Broke the Camelbak

Over the weekend I went out and bought myself a new backpack. I use a backpack on a regular basis and my trusty Camelbak backpack has started to fall apart and needed to be replaced.

In December 2009 I was invited to speak at a conference in Auckland in New Zealand.

I flew out there and took two bags with me, a large suitcase and a carry on suitcase. Having arrived in Auckland and checked into my hotel, the following day I had some time to explore the city. I realised very quickly that a carry on suitcase wasn’t going to cut it. I went out and on one of the shopping streets in a basement was a shop selling kit for outdoor activities, hiking, and so on. I was looking around for a suitable bag, if I remember correctly there was a few to choose from. I saw the Camelbak and it was reduced. I have no recollection of how much I paid for it, but I thought at the time it was good value.

What I didn’t know or realise was that Camelbak was a brand of backpacks that could be used for hydration. So the bag came with water bottles and tubes. When I got back to my hotel room the first thing I did was remove all of that.

What I liked was the bag, though relatively small, had two pockets and could carry quite a bit of stuff.

My usual load was a laptop in a padded laptop bag, as the Camelbak had no protective padding for an unprotected laptop. I did once dent my laptop when not using the padded bag.

The bag was well used over the years. I did actually semi-retire it for a while in 2016 with a Berghaus rucksack. I remember trying to find a replacement Camelbak, but I couldn’t  find one. I did use both bags for a while, one for work, and one for non-work stuff.

However the zip broke on the Berghaus bag a few years later and as it was frustrating, despite a temporary fix, it finally wasn’t going to be practical anymore. 

The Camelbak I did notice was getting rather tired. Recently I noted that there was rips around the zips, and then in the sides as well.

I did look on the Camelbak website, but alas no joy. So I headed into town to buy a new backpack.

My new bag is a dedicated laptop rucksack, the Vic Laptop Bag from Mountain Warehouse.

The Vic Laptop Bag was made for work and travel. With a modern design and plenty of features, including a zipped laptop compartment with padding, an organiser pocket and a padded mesh back, so you can carry your belongings comfortably and securely. 

What really sold it to me was the padded 15″ compartment to keep your laptop/tablet safe in transit.

It also holds thirty litres. I may use this if I am staying away and travelling by train, rather than take a suitcase. It also says it is cabin friendly so might be useful when flying as well.

First test will be a trip to London and Edinburgh.

Santa Kiwi #366photos2020

Santa Kiwi

As it is not yet twelfth night, our decorations are still up. This tree decoration of a festive Kiwi was a souvenir from a trip to New Zealand ten years ago. I bought a few and they still adorn our tree every year.

I have done a photo a day before in 2012, 2014and 2016. I did try in 2018 but i has a few technical issues so stopped after a few weeks. This year I am trying again. The photos will be posted to Instagram and then I will blog the photo too. Hopefully with more detail.

Must get one of these

Well this is one way to get rid of troublesome door to door salepeople and canvassers….

Wonder what the Jehova’s Witnesses would think of it though…