I grew up with a mom who had giant purses. I mean giant. I gradually developed a general feeling of both amusement and deep disgust for these tote-like appendages. Oddly, the older she got, the smaller she got, and the larger her purses got.
To be clear, my mom was a wonderful woman who gave me my love of the environment, but she was some form of a mobile hoarder. From dog food (“You never know when you’ll find a stray.”) to tortilla chips (that one still baffles me), her purse had it all. For perspective, you easily could have used one of these strapped beauties for a modern day dog transport. They were voluminous.
This could go on and on, but I will get to the point of this blog. When going through my gear closet last weekend, I was putting up pegs to hang my backpacks and waterproof gear bags, and I saw my YETI Tocayo, Crossroads and waterproof backpacks. I also have an REI flashpack and Osprey hiking pack….oh yeah, and my YETI Panga 50 waterproof duffel. Suddenly, a stark realization rolled across me…I’ve become a bag lady. I have six bags. No dog food or tortilla chips, but I have six backpacks and bags? Really?
There is some reasoning to this, although I imagine my mom had her own reason as well for her fleet of purses, but I really do have different uses for each. My Crossroads is my daily work bag. Sort of a backpack version of a briefcase. It’s light but spacious and has the best layout of pockets. My Tocayo is my overnight travel bag. I have flown tens of thousands of airline miles with that bag, and it is literally indestructible. My waterproof backpack is my fishing bag and holds my camera, extra baits, etc. It’s a must particularly for the camera. The REI flash pack is for short trips where I can get in a good hike and need a small backpack that I can fold up and fit in a roller bag pocket easily. My Osprey is for longer, all-day hikes when I need to carry water and some light gear. I have hiked a lot of miles with it, and it has been a true friend. And, of course, the Panga 50 is invaluable on trips where everything is wet on the outside, and I need everything to be dry on the inside. It is definitely worth the cost of admission.
It all makes sense when I write it out, but I am still met with the inescapable truth….I have become a modern form of a male bag lady.