To Pack or Not to Pack

Whenever I’m at a social gathering on our little island here in Maine, there’s a pretty fair chance that someone I don’t know will eventually approach me and ask, “excuse me, but are you Yellow Pack Guy?”

To which I’m forced to reply, “Well, yes. I guess I am.”

Things were not always thus. When I first started walking - for exercise, that is, not my literal first steps - I never carried anything. When I used to run rather than walk, I never wanted to deal with the hassle of a pack. These days, however, I can’t imagine walking regularly without one. I even throw an ultralight pack (this one, specifically) in my luggage when I travel so that I don’t have to do that.

Before we get to why you might want to wear a pack, though, let’s talk about the reasons you might not want to.

• First, there are the aesthetics. While it’s true that not all packs are as dorky-looking as mine is, they’re often not a great look. As anyone who’s seen my clothing is aware, aesthetics are not exactly a top priority for me, but I am at least aware that I’m something of an outlier in that regard. So I will acknowledge that yes, depending on your choice of pack, you might have to be willing to take a bit of a hit in the style department.

• Second, you just might not need one. If you’re walking for 15 or 20 minutes at a shot, for example, it’s pretty unlikely you’re going to have a real need for a pack. And it’s worth noting that even if you’re going for longer walks, a pack is generally a nice to have rather than a need. I walked hundreds of miles before I converted to using one.

• Third, depending on your pack and the mileage you put in, a pack can do some damage to your clothing. Mine, for example, has worn holes in everything from my t-shirts to my soft shell (shout out to Patagonia for patching that hole for me this fall). Most packs won’t do this, of course, and you have to be wearing one quite a bit for it to happen, but it is worth noting as a theoretical risk.

There are probably other reasons to not carry a pack, but those are the most common. Here’s why I converted, however, and am willing to put up with becoming a caricature like “Yellow Pack Guy.” Oh, and just for the record, yellow wasn’t my choice. That was a request from Kate for visibility reasons.

Anyway.

• Layers Storage: my understanding of the “there’s no bad weather only bad clothing” axiom has evolved significantly since I started walking more, as has my appreciation for layers. When it gets cold, I will frequently go out in a merino t-shirt, merino quarter zip, merino vest and my soft shell over all of that. Those layers are great for when I get started and I start out across the bridge to our island - a bridge which offers absolute no shelter for the wind and which is always twenty degrees colder than the island itself - but much less so when I’m back on the island and have worked up a sweat. So off comes the pack, a layer or two goes into it, and I’m on my way. Conversely, if I’m not totally sure whether I’ll need the extra layers, I’ll toss them in my pack so if I guess wrong, I merely add some extra warmth rather than suffer through a freezing walk.
  

• Water: this is critical all the time, but is never more important than when walking longer distances in the summer. Because our island is small, I’m never that far from home, but it’d get old quickly if I had to pop back every time I wanted to hydrate. Instead I fill up a big bottle - or a Camelback if the distance is extreme - and pop it in the back pocket which I can reach without taking the pack off. P.S. It’s not just for water, you can also use a pack to bring a beer or two along.
  

• Other Necessities: in my pack I also have sunscreen, Blistex, a small packet of Advil, hand sanitizer (which is surprisingly good with tree sap), chafing gel, paper towels (ask me about the nosebleed incident next time you see me), food (if I’m walking longer distances) and so on. Again, none of that is all that necessary if you’re out for a quick lunchtime power walk. But if you’re going to be out for a while or if you’re out regularly, eventually one of those items is going to come in handy.
  

• Pickups: I love my island and think it’s a beautiful place to live, which is why I get very, very unhappy when people litter. Especially cigarettes or those damned nips liquor bottles, which I don’t want kids running into. Assuming it wasn’t kids leaving them there in the first place, anyway. Whenever I can, then, I pick up trash and toss it in a designated pouch in the pack. I’ve also learned over the years that birch bark is the best fire starter, so I’ll pick that up and throw it in the pack to use in the wood stove at home.
  

• Gear: whenever I need gear on a walk, it’s nice to be able to haul it around easily. For longer distances, like when I walked 50 miles, that’s cables, chargers and extra batteries. Other times it’s a tripod to get selfies and so on at waterfalls and the like. I have both a pocketknife and a flashlight that live in the pack permanently. More recently, I got a tiny, lightweight drone (more on that later) that I can just toss in there in case I need it. Tl;dr it’s nice to be able to bring gear.
  

• Peanuts: a little over a year ago, I set out to recruit my own crow army. It was slow going at first, but by putting in-shell peanuts into my pack the crows gradually started to warm up to me. Warming up to the point that while I was crossing the bridge last week with my local murder hovering around me, a woman stopped me to ask: “I’m sorry, are those birds following you?” So while I never would have predicted that being able to carry peanuts around would be an important feature of a pack for me, here we are.

So that’s why I wear a pack. Specifically this one. On the one hand, it’s objectively dorkier looking than some alternatives. On the other, it’s got tons of front storage so I don’t have to take the pack off to pull out gloves, a buff, sunscreen or the aforementioned precious peanuts.

You may or may not want a pack, and if you do the ones I use may or may not be right for you. I’m certain, on that note, that there are people who drive by and ask themselves why a guy walking on a two square mile island is wearing a pack originally designed for ultramarathoners.

But if you’re walking regularly and for non-trivial amounts of time, you owe it to yourself to at least consider a pack. Even if you’re not recruiting your own crow army, you’ll probably find a use for it.

Enjoy.

sog