Spring Adventures with the Parva Rucksack- Journeys with my hand-crafted backpack

Hiking in the Rain in Olympic National Park
The Olympic Peninsula is famous for its stunning greenery- huge ferns and mossy boulders and huge trees. Simultaneously, it's famous for its rain. The perfect place to test the waterproof-ability of the rucksack. Not only did it hold up supremely well to the wet (just look at that beading!) but it dried off really quickly too. After a couple of hours of meandering in the woods, I came upon this old ranger station, which made for the perfect dry resting spot. It was too easy to grab a bar out the front pocket and use the pack as a backrest. So multipurpose! 

Is it summer yet? Sunshine and snow at Mt. Rainier National Park
A classic sign of springtime- warm, sunny afternoons amidst patches of snow on the ground. Hiking in this season can be tricky- layers come on and off with the changing weather- it can be hard to get it just right. The nice thing about the roll-top access to this bag is that it's easy to get in and out of, but also expands or shrinks to fit my needs! So when I take that down puffy off for the third time, it's no sweat to stuff it in and get back on the trail. 

Central Oregon Desert- Smith Rock and Skull Hollow Camping

Springtime in the desert is absolutely the best. That fresh smell of sagebrush, the warm, bright sun, the muted and subtle colors. It makes for a great contrast to the wet, gray west side of the mountains. And encourages lots of casual, restful hanging out in hammocks, by fires and at picnic spots under the cliffs at Smith Rock. Of course, I took the Parva with me to carry the guidebook, the sunglasses, and a cool drink. Its rugged charm and simple design made it a popular conversation piece- such a nice way to make friends!