When I’m traveling anywhere, doesn’t matter where, I always bring two things: cosmetics and electronics. And those are two things that I’m really bad at keeping organized. Items always end up stuffed haphazardly wherever they fit or where I can easily reach for security checkpoints. For a while I was stealing my boyfriend’s Eagle Creek pouch, but he eventually wanted it back. When I discovered the Chums Latitude Accessory Cases, it was a match made in heaven.
Down jackets are kind of my thing and I really love them. Which is weird because I live in California and the last time we had a winter was probably before I graduated from college. But come on, a down jacket is your best friend. It keeps you warm. It packs down super small in your pack and is forgotten until you need it. It makes a great pillow when you forget yours while camping.
Photo by Nelson Salvatera
Since moving to San Francisco, I’ve come to realize that space and storage is a premium. There’s only so many backpacks I can own in a space that’s sub 600 square feet. I find that solid, all-around backpacks are hard to find. Most only excel at one thing or another, resulting in a giant collection of packs that you use for one thing, maybe two. This is where the Mountain Hardwear Scrambler 30 pack shines.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a beautiful park, but it’s a fairly small park. There is probably less than 15 miles of hiking trails, some connecting deeper into Ventana Wilderness like Sykes Hot Springs via the Pine Ridge trail. Some are gems like the Big Sur River Gorge and Pfeiffer Falls. Others are less so.
When my friend and fellow purple fiend, Oshie, invited me on a camping trip at Pinnacles National Park for a weekend, I couldn’t say no! My friendships with internet people have spawned some of the most fun and awesome memories. I packed my Teton Sports Hiker 3700, grabbed the keys and started the two hour drive to Pinnacles. And then I realized that I had both sets of keys to our building and apartment. I’d managed to absentmindedly grab all the existing keys within a 50 mile radius to my home. Whoops.