Time to pack it up and move on

G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe, hiking fool from head to toe...
Never actually got this pack.

If you spend anytime travelling - even if your biggest adventure involves a trip to a museum -
chances are, you've probably used a backpack of some kind.

Many of us have owned and used many different sizes and styles of backpacks over the years.

If you spend much time in the out of doors, you might be what consider to be a back pack expert.

I wouldn't call myself an expert, I feel a bit uncomfortable accepting that kind of term. I do know what works for me, and I can say what good and bad experiences I've had throughout the decades.

But thinking back to all the backpacks I've used over the years also brings back memories of the trips I've taken with them. And those memories are all pretty fond ones.

I first desired a backpack - or knapsack as we called it then - when I first went to Camp Richildaca near Kettleby, Ontario. We were going on a nature hike, and I wanted a pack to carry my lunch in, along with any other supplies I might need (which really weren't much, since it was only a two or three hour hiking adventure.)

I didn't get one that first summer. But the following summer I did, although not without some grief from my dad.

We'd visited relatives in Detroit for a week before I went to camp that year and spent one day getting a toy for me. My dad knew I wanted a knapsack for camp, and in the toy store, you could get an official "G.I. Joe knapsack and (plastic) entrenching shovel," it was part of the line of life-sized toys that complemented the popular boys' soldier-doll. (PC people like to call it "action figure," but hey, we knew it was a doll. Our answer to girls' Barbie. And he could kick Ken's ass. But I digress).

Anyway, he urged me to get that, but I chose the toy M-1 carbine instead (Hey, why get a knapsack when I can get another gun for my growing arsenal, eh?).

So, when I went to camp, at the end of the first week, I was bugging my dad for a knapsack. Even had one picked out that I liked. It was green, had "Trailblazer" written on the back. But my dad said, "You should have gotten the GI Joe pack!"

My official Boy Scout backpack.

It took a bit of cajoling, but eventually I got my pack. Looking back, it wasn't much, didn't even fasten with buckles, just a tie like a shoelace. But I loved it.

It did me up until the time I was ready to go to scout camp.

Then it was time to move up to a better model. And again I had a bit of a tussle with my dad over this issue. He thought to go to camp it would be much better if I just had some kind of big duffel bag, kind of like a hockey bag for all my clothing and gear.

But my dad was not that much of an outdoorsman; I knew there were going to be overnight canoe trips and overnight backpacking trips at this camp, and a duffel bag was not going to be very good for hauling gear through  the woods on my back, so again I cajoled him and eventually got the pack I wanted.

It was a gray knapsack, an "official" Scouts Canada pack purchased at the local Jack Fraser store (the official supplier of Scouts Canada back then) It did not have any kind of frame with it, it was really more of a larger day pack rather than a multi-day pack, but it had one mean compartment, two side pockets, and a smaller outside pocket on the back ... it was just exactly what I wanted and it worked great on the canoe trip - my very first overnight canoe trip, to Drag Lake in the Haliburton Highlands! - and then on my very first overnight backpacking camping trip as well.

That particular backpack did me for several more years until I hit 18 and was planning my very first "no-adults" overnight canoe trip in Algonquin Park.

Now this was a big thing for me, because every other canoe trip I never been on was supervised by someone older - a scoutmaster, a junior forest ranger foreman - so this was a special rite of passage trip.

Time for a Taymor!
Mine was blue not red, but same style.

I had my eye on a backpacking frame in Canadian Tire where I worked that summer. It was really cool, because it was essentially red with a white flap to cover everything - and it had a red maple leaf in the middle ... essentially it was a giant Canadian flag.

I bought it, and I loved that pack, using that for the next several years. For a few years, I stopped taking overnight camping trips just because I was in university and was often working and didn't have time to plan or carry out such trips.

Eventually I graduated moved out west and when it was time for me to go on a new outdoor adventure, it was time for a new backpack because the "flag-pack" had seen better days, it was 16 years old and hadn't been in any shape to take out west.

So off I went to my neighborhood sporting goods store and got a Taymor pack. My first trip with that was a three-day solo backpacking trip in Jasper National Park, to Jacques Lake.  It did me for several more trips after that, canoeing the Bowron Lake circuit twice, and on some other camping trips. But as with all backpacks, when your travel style changes, often your pack has to change as well.

For my first international trip to Belize - a two-week trip that involved sea-kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, caving, and all kinds of great outdoor stuff - I needed a suitcase. But I also needed some kind of small day pack.

A friend of mine lent me a catalog from Mountain Equipment Co-op, which I'd never heard of at that point in time. But they had something which was perfect: a very rugged cross between a suitcase and a duffel bag but which also had a smaller day pack that fastened to the main bag with straps and became part of the whole unit.

The suitcase itself could be turned into a backpack for longer trips as it had an internal pack frame. The detachable day pack was great, because it could carry food, a change of clothes, a camera, water bottle, and any number of things you might need to access when you're kayaking in the Caribbean or hiking through the Central American jungle.

Still use my MEC pack today, 25 years later.

This one is lasted a long time - in fact, I still use it today for some travel, which means it's pretty darn durable.  Since I bought it 1991,that means I've had it for almost 25 years in it still works. Yeah, here it comes... "They don't make much stuff like that any more."

Once I started doing freelance photography, which involved a lot of hiking in the mountains and other outdoor areas in and around Calgary and southern Alberta, I needed something sturdy and functional in which to carry my camera gear, since I wasn't using just a point-and-shoot any more.

So I bought a LowePro in 2000.

It's still my favourite backpack for carrying camera gear. It's been vary durable, although I have had replaced the zippers on the one I currently use on a couple of occasion . But it's 15 years old, so it doesn't owe me anything.

It's helped me photograph parrots in the Caribbean, orangutans in Malaysia, temples in Thailand and the vista of Machu Picchu in Peru.

Let's see, did I bring my cards?

Everybody who knows me knows I love to paddle and when you're canoeing or kayaking it's always nice to have something to keep you clothing and gear dry.

I used to just pack the frames and backpacks into the canoe, but there was no guarantee, they would stay dry unless we put a tarp over them. And once we started kayaking, well, you can't fit a pack frame into a kayak storage compartment.

So we evolved to dry bags. They're very handy for paddling, even canoeing, if you don't have any long portages, but they are meant more for kayaking than canoeing. Some come with straps and some bags even have an apparatus that turns them into backpacks.

However they do not become the kind of backpacks you would take with you on a camping trip into the mountains.

Guaranteed to keep stuff dry.

I think back fondly to all the backpacks I've used...As we go forward in life, we of course have to make room in our lives by letting go of certain things, we can't keep every single thing (although sometimes I wish we could.)

But I get wistful every now and then when I think back to all those first trips I took - my first nature hike, first overnight canoe trip, first overnight camping trip, first overnight canoe trip planned on my own, and my first international trip. Most of the backpacks I took on most of those trips are long gone.

Some wore out, some were donated ... but they're all so old, they've probably all bitten the dust, I doubt if any of them are even around, never mind in use any more.

Although today's modern day, super light, multi-purpose materials may make lighter and more waterproof and more functional backpacks, there's no taking the place of the memories associated with those old packs.

R.I.P., old backpack friends.



Some tips on choosing a backpack.

Gearing up: What's in your average travel writer's suitcase?

As a travel writer, many people often ask me: "What exactly do you pack for a trip?"

Travel writing: it's more than just keeping a journal.

Of course, they're not asking me for tips about packing general stuff like clothing, toiletries, etc. Besides, the type of clothing that I take will always depend on where I'm going and can vary widely. For example,  if I'm going to the Arctic, I'll pack much different clothing than what I would for a trip to the Amazon.

That's pretty no-brainer staff. But what they really wonder about is, what I take as a travel writer, different from all that. If they were thinking about maybe trying their hand at travel writing, they like to know what kind of gear they should take.

Now in this day and age, we've gone way past the standard paper-and-cardboard cover travel journals, pens and camera gear.  In the digital age we have to have different kinds of equipment  - in some cases there is more gear, in some cases, less.

A lot of what we take depends on what else a particular travel writer does in terms of work. Some travel writers also have other writing gigs on the side or media consulting work that may not involve travel writing  - but they have to keep performing those particular functions while on the road.

That brings us to our first piece of equipment that has only become part of a travel writer's equipment in the last 10 or 15 years.

1. Laptop computer. This is essential. Again, depending on how you operate as a travel writer, you may be expected to blog about your days' activities while you're on a particular trip. You can't do that without a laptop computer of some kind. Also, more and more, travel writers on a trip are expected to be able to post photos, videos, or at the very least a few comments on social media platforms while they're traveling, even if it's just to the two biggies, Facebook and Twitter. Now some of that can be done with a smart phone.

These days, a travel writer is lost without a laptop.

Aside from blogging while on the road, laptops are also used for storage of the day's photos and videos. If you're an extended trip, you may end up using all the cards before your trip is over. So you have to be able to download them into a laptop, and perhaps from there, onto a portable hard drive.

The other thing a laptop does it provide you with easy access to your email. You may have other story pitches out there, and while you're traveling, a magazine editor may be trying to reach you with an assignment.  You really cannot afford to wait two weeks, most editors need to know in a day or two that you can write the story that you pitched them by their required deadline.

None of this is really possible without a laptop.

2. Smart phone. The last five years, I've found my iPhone becoming an increasingly valuable resource. Obviously, it's nice to be able to keep in touch with tour operators and tourism boards on the ground in any particular location, but that's just a tiny fraction of the use I make of it.

With the increased stress on posting  to social media - some hard copy magazines even require it, if you want to write for them! - I find it absolutely essential to take photos and video to post on Facebook, Twitter Google Plus and even on my blog.

Smartphone: communicator, back-up camera. 

Most of the photos and videos you see in this blog were shot with an iPhone; I also have a Canon DSLR, but the images I take with that are the ones I use for publication in newspapers and magazines.

To show you how invaluable a smart phone is, I have even had some photos I've taken with my iPhone published in glossy magazines, shots I didn't get with my DSLR, but captured with the iPhone.

It also acts as a back-up, in case something goes wrong with my big camera.

Last but not least, it's the easiest way to post on social media. If you've taken a photo or video with your iPhone, it's a lot quicker and easier to post it on a social media app on the phone rather than transfer it over to a laptop and then upload it.

3. A good quality DSLR camera.  I've shot with two camera brands, in both SLR and DSLR photography. I learned to shoot 35 mm film with a Pentax;  my next camera was a Canon.  I went back to Pentax for my first DSLR but I really didn't the images I shot with it, so when it was time to get a new camera I went back to Canon.  Most professionals use either Canon or Nikon DSLRs.  I prefer a Canon because it's a little less expensive for the same kind of camera features and I'm used to it.

My current camera of choice: a Canon t5i

Something else to consider these days is a DSLR with video capability.  More and more emphasis has been placed on the ability to acquire video for online publication of travel stories, so it really helps to have a good quality product.

4. Photography accessories. This may include a really long zoom lens if you want to shoot wildlife or a a little shorter zoom if you don't.  Other accessories: a tripod or monopod for steadying a camera when shooting (pretty much a must for any kind of video), lens cleaning fluid and tissues, batteries, a battery recharger, photo cards, cable release - and a bag to carry it all.

If you have a lot of photo gear you need to have a really good quality camera backpack. Don't skimp on the quality - you may end up regretting that if you have really expensive camera gear in a cheap bag and the bag rips or breaks or gets wet too easily and ruins your camera.  I've been using a LowePro camera bag since 2000; I've had to replace a few of the zippers from time to time, but other than at, it's help up very well.

Love my LowePro camera bag.

5. Wall socket converters.  If you travel to South America or Central America or Africa or Europe or Asia, you're going to find any kind of electrical appliance you have will not plug into the wall sockets there.

That's because the wall sockets for accessing electricity are different, so you need converters to fit over your plug and overcome this. You can get them at any travel store, like Wanderlust or The Travel Bug or any store that specializes in travel products.

Don't leave home without it.

6. A suitcase. This may seem like a bit of a no-brainer, but all suitcases are not created equal. Five years ago I purchased a suitcase - fairly large, fairly durable - and one that's guaranteed for 20 years.

If it breaks or loses a wheel, or gets a hole in it, they replace it, no charge.

Around the globe with Geary! A suitcase no one can miss.

Another thing to think about when purchasing a suitcase: get one that stands out a little bit. Mine looks like a map of the world and as you don't see many of those come off the luggage racks in airports, it's hard for someone to mistake it for their own. Plus, it's a great conversation starter; I've rarely I picked it up at an airport and NOT have somebody remark about it.

7. A suitable hat. This is not crucial if you're going to spend most of you time in museums, restaurants, or a lot of indoor cultural/historical sites that protect you from the elements. But if you spend any time outdoors - and most of my travel writing revolves around ecotourism and adventure - you need to have a good hat. Maybe two, in case you lose one. I've had a Tilley hat for 10 years now and I hope to continue using it for least another 10.

 A man without a hat ... is a man whose head is sunburned.

8. A passport. Unless you're going to travel only in your own country, you have to have one of these. Make sure it's up-to-date - and be aware of "transition periods" that are part of a passport's  documentation. By that, I mean if there are less than three months to go until your passport expires, even though it's still good, you may be denied access into a country. It almost happened to me going to Alabama in 2014.

Make sure it's signed, too. (Yep, guilty!)

9. A Nexus card. This card is a godsend if you travel more than once a year. With increased security and long lineups through checkpoints in airports, this can really help speed the process up. It's good for crossing the border between Canada in the U.S. if you're driving, too. It also helps speeds up lines domestically in Canada.

Take note, it's only good between Canada and U.S. Getting one does require a fee and a security check by both U.S. and Canadian officials. But if you haven't done anything illegal, you should not have any problem.

10. Pens, notepads, and journals. Yep. I know I said earlier that this is the digital age, but even though you've got your laptop and your iPhone and your DSLR, it still doesn't hurt to take along a notepad and/or a journal and some pens and pencils. At some point, you may need to write stuff down or maybe you're at an event or tour where you have to take notes and it might be impossible to pull out your laptop and start typing about what a guide or speaker is saying.

So there are still some uses for old school travel writing tools, after all.

Should we revive the bygone travel tradition of postcards?

Postcards from pals.

I was going through some boxes, sorting through some old photographs the other day, reminders of what photography was like in the pre-digital days.

While sifting through the piles of old prints, I stumbled upon some items I'd almost forgotten I had. I found postcards sent to me from vacationing friends during my elementary school days. One was from Jamaica, with a picture of a map of the island on the front. Another showed a man dressed in a native costume in front of a tepee from Keswick, Ontario.

Digging further, I found postcards my mom sent me from Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, Colombia, and several other places from around the Western Hemisphere.

I also discovered several unused postcards purchased during my very first trip to Algonquin Park in Ontario. We used to buy them to be sure to have some really good print images to go along with the ones we shot with our Kodak Instamatics and Duaflex's because back then, the odds of getting a good shot of deer or a bear with those kinds of cameras were slim-to-none. In fact, I remember when starting out on our very first hike, my dad told me, "Now if you see a bear, don't stop to take its picture!"

So I have postcards of bears, deer, wolves, skunks, and raccoons from Algonquin.

Not only had I forgotten about those postcards, I'd almost forgotten that postcards existed, period. I mean, the last time I sent postcards from anywhere was from Africa back in the 90's.

In this age of Skype and I-M, Google Talk and Face Time, texting and email, postcards seem like a quaint reminder of yesteryear, something vacationers used to use to share their trip with their loved ones.

From what I can ascertain, the production of postcards began, at least in North America, in the mid-19th century, about the same time the science of photography took off and transportation advances made postal service more reliable.

As leisure time increased, the postcard industry took off. Pretty soon, any gift shop at any kind of tourist facility sold them. They became a regular part of any travel routine that lasted more than a few days. Some would go into photo albums, as even today deltiology - the collection of postcards - is quite a popular hobby.

Others would end up in the mail. People took address books with them when they travelled so they could send a quick note back to their friends and families via the postal service. Kind of a pre-Internet version of Twitter or Instagram.

Unlike the Internet though, and depending on how long one vacationed, the postcards often arrived to their desired destination after you'd already returned home. Rather than annoy people though, that became part of a running joke.

Postcards for a collection.

Once the Internet arrived, and I started travelling professionally, I stopped taking vacation snapshots and I certainly didn't have time to send postcards. I basically stopped being aware of them. They might be there at the counter as I was paying for pack of gum or a bottle of water, but I wouldn't even notice them.

I only know they still exist, because someone actually gave me a postcard this past June. It was kind of a cool idea: a fellow travel blogger, Fabiano Maciel, ironically enough, purchased postcards for all the participants in a travel blogging press trip in Ontario, writing little notes on the back of each card.

I thought that was a really nice gesture, and it really speaks to what postcards are all about.

Reading those written thoughts from the past from childhood friends on the back of the postcards I'd re-discovered instantly transported me back to those days. They brought back many warm memories, those short notes freezing those moments in time. They wielded a power that no email or text message could ever hope to invoke. Does anyone save emails or text messages? Very, very rarely I would wager - and then the emails have to be printed out.

On the other hand, I'd saved those postcards, those messages and images from the past because they meant something to me emotionally. The images actually didn't mean much, but the messages certainly did.

Especially the cards from my mom, since she passed away several years ago.

Saved postcards are like instant time machines that depend on no technology, whisking us back in time - something no electronic tweet or post can do a decade down the road.

So maybe the next time you go on holidays, buy a postcard or two, send it to the people you care about.

You might be giving them a time machine of their own, one they ride some day in the future and recall the warm memories of your relationship.