After all that research on what backpack to bring backpacking as an adult, I went rogue and backed the Briidgs ($150) on Kickstarter (where it was $90), which arrived—as promised—one day before my trip. I love it. Here’s why I picked it: Size: starts at 30L, can expand to 39L Straps/function: can be carried as a…
I mean, milk those cheap European flights, right? I had 18 hours in Copenhagen, wheels down to wheels up. Here’s what I did: Airport – train – 5 min walk – Check in to badass attic airbnb in Nyhavn. Badass = historic building, attic = no seriously an attic, Nyhavn = the place to be;…
I have a pinterest board titled similarly, but it turns out most of my wardrobe of late has been athleta—and I’m not talking athletic clothes, because those are primarily other brands. I’m talking day-to-day shorts, tanks, and pants. Packing for my upcoming two week trip, I realized I was packing almost exclusively Athleta! Kind of…
It took me a long time to come around to wearing Tevas (still a no on Chacos) but now that I do, I love them—for outdoor pursuits. (sidebar: did you KNOW the word Tevas looks shockingly like Texas at a glance??) ((sidebar sidebar: I saw on instagram so it must be true that Norwegians use…
When my trekking backpack won’t do, and my ski backpack probably would—it’s done week-long trips in Hawaii and Morocco, after all—my upcoming two-week trip through Europe seems like a great excuse for a new travel backpack. Here are a few I’m eyeing … Adult Backpacking Backpacks Shop packs at this link (NOT affiliate links). Extras:…
My friend Matt nerds out over gear shopping. I wish I was like Matt, because I want the best deal on the best camp stove but I do not have the patience for comparing weights down to the ounce and features down to the speed to boil … for my camp stove, do I want…
“Through hail or high water …” And we crossed both. This picture sums up how I felt about being the minister at my friends’ wedding, and how I felt about their wedding: a five-day backpacking trip through Kings Canyon called the Rae Lakes Loop. The wedding was amazing, but I can’t tell you how to…
I guess a mini-deodorant isn’t that heavy. But in backpacking, weight is everything. Swipe contacted me just a few days before my recent backpacking trip offering a sample, so I gladly opted in. After all, a few packets of wipe-able deodorant are way lighter than the lighted deodorant stick. Plus, they’re biodegradable, so I don’t even…
A few days before our backpacking wedding trip to Rae Lakes—which I still owe this blog pictures of—a LifeStraw water bottle arrived for me. Now, we’d already invested in the Sawyer filtration system, which for backcountry backpacking is an ideal weight and easy-ness. But I clipped my new LifeStraw on my backpack anyway, and boy…
Y’all. Life is crazy and busy and [too] full and stressful and wonderful. I’m so grateful for everything—for the chance to completely escape into the wilderness, to climb thousands on thousands of feet, through rain, hail, sleet, snow, and sunshine, to breathe in the fresh, deep, alpine air, to celebrate love and marriage with my…