Nothing Spells Commitment...

...like cold hard cash. Never having met a new hobby or other discretionary spend I couldn't get 100% behind, I am now Eastern Mountain Sports' best friend. Pictured at right are my new Merrell Moab GTX trail shoes and my even newer North Face Borealis II day pack. In for a penny, in for $185. In deference to 19 years of married life, I am pleased to note that my pack even color-coordinates with my shoes. And with my socks.

On Dave's advice (and that of the nice folks at EMS), the pack has sternum and waist belts, hydration bladder pocket/access port, and compression straps on sides and bottom to make the pack as compact as possible to minimize load shifting. It has double side pockets for water bottles, and front side tie down area for jacket or whatever. I almost sound like I know what I am doing. The pack has 1850 cubic inches of space, which makes it large enough to be flexible, but not so large as to be unwieldy. Hopefully I have made a good choice.

Today my bedroom, tomorrow the world!