girlfriend, i've got your back(pack)!

Mrs. T., our intrepid transcontinental travel companion & crazy southern soul sister, will be joining Little Man & i on our roman language holiday '08, scheduled for a monday departure! one of our family travel philosophies has been that if we cannot carry it on our backs, it does not come with us. we were introduced to that concept a number of years ago through my old friend (in reading only, not in person!) rick steves & we have not checked a bag since! i very much like the idea of carrying all i need & at the same time being hands-free. of course, this does mean that i cannot pack my entire closet, but really, in the days of before my backpack adventures, i found that i rarely wore more than a quarter of the things i had thought 'essential' for my travels. i promised Mrs. T., a backpack newbie, a tutorial on the whole packing experience...& here ya go!...


my trusty backpack of 5 yearsempty...items waiting to be packed part I...& part II...items securely packed!
my rick steves' awesome money belt is not in the backpack...it contains the cash, cards, & passports. & now it's off to catch some weekend R & R with D. & the children...