Day 7: A Backpack

I love traveling and organization, so combining those two is always quite a thrill. Packing my tiny 13L daypack (normal school backpacks are often around 25L) for our weekend excursion to San Pedro de Atacama proved to be a challenge, but a doable one. I thought I had done it, only to realize I had forgotten to pack my toiletries. Unpacking, I started anew and managed to strategize a winning plan. I used my beloved packing cubes. Well, actually I needed to only use one because I'm not bringing much stuff for our short adventure.

As we walk and tour geysers, valleys, and desert landscapes, I want to be comfortable and protected from the sun. A pair of hiking pants will be my attire all weekend, and I brought merely two quick drying shirts along with a "sun jacket" to prevent my arms from burning. Throw in some socks and a down jacket for our chilly night time star tour and I was ready. Well, I also brought a hat, a pair of comfy shorts, a water bottle, Camelbak hydration reservoir, and some chargers.

I joked that I must really be an academic when I traded my hair conditioner for a book to read on the plane. Regardless, when I zipped it all together it was quite exciting! Packing light makes travel so much easier and simpler. I love backpacks, and the fact that we are all able to travel to a remote landscape with just a single lightweight backpack this weekend is great.

An laughed at me as I did a photoshoot of my beloved backpack on the porch before we left, but hopefully you can enjoy the result :)

For those who also love backpacks, here is the info on mine:

I talked about it in a previous blog post, but my friend Delia recommended the Osprey Fairview 55L backpack to me for travel. It has a main backpack that is 42L and a zip off daypack (pictured above) that is 13L. The combination has just the right amount of storage for a long term trip. With a full zip main compartment on the big bag (versus digging through a top loading pack), compression straps, and a nice padded hip belt, it is a really awesome bag. It's been nice leaving the big part in my closet as I use the daypack to go to work each day. And now the daypack is coming with me on an adventure to the Atacama!