patagonia storm front sling bag Atom 8L convenient access to the large main compartment and fly patches without ever having to take it off. Patagonia | Other | Patagonia

If youre building your own back-to-school backpack setup, start with the pocket system first, then fill it with what you actually use

We bought our cheese, dried fruit, and dried meats once we were in Chile

And the smaller size doesnt equate to a low price (at the time of publication, its $100)

For such an extensive journey, you might see me pack the following: lightweight tripod canister of bear spray several refillable bottles of water or a water bladder snack bar or food gel handheld GPS rugged LED headlamp backcountry geolocator camera lens wipes waterproof pens Write-in-the-Rain notebooks lightweight poncho collapsible snake hook rechargeable solar lantern small first aid kit toilet paper (see my CBC story where I had no toilet paper ) extra batteries Does this plethora of gear seem like overkill