Mera Peak Packing: The Misses

To follow up on my last post about the things that proved indispensable on the trek, here are the things that I regret bringing and a few things that I wished I had.

1. Quick Dry Towel
   
   All towels are equal, but some are more equal than others. Sigh.
   
   Nick brought his REI camp towel on the trek...but I did not. I packed a super thin cotton towel from India since this is what I wanted for the rest of our round the world trip.
   
   I love these Indian towels because they dry in 10 mins in the sun, are really absorbent for their size, take up less room than Nick's travel towel and are big enough to wrap all the way around me. I have used my favourite towel on countless camping trips and international trips over the years and it has served me very well.
   
   This trek is the first time I found myself wishing I had a camp towel.
   
   

Mera Peak Packing: The Hits!

Every time I travel -- heck, every time I go on a picnic -- I end up finding something I'd do differently the next time around. Our Nepal trek was no different. After 18 days on the trail, we learned a thing or two about what worked and what didn't. So let's begin with the success stories...

Mammut Aconcagua Fleece

Mammut Aconcagua fleece hoodie

We spent the majority of our our trek above 4, 000m. So when you stop moving, when you start going downhill, or when the sun goes behind a cloud, you get cold very quickly. I feel like we were constantly taking layers on/off. The Mammut Aconcagua fleece hoodie I bought just before this trip really shone in these variable conditions.

This is the single most useful and versatile item I packed. I wore it every single day! Appearances can be deceiving; it may look like a pretty basic hoodie, but it has some key design features that make it so perfect.

How to Dress Like a Girl Without Really Trying

When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I decided that skirts were a hassle and I wasn't going to wear them anymore. Shorter, flowy skirts were comfortable in hot weather, but they required constant vigilance to avoid flashing people as you went about your day. Tighter skirts didn't have this problem, but they restricted your range of motion, which was even more annoying to me. And long skirts just seemed to get caught in everything -- nevermind that you had to keep one hand free in case you came across a staircase. All of this added up to "too much trouble" in my books.

So for 15 years, I just didn't wear skirts and dresses.

In fact, I eschewed all things girly, including fashion and makeup. But over the last five years, I have discovered that embracing my feminine side does not have to mean discomfort and inconvenience. Nowadays, you can have your cake and eat it too! Who knew?

Me and my favorite skort,
Tsitsikamma National Park, South Africa

Looking back, I think my little epiphany began with one item of clothing: The Athleta Whatever Skort. I had never heard of Athleta, when I read this review of the Whatever Skort, but I was so intrigued that I ordered one online, fully expecting to return it when it didn't work out. But not only did it work out, it worked out a little *too* well! This skort started my (expensive) love affair with the Athleta brand!

The Best Little Daypack in the World

When I travel, I usually take both a small purse and a small daypack with me. The purse makes an appearance on short urban jaunts and travel days, and the daypack comes out whenever I plan to be out and about all day.

The Northface Flyweight Pack has quickly become my favourite daypack and I wanted to share the reasons why I love it so much. I don't know why I have this burning desire to evangelize about gear that I really like. But blogging about it is a great way to get it out of my system without annoying my family and friends!

The Flyweight Daypack at rest

The Flyweight Daypack in action

My criteria for a good daypack is pretty simple,

Must Haves	Nice to Haves
Packs down small	Light-weight
Comfortable to wear all day	Small pocket for phone/wallet
Big enough to carry water, an extra layer, lunch, phone, wallet etc.	Easy access to my water bottle
Strong fabric that can take a beating	Clip for keys so they don't fall out accidentally

The Northface pack meets all requirements except one -- the key clip.

My Favourite Travel Purse

In the past I viewed purses as a necessary evil. Women's pants don't have a lot of pockets and since we can't go around wearing cargo pants every day, you gotta have one. But I didn't have to like it. In fact, I went through a phase where I gave up on purses all together and just took my MEC Pika Plus daypack everywhere!

Then one day, my Pika Plus and I wandered into Powell Books in Portland, and we spied the most interesting purse on sale.

This compact little Baggallini:

I had never heard of this brand before, but now I love them so much that I go around telling everyone who cares to listen (aka my sister) all about its awesomeness!

Here's why this particular baggallini made me give up the backpack...