Summer Backpacks In Portland, Oregon

To the trained eye, these bags are sleek compared to the behemoths used to schlep books to class.

The Son signed up for an Audubon trip to Yellowstone.  The kids were asked to have a small backpack and a massive duffel or pack for the rest of the gear. I found the above bags such an expression of minimalism of the pack genre I had to snap a picture.

For years I have been telling the kid that one philosophy of camping is to bring relatively little gear, the challenge being to use what you have creatively to solve the issue at hand. To that, he replied, "More money, more problems!" Right! I guess.

Oddly, I am encouraging the kid to be more slovenly. If I'm not going to shower when camping, I feel no compunction to change my underclothes. I'm glad the kid is seeing the wisdom of this, as it sets the stage for real backpacking, where weight is critical and cleanliness less so.

Here is the pile of the other bags:

The other thing I'm happy for is that the kid didn't want to bring a pillow, agreeing that putting his fleece in the stuff-sack was an elegant solution. I like comfort as much as the next person, but camping is a dance between the barest necessities and relative comfort. Sometimes less is more.