How to Take It All With You
By: Elizabeth Strong
Tags: Gear Review, Gear, Hiking, Patagonia, Outdoors

I tend to oscillate between extremes. Some days I like to cart the entire kitchen sink around with me “just in case.” Other days, I cannot be bothered to bring anything at all. My train of thinking wavers between the effort it takes for maximum preparedness and the ease of traveling light. More often than not, my minimalist heart wins and I find myself in the back of my closet at 2 AM trying to get rid of everything I own.

But there are things you need. Things lost to the recesses of that closet that are still useful. Some necessary, some simply nice to have. I consider a handful of those things necessary for every ‘next adventure’ on my list. The items change based on the season, but there are a few that I always take with me, including the following:

*Water bottles

*Snacks

*Dog treats

*Waste bags

*Sunscreen

*Cell phone

*Bear spray

Carrying these essentials out hiking, biking, or skiing is far from convenient (cheers to you bear spray!). Let’s face it, not all modes of carry are created equal. Over the years, I’ve tried a number of different ways to stash my stuff — bags, packs, pouches and slings. Some ways are more streamlined; others make me feel like a complete mess. In no particular order, here are a few of the options I’ve tried:

Backpacks

Pros: lots of room, expandable, even weight distribution, fit the entire kitchen sink.

Cons: extra effort required to retrieve items inside, black hole effect makes it more difficult to find things, extra room may encourage you to take more than you need.

Pockets

Pros: large enough to fit your cellphone, small enough to discourage extras, easy access, viable backup option when you forget everything.

Cons: uneven weight distribution (causes sloshing effect), items explode out when opened, lack of organization, difficult to find items, necessitates bear spray and/or cellphone carry.

Purse

Pros: made to carry kitchen sink, easy to sling on your shoulder, great organization, bonus points for stylishness.

Cons: material unlikely to hold up in inclement weather, not easy to secure on your person, stylish to the point of standing out, may be impractical.

Fanny Pack

Pros: minimal, comfortable, snug fit, easy access, hands free (the way to be!).

Cons: limited organization, limited space, tight squeeze in and out.

Waist Pack

Pros: bigger than a fanny pack, but small enough to sit on your hips, hands free, comfortable, easy access, ample room.

Cons: may overlap with secondary pack due to size, may end up carrying more than you need.

It wasn’t until I discovered the waist pack that my trial and error days of carrying everything I own went out the window. One waist pack in particular, Patagonia’s Black Hole 5L Waist pack, quickly became my favorite way to carry everything I need on the trail. Now, instead of contemplating which bag to put everything into, I simply leave my Black Hole bag packed, organized, and ready to grab at the door.

It’s made adventure more convenient.

There are a lot of things that make Patagonia’s Waist Pack stand out. It’s bigger than most waist packs (including the Arc’teryx Mantis 1, my previous go-to), and it has an incredible amount of room to stash your stuff while remaining hands free.

This pack is so big it’s like a purse for your pants! It fits extra layers, gloves, water bottles, and enough snacks to stay out all day.

Like most Patagonia products, the layout is thoughtful and functional.

It has one internal mesh pocket, which I use to separate my personal items from my dog’s, and one front zippered pocket where I put my phone, wallet, and keys. There are expandable water bottle pockets on each side, and a wide waist strap I clip bear spray to. Side compression straps decrease the size of the pack and are perfect for days I want to travel extra light.

The lumbar waist panel features breathable mesh and sits comfortably close to the body. It distributes the weight evenly, flexes with movement, and never makes me sweat.

Like all of Patagonia’s Black Hole bags, it’s made of 100% recycled fabric and is one of the most durable packs I own. The laminate is weather resistant and easy to wipe down, so spills never stain.

After a year of daily hard wear, I’ve found it to be essentially scratch proof. It’s been dropped on rocks, dragged through mud, and weathered more snowstorms than I care to remember. After all of that, it still looks brand new, making it the perfect pack for carrying anything I need outside.