The Importance of Packing Light

5 Comments

“No one ever wished they packed heavier.”

Before heading out to Ireland, I re-packed my bag a number of times (as you can read about here). After much effort, my wife and I managed to narrow our luggage down to a carry-on and single suitcase apiece. This amount was enough to provide everything we needed while in Ireland for four and a half months, but was small enough that we could easily carry it ourselves. Fortunately so, it turned out, as we managed to get off the bus sooner than necessary and had to walk an extra mile through Dublin while carrying our stuff.

During our trip we ran into a fellow student who did not subscribe to our theory of packing light. Following him off the bus, we realized that he had 5 pieces of luggage: 2 suitcases, a gym bag, a carry-on and a guitar. How does one person manage all of this stuff? We still don’t know, as we volunteered to help carry since we were traveling to the same destination. He bravely carried all but the guitar. The carry-on was strapped around his shoulders, the gym bag was perched on top of a suitcase, and he rolled the suitcases behind him, one in each hand. While this arrangement would probably work fine on the smooth floors inside an airport, it was rather cumbersome on the uneven streets of the city. The gym bag kept falling off and getting drug on the ground, and the double suitcases were too wide and everyone had to walk around him. Not to mention the guitar, which I was carrying.

How did we do it? How did we manage to carry everything for four and a half months in a suitcase and carry-on each? I did have the advantage of not bringing my guitar along, so I automatically eliminated one item from my packing list. Otherwise, we realized that we generally wear the same clothes week to week anyway, and started with those. Instead of bringing bulky coats and a lot of extra sweaters, we packed based on the layering system (the backpacking background comes in handy sometimes!) We included a base-layer of thermals that can be worn underneath our jeans and shirts. With a sweater added on top, and a windproof rain-jacket over that, we will be toasty warm in some very cold temperatures, colder than it is likely to get while we are here. Just in case, we did add in a dressy outfit and pair of shoes to match.

There is more to packing than just clothes, though. What about all of the other stuff that we use on a daily basis? Since we were planning on finding a furnished apartment, we did not need to carry any bed linens or cooking gear. If needed, we could purchase a set of sheets upon arriving (we didn’t). We had the laptop and a couple of 3-ring binders with paper for school use, as well as the necessary plug-converters for the laptop and whatever writing instruments would be necessary. Entertainment-wise, we brought the knitting supplies that we thought would be needed during the time we were in Ireland, as well as the GPSr and Palm for GeoCaching. We threw in some books and a sketch pad for some additional entertainment. The only other things we could think that we use on a daily basis are toiletries. Just the basics: some soap, shampoo, and deodorant, q-tips, razor, toothbrush and toothpaste, a washcloth and our PackTowels. The only other items were a blanket or sleeping bag and a travel pillow for use on the plane and when traveling.

Have you ever really thought about what all you use in the course of an average day? You might be surprised how little it is. Hygiene products, clothes and some entertainment. Obviously we weren’t bringing our vehicle, we’ve seen all of our movies (and are not big TV watchers anyway), have our music saved on the laptop and will be using provided equipment to cook and eat from. Since the hairdryer would have needed a converter anyway, it was easier to purchase one after arriving here (this and the sheets were the only things we planned to purchase after arriving, and the sheets only if needed).

The small amount of stuff combined with some good packing techniques allowed us to fit everything inside our suitcases. We had enough room left-over that we managed to fit my wife’s bathrobe (which she was most thankful for), some snacks for the plane, an empty water bottle, and a spare duffel bag in case our luggage weighed too much.

Not only was our minimal luggage easy to carry while traipsing around town looking for the train station, but it came in handy a number of other times. While on the bus and the train, it was simple to find a place to store everything. The lift (elevator) was out at the hostel, so we had to carry our luggage up four flights of stairs. Repacking once we found a place to stay was a quick matter. Unpacking and moving into our flat was a quick matter that only took about 10 minutes.

If you’re getting ready to pack for a trip, here is the most useful advice that I can pass on. Take half as much as you think you will need, and twice as much money.

Feed the Fowl

1 Comment

[singlepic=12,320,240,,left]

I have not yet found a city that did not have a body of water full of waterfowl in it somewhere. Mallard ducks with iridescent heads, majestic swans and… you know, geese. Sometimes these are ponds tucked away inside of a subdivision, in the middle of a local park, or they are the local boat ramp leading to a larger body of water. If you don’t already know where they are located, you can take an afternoon and explore, searching them out. You might be able to ask around and find someone who can lead you in the right direction.

No matter where you find them, these birds love to be fed. Fortunately for us, they make for a cheap date. Bread and water, as a matter of fact, and they supply the water. You don’t need much, a few left-over slices, a moldy loaf (I’d probably recommend throwing away the moldy parts, though), some out-of-date stuff from the store. I have never had too much, and have little fear of ever doing so. If you are at a park, they might have candy machines that dispense feed for $0.25.

You can always tell when they have been fed before, as they will flock towards you. (We were once trailed half-way around a pond by about 50 ducks, even though we had nothing to feed them.) This is quite handy, as there is no chasing them down. All you have to do is appear at the water’s edge, stand still for a few moments, and then begin serving dinner.

Simply pinch off a piece of bread, toss it near the waterfowl and watch them dine. They will dive after the bread, making sure it does not go to waste. (Though I have tried, I have not yet managed to find a duck who catches bread as it falls toward them… even when it hit them in the beak.) If your ducks are on land, you can carefully feed them out of your hand. Simply place the food in the palm of your hand and lower it down to their level. They will grab it with their beaks. Try not to move as they do so, or they might inadvertently pinch you (which can be frightening for children).

If you’re looking for a quick and simple adventure, feeding the fowl might just be the ticket. It can be calming, enjoying the scenery and seeing the beautiful colors of the birds themselves. Great photo opportunities are offered. It neither costs a lot nor does it involve a lot of traveling. Once you have found a great location or two, you can repeat as often as you wish.

Now go out, find your fowl, and enjoy the dinner!

A Free Tool that can Help You Take Charge of Your Finances

3 Comments

You might be wondering, “What does personal finance have to do with adventuring?” Everything. Your personal finances affect not only which adventures you can afford, but also how long you get to go adventuring and how much you get to enjoy the experience. By being in charge of your personal finances, you can maximize all three of these areas.

Many adventures can be had for free or for only a minimal cost. Why don’t more people take advantage of them? Many people just don’t have the time; they’re too busy working to pay the bills. Others might have the time but are too stressed about their finances to enjoy an adventure if they were on one.

Are you one of those people? Do you spend too much time worrying about your finances, or working to pay off debt? I can help you. There is one small secret to taking control of your finances. Once you are in charge of your money, you can pay off your debt and then save up to afford the adventure of your dreams. It will take time, and it will not be easy, but you can afford any adventure that you can think of. Are you ready for the secret?

“Spend less than you make.”

It’s not impressive, and it’s not complicated. However, it can still be quite challenging, especially in today’s credit culture. Applied correctly, this one idea is enough to get out of any amount of debt and build up substantial savings, while providing great peace of mind.

Let’s start with a couple of important questions, whose answers might surprise you. Do you know how much you spend each month? Do you know where that money goes? I know that my wife and I did not expect the results we got when we started tracking our expenses after getting married. We discovered that 20% of our grocery bill is spent on individual $1-5 purchases. This means that if we were to create a weekly menu, buy all of the necessary ingredients over the weekend, and quit making ice cream runs, we could save that 20%. That dollar amount is more than it costs us to go camping all weekend, including the tank of gas. The ice cream wasn’t that good!

We have met many people who are surprised at how much they spend eating out. A $5 coffee every day adds up pretty quick! ($5 * 30 = $150 a month in java!) Add in another $5 for lunch and that’s $300 a month, not including suppers and snacks. We purchased an expresso machine and carry our lunches most days and save a couple hundred dollars a month. Once we saw how much it costs to eat out every day, it was a no-brainer for us; we have more important things to spend our money on.

It’s not hard to track your expenses and discover how much you spend where. All you really need is a sheet of paper and a pen. Write down how much you spend, and what on. Keep the “what on” categories separated, and at the end of the month just add up all of the numbers. Viola! Now you know how much you spend.

While it doesn’t get much simpler than that, it does get easier. When I first started tracking my money, I did as stated above, but used a spreadsheet instead of a piece of paper. It wasn’t long before I started adding features to my simple spreadsheet. Eventually I ended up with a system that allows me to not only know where my money is being spent, but which account it comes from (while balancing those accounts), a budgeting system, and it keeps a running monthly average that helps me create an accurate budget.

Get your copy of this spreadsheet here (directions included), so that you can start taking control of your finances. I want you to go on that dream adventure of yours. All you have to do is simply keep your receipt for each purchase you make and enter the amount into the spreadsheet (I save all of mine for a week or so). Once you know how much you are spending and have identified some areas you can cut back, do so. It might not be easy to see these places, but they are there. After tracking for a couple of months, you can create a realistic budget (this might include cutting back on some of your spending) and then use the tracking to help you stick to it.

Once you have cut back on your spending, you can take that “extra money” and apply it towards paying off your debt (besides the mortgage). Pay only the minimum on all of your bills, except the smallest, where you will focus. Apply the rest of your money towards this smallest debt. Once it is paid off, focus on the next smallest. Repeat until debt free. This debt snowball (the payment amount grows larger as it keeps going, like a snowball rolling downhill) can reduce staggering amounts of debt in an excitingly short time.

Why pay off your debt first? You don’t only want to have the money for your adventure, but you also want to be able to relax and enjoy it. Once your bills are paid off, once you are free of debt, a stress will lift off your shoulders, a stress that you might not even know you had. Your adventure will be sweeter without the specter of debt hovering over you.

Since your expenditures have been cut back, and your debt is gone, you can now live on less money. This means that your time can be freed up by working less. Overtime is not necessary anymore! (Unless you want to save up for something.)

This is the point that my wife and I are nearly at and are striving to reach. We need work only a minimal amount of hours each week to meet our financial needs. Our only debt consists of student loans (which are not currently due). We have the time available to go on adventures because work does not take up our lives; through planning and working a bit extra we can afford those adventures; since we do not have loan payments due, we can thoroughly enjoy ourselves. Once we finish college, we will focus our energies on knocking out the school loans, then we’ll be able to apply that money towards even grander adventures. All that from counting pennies!

If you want more advice on taking control of your finances, I highly recommend Dave Ramsey’s books. Or you can pick them up at your local library. 😀

See How Easily You Can Become an Explorer

1 Comment

Have you ever really explored where you live? Do you know what treasures can be found tucked away in the back of the shops that line the streets? If you are asked for a restaurant recommendation are you familiar with the local eateries where the servers know everyone and the food really tastes home-made? Have you ever really explored the park or discovered the local art gallery?

It always amazes me how much you can find when you head out on foot, especially in areas that you normally drive through. The slower speed enables you to see things that you easily over-look when driving by, especially because when on foot you are not as distracted as when you are driving. Since you are exploring, you can take the opportunity to visit that shop you always thought “looks like a neat place to visit”.

It doesn’t matter if you live in a large city or a small town, there are surprises to be found everywhere. The small town that I come from has an art gallery on the court square, chock full of local art. You would never find it driving, though; I discovered it while walking.

Perhaps you would be more interested in a different type of local information. Every community has some surprising tidbits of history tucked away in its past. Not only is the history there, but so are the markers. I’m always surprised by the events that happened in the most random locations. (There was a B29 bomber that crashed in July of 1945 less than 10 miles from the house I grew up in.) You can search out these markers and learn more about a local past.

If searching out history is your thing, not only can you seek out monuments and markers, but you can seek out the very foundations of your town. The city where I am attending school has dry-stacked (no mortar) stone walls that are over a century old lining some of its roads. Some of the buildings match the walls in age. It’s always interesting to discover these pieces of history that are still in use today.

Don’t hesitate to take a longer look at places you think you know. You might have over-looked something in the past, or something might have changed since you last visited. It seems that every time I visit the local park there is something new (or new to me). Perhaps a different bush is in bloom, progress has been made on the new walking trail, or I get to see the sunset framed behind the trees.

You will work up a pretty good appetite while exploring. Continue seeking out new things as you prepare to dine. Try a new eatery; some of the best food I’ve had came from the most unlikely-looking places. If you’ve already been everywhere, visit a familiar place but sample a new dish. How can you say who has the best burgers in town until you’ve tried them all?

You might not be able to explore your whole community in a single afternoon, and that is probably not a bad thing. You can start every trip at a different place, view things from a different angle, and continue to discover new secrets about your home.

10 Ways to Make Her Valentine’s Day Special

6 Comments

Are you ready to make her Valentine’s Day special? This doesn’t necessarily mean having flowers ordered and chocolate ready to go (unless that is what really makes her happy). Have you planned something that will show her how special she is, how much she means to you? In no particular order, here are 10 ideas to get you started:

  1. Have an indoor picnic.
    It might be too cold to eat outside, but you can still have a romantic picnic. You already have the perfect location available. Clear the floor by pushing furniture back and lay down a clean sheet or blanket. Set two complete dinner places: placemats, long-stemmed glasses, everything. Don’t forget to include some long-stemmed candles.
    The meal does not have to be fancy, this is almost a case where it is the effort that counts (it does need to be edible). Quality company will more than make up for a mediocre meal. If you are not an experienced cook, I have always had luck with pasta. You can purchase tortellini that only needs to be boiled and then add a jar of her favorite sauce. Buy a loaf of fresh bread and slice it, add some butter and toast it in the oven. This simple meal is fast to prepare, easy to cook, and delicious.
  2. Write her a Letter.
    Make the time to write a message meant just for her. You don’t have to be a wordsmith for it to be special for her, it just has to be heart-felt. Here are some questions to help get you started:

    • How has she made your life better?
    • What does she do that you look forward to every day?
    • Why were you first attracted to her?
    • Why is she more attractive to you now than when you first started dating?
    • What are her unconscious habits that you have noticed?
  3. Bake her favorite dessert.
    Like the picnic meal, this is almost a case where it is the effort that counts. If you take the trouble to make a cake, or brownies, or cheesecake, it will not matter if they are not perfect. The cake can be a little lopsided, the icing doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, it will still taste wonderful. (Again, they do have to be edible, so follow those directions closely!) Ask the best baker you know for a recipe if you don’t already have one. Not only will this make her day, but you get to enjoy the final results with her.
  4. Give her a massage.
    Everyone loves a good massage. Take some time and treat her to one. You don’t have to be great, you just have to be willing to put in a good effort. She will tell you if something feels good, so just keep doing what she likes.
  5. Prepare her a bath.
    Draw a nice hot bath, include her favorite bath salts or oils (perhaps even bubbles!) and lead the way. Have her bathrobe and slippers ready when she gets out. Meet her with a fresh cup of her favorite drink. Spoil her.
  6. Spend the day together with no distractions.
    You have to spend time with her, time when you are focused completely on her. This focused time is one of her basic needs. One of the greatest gifts you can give her (anytime, not just for Valentine’s Day) is to spend time with her. So put away the cell phone, turn off the TV and computer and just talk to each other. You can talk over a meal, with mugs of tea in your hands, on a drive or a walk. Discuss your hopes and fears, dreams and ideas. Share your plans for the future and regrets of the past. Grow closer to one another.
  7. Watch her favorite movie with her.
    Get comfy on the couch. Put on your PJ’s, curl up underneath a blanket together, grab some snacks and sit back for her favorite movie. Absolutely no complaining on your part!
  8. Buy her something she wants but would never buy herself.
    This cannot be something practical. It has to be something she really wants but is not willing to buy for herself, or that she is waiting to buy. This doesn’t have to be something big, it just has to be something important to her. It might be a book she’s been wanting, a piece of jewelry she’s been eyeing, or some clothing that she would not get for herself.
  9. Go on a date.
    Sweep her off your feet like you used to. Make reservations at her favorite restaurant (an alternate is to recreate your first date). Do something besides watch a movie afterwards, perhaps go bowling or some other activity that allows you to interact (movies don’t allow you to talk, you want to find something that does).
  10. Do the chores so she doesn’t have to.
    It is her day, after all. Make it special by removing some of the day-to-day stuff. Are there chores that she always takes care of? Today you can give her a pleasant surprise by doing them for her.

None of these are hard, and most do not have to be expensive. They all can show that you care enough to put some thought into your Valentine’s Day gift, which is what she really wants!

Garmin eTrex Legend Cx – GPSr Review

2 Comments

Garmin eTrex Legend Cx

(Apparently the HCx has replaced the Cx. It seems to be the same, except more accurate.)

I received this GPSr for Christmas in 2006. I learned to use it shortly thereafter and Ashley and I have been geocaching ever since. While this has been used mostly for caching, we have also tracked some of our travels with the Tracks feature. (Tracks is a breadcrumb-like trail that shows where one has been.) This feature enables us to retrace our footsteps and has helped us return to our vehicle a number of times, extra helpful as we rarely mark it’s position.

Physical – The Legend Cx has a color screen with bright backlight. Backlight has been plenty bright for us (and we’ve never used it higher than the medium setting), and even functions semi-well as a flashlight (tested both searching for caches and for the car).
The Legend has a total of 6 buttons. After some practice, both Ashley and myself are able to do everything with a single hand, using the index finger and thumb to work the controls. We have found the “joystick” located on the front of the GPSr to be fairly intuitive.

Navigation – The Legend comes preloaded with a base map. In the rural region where we live, this included only the main highways and interstates in the area.
Not too long after receiving the GPSr, we got a copy of MapSource (Garmin’s interface) with the US’s topo maps. We have since loaded the topo maps for the areas we most commonly travel (about half of Kentucky) and still have about 50 mb left of the given 64 mb card. A larger (1gb) micro SD card was purchased in order to give us more saving capacity.
We have only used the directions (by road) feature a couple of times. It does a fairly good job of routing our trip.

Signal – The Cx seems to have problems with overhead cover. There are times it will take us right where we want to go, but others it will just get us in the general area.
This works well for us, as our style is to get within about 30 feet and just spread out and start looking. If we set the GPSr down, it will settle fairly quickly and give us more accurate readings.

    Pros

  • Intuitive (for us, at least) interface, simple with only a few controls
  • Rugged – has survived a few drops and bounces
  • Water Resistant – haven’t tested more than some rain, but so far so good!

    Cons

  • Overhead cover can prove frustrating

We definitely enjoy our Legend and would not hesitate to recommend it to others. There are other GPSr’s out there, some cheaper and some more expensive, but for what we need, the Legend is a good compromise between price and features.

If you are interested in purchasing an eTrex Legend for yourself, here’s your chance!

Warning: Geocaching Can Bring Adventure Into Your Life

6 Comments

Did you notice the treasure you passed today? I passed two on my way to the grocery store. One of them is mine. Over 70 people have found it so far. There are neither gold nor diamonds inside it. The treasure, the adventure, is in the hunt, the places visited and the history learned. I have thirteen more hidden around the area where I live. Over the last two years, I have discovered over 350 that others have hidden. What are these treasures? They are geocaches.

According to www.GeoCaching.com:

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache.

There are currently over 700,000 active caches in the world. This means that no matter where you are, there are sure to be some caches near you.

It is easy to begin geocaching. You can use a good map, but a GPSr certainly makes it easier. You don’t have to have the newest one available, any GPS will do.

  1. Register for a free account.
  2. Click “Hide & Seek a Cache”.
  3. Enter your postal code and click “Search”.
  4. Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name.
  5. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS unit.
  6. Use the GPS unit to assist you in finding the hidden geocachers.
  7. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location.
  8. Share your geocaching stories and photos online.

Have you got the treasure-hunting bug yet? It’s easy to get out there and start searching. There are geocaches everywhere, just waiting for you to find them.

Are You Still Making Excuses?

5 Comments

My wife and I are very excited about studying abroad in Ireland. As much as we are looking forward to it, though, it almost didn’t happen. The worst part? It would have all been our own fault. We kept finding excuses why this wasn’t the best time to take the trip.

  • It’s cheaper to go over during the summer, on our own
  • What if we can’t get all of the classes we need?
  • We’re having a hard time finding an apartment within our budget, what if we can’t find somewhere to live?
  • What if something happens and we run out of money?

Each of these have easy answers why they are not issues. This is not only the best time to go to Ireland, but we get to stay longer, so any extra cost is worth it. If we do miss a couple of classes, we can take them over the summer at the community college. We always have a hard time finding apartments online, we do much better in person; at the worst, we will have to raise our budget and cut back somewhere else. No matter what, we already have our return tickets, so we will not get stuck in Ireland.

We were accepted into the program, and then spent two weeks debating if we should go or not. The stress was building. Finally, I sat back and realized that we were just making excuses. Were we going to pass up living in Ireland for 6 months because of excuses? Excuses! Not on your life. Once we realized that there were no real reasons for us not to go, everything seemed to fall in place.

What adventures are you missing out on because of your excuses? Don’t do this to yourself!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

Do you have an adventure you want to experience, but excuses are holding you back? Here’s a process that will help you out. All you need is paper and pencil. Following are six questions; write down the first thing that comes to mind for each question. Keep writing until the flow stops. I will provide an example for each question, identified by this color.

  1. What is the absolute worst thing that could happen if you do what you are considering?
    We would go to Ireland without having found a place to live, and not be able to find somewhere to live while we were there. So we would have to stay in a hotel and would burn through our money, leaving us broke and homeless in Ireland.
  2. What could you do to fix what went wrong?
    I imagine that the school would not let us stay homeless, so I am sure we could work something out. We could check Craigslist and find a place to stay in trade for work. We could find a job that pays under the table, doing handi-work or something. We could find housing through a local church. We could stealth camp around the town. Last but not least, we could borrow the necessary money from our families.
  3. If you go through with your idea, and it works out well, what are the possible positive outcomes?
    We will be able to spend five months in Ireland (my first trip out of the country). We will get to spend a week traveling around Europe, and spend a couple of days with my wife’s host family from when she studied abroad in Finland. I will be able to work on the website while I am traveling, and will have built up a decent readership by the time we return to the USA.
  4. Are you putting off what you want to do only because of fear?
    I’m afraid that I won’t get the classes that I need, that we’ll spend more money than we can afford, or that …. I think that is basically what it boils down to.
  5. What is it costing you to postpone action?
    We stressed ourselves out for two weeks, trying to determine if we could go. If we went during the summer, it might cost us less, financially, but we wouldn’t get to stay as long or do as many things. Also, since we are going during the school semester, we still have the summer to go on other adventures. If we don’t go now, we could continue finding excuses for years.
  6. What are you waiting for?
    We have looked at the worst that could happen, and the best that could happen. I know the worst that is possible, and the simple things that I can do to fix it. I think we just ran out of excuses…

Quit making excuses, get on with your adventure!

PackTowel Personal – Review

1 Comment

For my birthday I received a much-wanted PackTowel Personal, Bath sized (which is the largest of 4 sizes available). I have been wanting one of these for some time now.

I have tried a “camp towel” from Wal-Mart and was less than satisfied. I thought that a generic camp towel would do about the same thing as the PackTowel, just be smaller and not as soft. I was wrong. I tested the camp towel after showering at home. I wiped water off, only to find myself still damp. I found that the camp towel acts more like a squeegee, brushing the water off of whatever object is being wiped.

One of our splurges around the house are the soft, thick towels. I thought maybe I was just spoiled and that I would just have to get used to not being fully dry after using a camp towel of any kind. I read some reviews on the MSR’s PackTowel brand, and came up with nothing bad. “I’ll go ahead and put it on my wish list, then if it doesn’t perform to my expectations, I won’t be out any money,” I thought.

My birthday rolled around and I received the PackTowel that I requested. I specifically asked for the Personal, as the Originals don’t seem as soft when felt in the store. It has almost a silky feel to it, nice and soft, if thin. According to MSR’s website, the PackTowel Personal, Bath, weighs 8.5 oz. for a 25 x 54 in. towel. When folded up and stored, the entire package is about 9 x 7 x 3/4 inches. The towel came with a carry pouch, one side of which is mesh. The pouch includes a piece of velcro to keep it closed, and a loop to hang it by. According to the packaging, the PackTowel is made of 85% Polyester and 15% Nylon.
I received a Dusty Blue towel, with Curry (a yellow color) being the other option. Other features include Anti-Microbial treatment that reduces unpleasant odors, as well as a snap loop on one of the corners, useful for hanging up to dry.

Eager to try out the towel, I put it to use after a shower at home. The first obvious difference was the small size of this towel. I was living in the dorms at the time, which included a community bathroom. As such I had to carry my toiletries to and from the shower, and utilized a special bag to do so. The PackTowel fit inside of the bag, instead of having to carry it separately.
After the shower I grabbed the towel, almost apprehensively, and began to dry off with it. The texture is different, definitely not like the fluffy cotton towel that I am used to. However, my hair was dry! There was no feeling of being damp after using this towel. It was more than large enough for my needs.

The towel didn’t feel wet when I was done using it. This makes me believe MSR’s claims of “fast drying.” I have done no sort of testing to determine how fast it dries; neither have I yet tried to test their statement that “wrings out almost completely dry.”

One last piece of information for this installment: This is machine washable and can be machine dried. Always nice to have easy care equipment!

Update: This review was written nearly a year ago. I have used the towel on various camping trips, numerous hotel stays and a number of nights staying with family members. In short, I carry my PackTowel on every trip I take. It easily fits inside of my toiletry kit, dries fairly fast when I need it to, and continues to do a fine job of drying me off. My wife received a PackTowel of her own for Christmas this year. Both will travel with us to Ireland and Europe as we study abroad next semester. She has been envious of mine since I received it and it is past time that she has one of her own.

Would you like to get a PackTowel of your own? You can buy one now!

The Best Time for Your Next Adventure

Leave a comment
What is always rushing towards you but never reaches you?

I thought that this would be a good post to start with a riddle. (I am not a good riddler, but thought that I would give it a try.)

Have you figured it out yet? Highlight here: tomorrow to see the answer. This is not the best time for your next adventure, no matter how often it is used. This is when everything will be perfect, when all of your ducks will be in a row, and when the sun, moon, planets and stars all line up, and when you will win the lottery.

The best time for your next adventure? Right now! There will always be something left to do, someone you wanted to visit with before you leave, or some other excuse not to go. If you keep waiting, tomorrow will become next week, next month, next year, and then 10 years will have gone by.

Start on your next adventure right now! Take 5-10 minutes, determine what you want to do, and set a realistic date. Follow the planning steps outlined in the link, and start working towards your adventure. If you have a time-frame to work within, you will be surprised how much you can get accomplished. Complete one 5-10 minute necessary task per day, and it will be no time before your adventure is upon you.

What are you waiting for? Get going!