So over the weekend, I bought a new backpack that I intend to use as a general hiking bag, but mostly as a bag for hauling rock climbing gear when Michi and I go rock climbing.
Below is a where I mimic the style of backpack reviewers elsewhere on YouTube. Michi insisted that we make the video and it was pretty fun. The other thing you need to know is that my poor wife has endured about two or three months of me talking and rambling about Backpack X, Backpack Y, and Backpack Omega for hours and hours.
For those interested in keeping track, here are all my outdoors backpacks. Yes, I am something of a "backpack baka" as Michi has started calling me ("idiot for backpacks").
The 70L is perfect for 3-5 day hikes.
The 46L has been my go-to bag for rock climbing trips since 2004, but has since been relegated mostly to grocery shopping and trips where the 30L is too small, but the 70L is too big.
The 30L is my one mistake. I bought it originally as a pack for my laptop, but as it is a pack designed mainly for skiers and alpine climbers, it is really inconvenient to use.
The 18L was a gift from Michi. Perfect for day trips, and it has also seen use on the rock wall when Michi and I have gone multipitching.
And yes, I do have a small messenger bag for daily use outside of work and a small backpack for my daily commute to and from work, and OK, yes, I do have another backpack on the way (a replacement for my current work bag).
The sad news is that a week ago, I messed up my right knee during a rock climbing trip. I've got a couple anti-inflammatory drugs, and I've got a few knee braces, but due to the language barrier, it was a little hard for me to understand what the nature of the injury was. From the doctor's explanation, it sounds like my patella is pulled too far to the interior side of my leg when I bend my knee. This is due to a muscle imbalance, which makes sense because I played soccer as a right-footer and I mainly swam breaststroke: both motions call for swinging the leg in towards or across the body with force. During a high step on the rock wall, too much stress was put on some of the ligaments in the knee, and there was pain and a ton of popping. Now, it hurts to bend it and walk and put weight on it. The medicine and the brace are helping, but I'm worried about the length of the recovery time.
Cheers,
