly. 2) It is true that in the short run, using a Matador shouldn't be that much different than using a ziploc--your soap has water in/on in, it's gonna be a little mushy right after a shower. The true test is in the long run--if you put a soggy bar and seal it in a ziploc, you're trapping the water in there, and it will likely not evaporate from the bag if left for a week or longer (maybe you'll get a little bit of drying, since ziplocs aren't a "perfect seal" and bc of the material allows minimal gas exchange.) With the Matador, if you left your soap in there after a trip, stuck it in your dopp kit, and forgot about it until your next trip, let's say a few weeks or more later, it should be completely dry. This is why I like the Matador so much--I can keep my designated travel soap in my designated travel bag and never forget it on a trip!
Good points, Matador doesn't have magical drying properties, but it will dry your soap in the long-run
Thank you for such a thorough comparison!!
Glad you liked it!
I keep my 1/2 a shampoo bar, 1/2 conditioner bar, and 1/2 body soap in a good old fashioned plastic soap box with a spiky soap trivet inside. I close the box and drain out the excess water. I’ve had great success with this method.
I like this method. Recently I've been testing an Ethique soap bag, have to dry the soap first before putting it inside, but works great.
Nice honest review. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the honest review. You saved me a bunch of money!
Nice, glad to help!
If staying in hotels after you shower, use ur towel or a hand towel to dry the soap bar. After this you can pack it as you wish as it will be completely dry…
Great tip, thanks!
Yes, thank you. I was going to say the and thing. I use the flatpak. Gotta dry your soap with towel before putting it on there
I use Zote Soap for doing hand laundry both at home and when I travel. The matador bag works great for a hard soap bar like Zote which you don’t use every single day for showering. It is typically dry when I open the bag 48 hrs later to wash my undergarments on the road. The fragrance of the soap freshens my luggage, which you don’t get with a ziploc. IMO refillable liquid soaps are always going to be the most convenient option for showering when traveling, but it is hard to match the cleaning power of laundry soap bars. The matador is tailor made for laundry bars if you ask me.
Zote! Good point with the fragrance, but probably depends on the soap if you want the smell in your clothes or not. I've been using a Ethique cloth bag in Argentina with the lemon scented Dr. Bonners, works great and same thing with the fragrance. I like the lemon 👌🏼🍋
wow- thanks for such a thorough review, as always. As a woman of a certain age with very dry skin, I’d only like to footnote that the ph of bar soap will never be the same as a liquid soap.
Woah, I did not know this! Reading this article about soap pH (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4171909/) they say (paraphrasing) Normal healthy skin has a pH range of 5.4-5.9, use of soap with high pH causes an increase in dehydrative effect, irritability and alteration in bacterial flora. Apparently the lowest a solid bar of soap can get to is ~8 pH before falling apart, so most are in the 9-10 pH range. Much higher than the human skin.
I'm curious, have you tried Ethique bars? They claim they don't use water in their bars, so they are able to keep the pH level low (5.5 - 6) which means it may not dry out your hair/skin as much as a regular shampoo bar. (ethique.com/blogs/ethique-products/why-are-our-bars-so-much-more-than-other-shampoo-bars)
@@OneBagTravels I haven’t heard of this bar, but I’m definitely going to check it out- thanks!
I love my Matador bags. But, I also don't use standard soap bars, the Lush soap/shampoo bars dry out nicely.
Nice, I'm testing out a Lush and Ethique bar right now!
Agree. I use the Lush soap bar too. Never been a problem.
Never thought to test this, but the sustainability is a good thing to highlight!
For sure!
Random Vanquest comment on a soap bag video. Nice. 😅
@@slickslabmcknabful what can I say, we’re bag nerds lol
@@vanquestgear would have never guessed it. 😉😂
Now please kindly stop making Trident versions. I keep buying one of every iteration. Thank you. Haha.
20 minutes is an average shower length? I've been doing it wrong. But a very helpful set of experiments nonetheless! Thank you for this.
I just made that number up, I looked up the real number and according to the EPA it's more like 8 min 😆
I have the Matador soap case and I haven’t had any of the issues you had. I use Dial antibacterial soap. I love the Matador.
It's a good soap case, and general use it works fine. I was trying to put it to a stress test to see how it compared to a cheaper alternative.
I tied mold and mildew resistant polyester string around the buckles so that I can hang up my soap around the shower head or other hooks while showering and let it hang out to dry.
After my last five month trip, I wasn't too impressed about how slimy my bar soap normally was, so I drilled/poked four holes in the bottom to help the water drain out and to help it dry out faster. I keep it in my toiletry bag and am not worried about water leaking out obviously.
We have the same name! You poked holes in the Matador bag? I like the cord idea, it would be awesome if they added a little hand strap or something to this.
On a previous long trip, I brought a regular plastic soap container - Coghlans 8402 Soap Caddy - which had a string and drain holes. I was happy with it, except the fact it took up so much room. So I tried to convert this Matador FlatPak into something similar by poking drain holes in it and tying a string to it.
Great test! I have been put off matador products as im sure their portable picnic blanket said it used chemicals linked to cancer or something (not verified this claim!). So i just avoided them altogether as a brand.
Interesting. From their website, it seems like most of Matador's products use DMF (Dimethylformamide). After some light Googling, this seems to be a common ingredient in waterproof coatings for fabrics. According to this article below from the CDC from 1990, DMF has suspected links to liver damage and cancer in workers in industrial applications. Just speculating, but I would imagine many companies that use some form of waterproof coating have potentially cancer causing chemicals in them. Not sure how readily these chemicals can get into your body just from touching them.
www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/90-105/default.html#:~:text=DMF%20is%20also%20known%20to,the%20risk%20of%20developing%20cancer.
A ziplock with a piece of paper towel works great, especially when you use something like the bamboo towels available at Wegmans...
Great suggestion!
I store my schampoobar in a superthin mesh bag made for buying vegetables at supermarkets instead of using plastic bags. I can hang it from a hook or whatever. My plan is to bring the mesh bag on travels. The mesh is so thin and airy that the soap dries fast. And if it is not dry when I pack it I can easily hang it up as soon as I arrive to the next destination.
Great tip. I just picked up the mesh bag from Ethique, I may bring it on this trip as well to test them side by side.
I put my laundry and shampoo soap bars (both Ethique) in little organza mesh bags like the ones people tend to use for wedding favors and then hang them just like @Peppermint Crush
New Subscriber/ I usually bring a small squeeze bottle of shower gel but I recently
received a few bars of handmade soap that are Awesome and I will travel with one so Thank You.
Nice! Solid soaps are the way to go if they work for you.
You just saved me $20 and a lot of disappointment thank you very much!👌
Woot!
Good work here.
Thanks!
Dove bars are the worst bars for this test, or the best. Since they are softer soap bars than others you have on display in the video. Thanks for the honest review and saying a ziploc bag is just as good. However as someone who studies environmental risk and plastics, I cannot make myself use a ziplock bag for this purpose. Having to replace it because of leaks and tears is just pollution in the landfills for centuries.
Using Dove was interesting, I've noticed other firmer bars seem to be dryer after sitting in a ziploc, but I think that's because the bar is absorbing the water. The Dove bars sort of absorb water, but because the bar is softer, the bar just gets mushy on the outside. It would be interesting to repeat it with a different soap bar to see what the difference is. Not sure how environmentally friendly a Matador bag is, but at least it's way more durable/reusable than a Ziploc.
Thank you for this, it helped me not to spend money on the Matador.
Glad it was helpful
Thank video
👍
I’m not gonna lie, this gave my pre-buying enthusiasm for this bag a bit of a dent because like you said, after seeing this bag in all these videos, I expected it to be this “magical” bag that dries soap in it…seeing that it’s performance really isn’t all that magical, I’m reevaluating my need for it.
I’m probably still going to get it so I can leave a travel soap in it to dry until to the next trip in which scenario the zip loc would still leave the soap wet, but still, I’m a little bummed by the fact that the soap can’t dry out quicker in the Matador case…
It's still a great soap bag, very durable and waterproof. I just wanted to point out that it's not some magic soap container. The soap drying properties work, it's just not anywhere near how well you think it does. Soap absorbs a lot of moisture, so when you open the bag after a day or 2 and your soap is dry, it looks like it dried out through the bag, when in reality most of the water just absorbed into the soap bar. Just let your soap dry out for a few hours before putting it in the bag and it's fantastic.
Could I please ask what brand pants do you use or catty in your backpack. Many thanks
Right now I have 2 pairs of Kuhl pants, the Radikl and Renegade rock pants. One in a dark grey color, the other in olive. I like the material, they pack down small, can use them for hiking, or they look decent enough to dress up with a button-up shirt. They get wrinkly in my pack, but smooth out fairly quickly once I put them on.
I finally bought one to try it for myself at home, I think it's miraculous. Remember, I want it to dry ASAP so I'm not soaking the bar in water like in the video, I'm just rolling it around in my wet hands to get some soap on it. So it's not very wet before it goes back into the case, and when I come back to it for the next shower the bar is noticeably drier (or straight up dry if it's been a while). If I used a ziploc, the chance of any moisture escaping is essentially zero. And this is drying in the shower, I'm not taking the matador soap bag out to dry before putting it back in. I just leave the bag there.
Nice, glad it's working well for you. Yes most people don't soak their soap in water, I just wanted a way to have a consistent comparison =)
If the fabric works something like a Goretex rain jacket then you’d think any residue buildup on the inside would clog the breathability and stop it working.
Good point, I think you'd want to clean the gunk out periodically.
What’s the brand of the hard cased soap holder, please.. thx 🙏
That white one? Snow Kingdom soap case amzn.to/3cyukfp
Would it be possible to repeat the test, but instead weigh both bags containing the wet soap at the beginning and see if there is a reduction in weight over time whilst sealed in the two bags. Also before wetting and putting in the bag, can weigh the dry soaps to see the amount of water which has been absorbed by the soap and which can be potentially lost as the soaps dry over time?
That's a fantastic idea, wish I had thought of that before I did the video. I'll see if I can do that and maybe do a Short video on the results.
@@OneBagTravels That would indeed be really interesting. 😀I always wonder about the real breathability of these things. I suppose that if the soaps do not absorb enough water to be able to measure a significant difference, perhaps a damp cloth could be used instead. There would be a big difference between the dry and wet weight and the same principles would apply to a drying soap.
This is a great through review however, the dove bar specifically is made mostly out of lotion as opposed to soap. If you’re using an actual soap or shampoo bar, it’s going to be more solid than a dove bar.
This is true. I was just trying to compare the same soap in different situations. If I did it again I would try with different soap types.
Carry with you a floating soap holder for shower and sink like the ones by Savont and you'll never have a wet bar soap to pack ever again (and save lots of soap in the process).
That's an amazing soap holder! I don't seem many places to buy it outside of Germany, but I'm going to try and get my hands on one of the travel soap cases.
Matador says on their website you are gonna let the soap dry a bit outside the bag before putting it in the bag.
Probably cause they watched my video! 😆
@@OneBagTravels haven't seen ur answer until now, sry. But no, they wrote it on their website when they started selling the product.
Also there's different kinds of soap bars. The ones from Lush is drying out quicker and most suitable to use with the case. I'm using those.
dear bro,
can you please help me measure the interior dimensions in CM for each one of those bags:
peak design 45l
Tortuga Outbreaker
Wandrd Hexad
because I'm very confused getting one of them, and I believe you already tried all of them,
but I didn't find the internal dimensions of them at the great tables you made already about your bags
I'm not home right now but I'll try and measure them when I get back, and I don't have the PD bag right now.
@@OneBagTravels yes please dear, I've got already PD internal size, still need the other ones to decide.
Thank you in advance
@@MaFia4DvD4aRaB Wandrd interior volume is approx 21"x12"x8" (53x30x20 cm); Outbreaker is approx 22"x14"x4.8" (56x36x12 cm)
@@OneBagTravels wooow, the outbreker is a clearly winner here! Isn't it?
But are you sure about the 56cm and 36cm of it? It's the same as external dimensions exactly!
Shouldn't be less than that?
@@MaFia4DvD4aRaB The fabric is thin and there's no padding, so the interior dimension is basically the exterior dimension minus ~0.5mm or so for the fabric width. Basically the same.
Where do you travel that doesn’t have soap?
Places that have soap that's too small to do anything with like this --> imgur.com/MuGH8jK
Why not put a soap saver pad inside the zip lock bag? They weigh almost nothing, keep the soap drier and can be used to place the soap on at the side of the sink like a soap dish.
I concur, a soap saver would work great with the Flat Pak, but for this video I wanted to test the function of it without any extra help
Dove is not a good soap for the taste as it does not soak up water as most soaps do.
I also do not enjoy the taste of Dove.
@@OneBagTravels 🤣How did I manage to do that!
Who takes 20 minute showers 😂
People with wet soap bars? 🤷♂️