Back in late November of 1999 I purchased a backpack without giving it much thought. I was about to leave for Southeast Asia and I needed a backpack. I walked into an REI store in Boston, wandered up to the grand wall of backpacks, unhooked the first one that caught my attention and tried it on.
Moments later I walked out of the store carrying my new friend, a Kelty Redwing 2900. At the time, my only hope was that the backpack would survive a few months of traveling around Asia. I expected nothing more than that.
Grayish in color with a bold black trim, my Kelty Redwing 2900 has more than proven itself over the years. At the time I bought it, I had absolutely no way of knowing how dependable, practical, fearless, faithful and wise this backpack truly was. And now I simply refuse to go anywhere without it.
Since that first day, we have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles. We have journeyed together by plane, bus, train, jeep, camel, elephant, taxi, tuk-tuk, rickshaw, bicycle, motorcycle, metro, helicopter and a variety of different ocean-going vessels to over 65 countries. From Australia to Afghanistan, Croatia to Chile, Jamaica to Jordan, our strong bond has held firm through every challenge and every obstacle we’ve faced.
I remember when we were both kidnapped late one night by a gang of taxi drivers in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was Redwing who actually saved us. Here’s what happened. While we sat locked up in a crumbling, cockroach-infested hotel room for two days in the slums of Dhaka, I refused to sleep as my mind raced back and forth as it tried to come to terms with the situation. But when I looked to Redwing for advice, he just sat there on the floor in silence. At first I was frustrated by his response but then I understood the complexity of his message. And so I concentrated on quieting my mind as well and eventually on the second night we both drifted off to sleep.
When morning arrived, our kidnappers came to fetch us. Thanks to the several hours of rest we had, we were full of energy and our minds were sharp. We then outsmarted our kidnappers as they tried to move us to another sketchy hotel. We escaped out of a side door, ran down an alley, jumped into a bicycle-rickshaw and were pedaled to safety.
On that very day I decided never to travel without Redwing by my side.
And this past May, after my backpack suffered two violent knife slashes at the hands of an Austrian customs official, it still refused to quit traveling. (As a side note: I am offering a $500 reward to anyone who can bring me the official that attacked my backpack. It happened on May 25th, 2009 in the Vienna airport.)
In fact, this backpack is by my side this very moment right here in Mexico after surviving our recent travels through Central America.
I now wish to raise my glass for a toast to Mr. Kelty Redwing 2900, a travel companion, protector, guru and friend. As long as he is willing to accompany me on these adventures, into no other backpack shall I pack my possessions.
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