Three stuffsacks I’ve used on nearly every camping trip I’ve ever done. The big burgundy sack was my mom’s sleeping bag stuffsack: I swiped it for Alaska, and it has been my food bag ever since. Many a squirrel has clung to the bottom of this bag, trying to nibble a seam while suspended upside down 15 feet above the ground. The olive bag was a gift from my sister’s first(?) boyfriend Tracey, who came into a big stash of outdoor gear and shared liberally. It contains ‘important things’, like duct tape, a knife, lighter, sewing kit, etc. Then the bag in the middle: Mom gave this to me as part of the Alaska package (tent, backpack, stove, etc)–it has my last name on it, but I recall she labeled it when we had the same last name. The stuffsack is my shaving/medicine kit–and I guess I use it all the time (not just for camping). It is riddled with holes from sharp objects inside, but for that reason it’s well-ventilated and the contents dry rapidly. I love this bag.
These three things came with me through time and brought a message to me on banks of the Rubicon River recently. They said what they’ve been saying all along: “Come home safe.”
