patagonia storm front sling bag Atom 8L liter sling pack can be worn over the left or right shoulder Patagonia Stormfront Sling Storm 20L

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

I got snowed on as well in Torres del Paine, so having a warm sleeping bag that was also super lightweight was a life-saver

Back-to-school season hits, everyone suddenly has the same kind of backpack, and you start wondering if its actually worth it or if its just a everyone has it moment

Stick around because Im breaking down everything I found