Cotopaxi Allpa Travel Pack Review
Make your long travels easier in comfort and style
The Cotopaxi Allpa 42 in handle carry mode. Photo courtesy Mike Hayes.
July 15, 2024
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Our Verdict
A comfortable, durable, versatile, swap-for-your-carry-on travel backpack with plenty of room and just enough organization to make your longer travels easier. This is one of the most comfortable packs I’ve worn – and while it’s heavy and arguably overbuilt, even fully loaded it rides like a much lighter pack.
I’m a former thru-hiker, so I generally pack light. I usually do 7-day plane trips to visit family on the East Coast in a 35L backpack, including 7 full changes of clothes, a 13-inch laptop + charger + noise-canceling headphones, a book to fall asleep to, whatever cross-stitch pattern I’m working on, and my insulated coffee mug and snacks.
For this transatlantic trip, though, I wanted something bigger. The weather was meant to be all over the place, meaning jeans and a sweater along with shorts and tanks and a jacket. We were also set on doing at least one fancy night on the town, necessitating slacks and a button up as well. And as with any out-of-country trip, I also wanted to leave room to bring back souvenirs for family and friends.
The Allpa 42 was exactly what I was looking for — and with three different sizes, you can find the Allpa that fits your needs.
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Specs (42L)
Pack volume: 28L, 35L and 42L versions available
Pack weight: 4.2 lbs (42L)|
Carry-on compatible: yes
Laptop sleeve: fits up to 15"
Tablet sleeve: fits up to 12"
Phone sleeve: fits up to 6.5"
Water bottle pocket: 1
Exterior pocket: 1
Rain cover: yes
Fits waist/hips: 25-45"
Suitcase style opening: yes
Shoulder strap: yes
Grab handles: yes
COMPARE PRICES OF THE Cotopaxi Allpa 42L
COMPARE PRICES OF THE Cotopaxi Allpa 35L
COMPARE PRICES OF THE Cotopaxi Allpa 28L
Best for
9-15 days of overseas travel where you’re moving from airplane to town to hostel to bus to town.
How we tested
I took the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 on a nine-day trip from Colorado to Edinburgh, Scotland in May 2024. We spent two nights in an apartment in Edinburgh, sightseeing and getting acclimated to the time change, then we rented a car and drove through the Scottish Highlands to Fort William for a night in a B&B, coming back to spend the rest of our time with our friends roaming Edinburgh.
I could’ve checked one of my larger rolling suitcases, but I didn’t want to roll my stuff from place to place. Plus, there are too many horror stories in my family about lost luggage, and I didn’t want that to happen to me on this once-in-a-decade trip. And in looking for a larger backpack that could serve me well as a suitcase, I came across — and decided to try — the Cotopaxi Allpa 42.
I liked it so much I used it on a 5-day, 2400-mile road trip from the Mountain West to the Midwest, where all the photos were taken.
What we like
Roomy and well-laid out
Durable and water-resistant
Fits easily in an overhead bin, including on international flights
What could be better
Numerous convenience features contribute to an overall heavier weight on your back
The laptop sleeve also contains the tablet sleeve, with only a little padding between the two
The bag is almost too big for the shoulder strap to be effective
Features
Materials
The Cotopaxi Allpa 42 is built from a 1000-denier, TPU-coated polyester on the face, and an 840-denier nylon for the rest of the paneling.
The Allpa’s TPU outer gives the front of the pack a bit of shine - and a lot of durability. Photo courtesy Amanda Jameson.
The TPU coating on the Allpa 42 gives the fronting not only some water resistance, but a bit of a sheen that makes the bag look sharp. The TPU coating creases more than bends, creating a lived-in look the more you use it without sacrificing durability. The nylon paneling is both thick enough and stiff enough that you don’t have to worry about holes while it’s bouncing around in the overhead bin. The rugged fabrics make the pack heavy, but durable.
The thickness of the fabrics, along with the TPU coating, give the pack some water repellency, though it comes with a rain cover if you find yourself in a downpour. But no need to be worried about PFAS — Cotopaxi’s website states that “As of Spring 2024, 100% of our new apparel and packs (excluding Del Día) are free from intentionally added PFAS.” (The Del Días — made solely of remnants, and so harder to address initially — will be PFAS-free in the fall.)
One of the things I love the most about Cotopaxi as a company is that they don’t shy away from bright colors. You can get the Allpa 42 in Black — perhaps as a nod to the more muted luggage industry — but you can also get it in Oak (olive with bright blue, orange, and red accents) as well as Gulf, Indigo, and River (three different shades of blue with various brighter accents).
You can also get the Allpa 35 in Cotopaxi’s famous Del Día style if you’re willing to potentially sacrifice water repellency and some durability. Given that the Del Días use 100% remnant fabric, the Allpa 42 Del Días don’t seem to feature the TPU-coated fronting material that their standard colorways feature. If your heart’s set on a Del Día, and water’s all you’re worried about, just plan to bring the rain cover along.
Finally, the Allpa 42 is made in a factory in the Philippines that participates in the Higg Index Facility Module, meaning it’s graded on “everything from water usage to worker wages.” Sustainability and accountability ain’t nothing to sneeze at.
Fully zippered main compartment
The Cotopaxi Allpa 42 is a travel backpack on the outside and a well-organized suitcase on the inside.
The main compartment’s zipper is in the suitcase style, wrapping around three sides of the bag and allowing it to fully open to reveal its compartmented insides. Each of the zipper pulls on the bag — including the two on the main compartment — has a sewn-in pull tab that makes them easier to operate.
The Allpa opens suitcase style, to give you full view of most of your bag. Photo courtesy Amanda Jameson.
To the left on the inside of the Allpa 42, there are three zippered compartments, two of which are mesh for easy visibility. On the top, one U-shaped mesh zipper pocket runs about ⅓ of the height of the bag and shares volume with the exterior pocket. I used it as a delicates pocket with room to spare.
On the bottom, the remaining ⅔ of the height of the bag is taken up by two pockets. The first, a wide but not-so-deep mesh pocket — great for books (4 somewhat slim volumes in the pocket in the picture), the rain fly, and other foldable sundries — has a vertical zipper. A U-shaped zipper that borders three sides of the vertical pocket allows access behind it to the remaining volume. As this pocket has no mesh, I found it pretty convenient for keeping my dirty laundry aside while my clean laundry took up the majority of my bag. The two mesh pockets have one zipper pull each; the U-shaped, no-mesh pocket on the bottom has two zipper pulls.
To the right on the inside of the Allpa 42, there is one large U-shaped mesh zipper pocket running the length and depth of the bag. This pocket is deep enough to fold up the thickest sweater I own, and spacious enough to fit in another 8 days’ worth of clothes + a set of fancy clothes around it. A smaller, zippered, fully enclosed pocket runs about half the length of a long side. The large mesh pocket has two zipper pulls for easy access. If you need access to this pocket but don’t have room to fully open the bag, don’t fret: an interior shortcut zipper just off the back panel of the Allpa allows quick access.
When you’re done grabbing what you need from the Allpa 42 and looking to ensure that no one else grabs anything without a bit of a struggle, the anti-theft loops, featured on all the zippers of the bag, are a neat touch. Just push the zippers under the loops and pull through, and the bag is much harder to open.
(Do note that these anti-theft loops make it more difficult for you, too — folks with limited mobility in their hands may count this feature as more of a negative than a positive. If you want to split the difference for ease of access, it is possible to push the zippers fully under the loops while leaving the pull tabs accessible for easier unzipping.)
The Allpa’s anti-theft loops can be used to secure the zippers (left) or can be used to make a zipper slightly harder to open (right). Photo courtesy Amanda Jameson.
Padded electronic sleeves
Located between the back panel and the largest internal zipper pocket is the sleeve-within-a-sleeve that makes up the Allpa 42’s padded electronic sleeves. This singular, slim, padded zipper pocket fits up to a 15-inch laptop and has a smaller, built-in sleeve with velcro on top that fits a 12.5-inch tablet. This fit my 14-inch MacBook Pro in its very hefty Thule case without issue, though with the pack fully packed I’d struggle to fit a tablet in there as well. If you’re braver than me and are comfortable putting your laptop into a bag’s padded sleeve without a case, you can definitely fit both.
The 14” Macbook Pro + Thule case in the electronic pocket - with room to spare, though the Allpa was underpacked in this photo. Photo courtesy Amanda Jameson.
An interesting thing to note about the Allpa 42’s construction is that when the zipper to the electronic sleeves is open, there’s a small gap between the largest mesh pocket on the inside and the electronic sleeves that better allows the bag to stretch to its full potential. When zipped up, however, the fabric closes in such a way that these pockets are truly separate.
Water bottle pocket
There’s one water bottle pocket on the right side of the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 as you’re wearing it. It’s made of a stretchy-but-smooth fabric that’s quick to dry if you put a wet bottle in. It’s big enough to fit a 20-oz Hydro Flask Coffee very snugly when packed, though anything bigger might be a bit of a challenge.
The Allpa 42 can fit a vessel up to 3” in diameter. This is the only mesh pocket on the pack. Photo courtesy Amanda Jameson.
The thing I love about this water bottle pocket is its security. I had to do a bit of wrestling to fit a 20-oz bottle into the pocket when the Allpa 42 was fully packed, but once it’s in, it’s not coming out without your say-so.
This is super handy since the Allpa 42 is meant to be stowed in an airplane’s overhead bin. Normally, my water comes with me to the seatback pocket, but on a transatlantic flight where all 6 feet of me was in the window seat, I didn’t want to lose precious leg room or seat room to my bottle. With this pocket, I felt wholly comfortable keeping my not-cheap Hydro Flask stowed as I shoved the Allpa bottom-first in the overhead bin. And when I wrestled the Allpa out of the bin after that 10-hour bumpy flight, my Hydro Flask — still snug in its pocket — came with it.
Exterior pocket
The exterior pocket on the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 is huge and convenient. It’s the pocket that’s most accessible without removing your bag from the overhead bin. A little over ⅓ of the height of the bag, it fit my passport, my keys, a couple of pens, my quart-sized bag of toiletries, and my noise-canceling headphones case with ease. I also added my Pixel 7 Pro to the mix as I was going through airport security with no issue.
For this road trip, the Allpa 42’s exterior pocket fit my headphones case, sunglasses case, therapy balls, and excessively large pill case. Barely visible/not seen are my Macbook charger, electrolytes, car/house keys, and three pairs of earrings. (Phew.) Photo courtesy Amanda Jameson.
Towards the outside of the bag are three pockets of varying size, each with elastic around the top for a little more security. The center one held my passport while we were traveling, and while I was a bit worried about losing it at first, the elastic is stiff enough to keep things where they’re supposed to be.
If you’re even more worried about losing things than I am, towards the inside of the bag in the exterior pocket is a large mesh pocket. Inside the mesh are also two shallow organizers, if you like to be able to reach in for something specific without needing to look at what you’re doing. If you’re looking for accessibility to things that shouldn’t go anywhere, this mesh pocket has you covered.
The only mild complaint I have about the Allpa 42’s exterior pocket is that the sewn-in key loop hangs freely inside the main pocket rather than hanging inside the mesh or in one of the elastic pockets. It's long enough that when clipped in my keys sit on the bottom of the bag, but given that this is the part of the bag I dig around in the most, I worry a little. Stashing my clipped-in keys in the closest elastic pocket or zipping them into the mesh isn’t a hard fix, but it is an extra step.
Suspension system
The suspension system on the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 is luxe, and makes carrying a suitcase-worth of weight a breeze.
The Allpa 42’s robust-yet-packable suspension system. Photo courtesy Mike Hayes.
The hip belt of the Allpa 42 is sturdy, with a thick band of foam and plastic backing connecting to nylon webbing that meets in the middle. It can be adjusted vertically to fit shorter or longer torsos. The band is sturdy enough to support the weight of the pack fully packed such that the backpack straps only add stability.
The backpack straps of the Allpa 42 are slightly stiffer and better padded than on backpacking packs I’ve used, which contribute to the pack’s overall comfort. The load lifter straps allow you to balance the pack no matter what’s inside. The straps themselves are also adjustable in length. They can be connected by a chest strap that can be raised or lowered nearly a foot in height, depending on your needs.
Combined, these make for a comfortable carry whether you’re standing in line waiting to board or dashing for the last call to your flight (ask me how I know).
Interior shortcut zipper
Need to get to something in the largest interior compartment, but don’t have the room to fully lay out the bag? The Cotopaxi Allpa 42 features an interior shortcut zipper to make pulling out or stowing jackets or other large items easier. This is a feature I used on a road trip where the Allpa sat in the backseat, but I wouldn’t see myself using it during a flight — for me, it would mess up the organization I value in the pack — but your mileage may vary.
Need a jacket or change of clothes really quickly on the road? Sneak it out through the interior shortcut zipper. Photo courtesy Amanda Jameson.
Rain cover
Because only the TPU-coated outer is really water resistant, the rest of the Allpa is more susceptible to changing weather conditions. But unlike other bags that charge you extra for a rain cover, the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 comes with a rain cover to make sure your stuff stays dry when the weather gets wooly. Inside the cover are various tie-downs to make sure it can’t catch the wind. And I do mean various ー while the elastic edging and stretch straps that velcro secure to the carry handles make sense to me, it’s not entirely clear to me what the other unopenable, non-stretchy nylon loops are for. Looking around the internet for information, no one else seems to comment on this, and Cotopaxi’s site isn’t much help either.
I didn’t have to use the rain cover on my trip, so I didn’t get to test it out in the wild. The stitching to make it more form-fitting to the bag are weak points where water would eventually leak through, but otherwise this seems like a serviceable rain cover, especially if you’re just traveling from place to place. Ideally, you’re not out in the wet long enough for even the tough nylon outer on the pack to soak through.
One thing to note about the rain cover is that it comes in different colors depending on the pack color you choose. While some of the rain cover colors match their packs pretty closely, like the River and the Gulf, the Indigo colorway comes with a bright orange rain cover that matches the zipper on the outside of the pack. If you’re not looking to stick out quite that much in a wet, less familiar place, pay attention to the rain cover color as much as the pack color.
Alternate carry options
The Cotopaxi Allpa 42 can be carried in four ways: as a backpack with a hip belt, as a backpack without a hip belt, over one shoulder with a strap, or with the grab handles on the top, bottom, and one long side.
Wearing the Allpa 42 as a backpack with a hip belt is a dream and how I’d recommend carrying it. The suspension system is plush, distributing the weight well during long waits at passport control. The hip belt can be completely removed for shorter trips with lighter loads.
Just make sure you watch how much weight you put in if you want to use the Allpa 42 without its hipbelt. Photo courtesy Mike Hayes.
If you’re more into the messenger bag look, the Allpa 42 comes with a shoulder strap that can be easily attached to the bag. To wear it this way with ease, you can remove the hip belt and unclip and stow the backpack straps behind the backplate. With a fully packed Allpa 42, however, I found using the single shoulder strap to be much less comfortable (and much more awkward) than just using the pack as, well, a pack.
If you end up needing to gate check the Allpa 42, you can also stow the straps and use any of the three grab handles on the top, bottom, or long side of the bag for quick carry. These grab handles are also handy for wiggling your bag out from among others in the overhead bin. (If you can avoid it, I wouldn’t counter check the Allpa 42, as ultimately the softness of the bag wouldn’t do too well in the hold with a bunch of fully-framed, hard-sided suitcases.)
The straps (one peeking out bottom left) can be fully stowed if necessary. Photo courtesy Amanda Jameson.
Performance
Durability
As mentioned earlier, the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 is built from a 1000-denier, TPU-coated polyester on the face and an 840-denier nylon for the rest of the paneling. And I do mean built: at 4 lbs, 2 oz (66 oz) with the hip belt and shoulder strap, this is a beefy pack.
Perhaps surprisingly, however, the Allpa 42 is about half the weight of carry-on roller bags, allowing you to pack more weight-wise if you want to. And since its dimensions are the same as a carry-on roller bag — whose dimensions include its wheels — there’s more space inside for other things, too.
The thickness of the Allpa’s fabrics and the padding inside the bag meant that I was never worried about my stuff getting scratched or dinged up in the overhead bins. The outside of my Allpa got a little scuffed on my trip, but I’m hard on gear, and everything inside was safe and sound.
The Allpa 42 was meant to be a carry-on, though — while it could be gate-checked, I’d worry about the potential for scuffing and creasing of the TPU fabric, which long-term might decrease its weather resistance and potentially durability. Additionally, given its ultimately soft siding, I’d worry about the integrity of the gels and liquids inside the bag.
In terms of counter-checking the Allpa 42, I believe that’s best avoided. I definitely wouldn’t want to put it up against a hardshell suitcase 1.5x its size or put it between or below a bunch of them in an unpressurized hold.
Comfort and fit
I was absolutely floored by the comfort of this pack when fully loaded. By the end of the trip, I had 30 pounds on my back and nary a complaint about it. I’ve also taken it out for a quick weekend trip, and it’s performed admirably underloaded as well.
The hip belt of the Allpa 42 is a thick band of foam and plastic backing emerging 8 inches from either side of the pack and nylon webbing creating another 17”of room on either side, for a total of 50” of room around the hips. It can also be adjusted vertically to fit shorter or longer torsos between about 15” and 19”. The velcro connection is large enough and strong enough on both the pack and the hip belt that the latter doesn’t move, so there’s little worry of slippage.
The straps of the Allpa 42 can be adjusted at the base to a total length of 34”. The load lifters have a full foot of adjustability to make sure the pack sits right on your hips, and the chest strap has 9”of horizontal adjustability and 9.5”of vertical adjustability, making this a pack that works for many body types.
I have a 19” back and 45” hips. The hip belt fit me correctly and comfortably at the longest setting. The shoulder straps, load lifters, and chest strap were likewise easy to tune for comfort. And all the parts that touch your body are well-padded, all in all making this a delight of a pack to carry through airports and urban areas.
Interior organization
For me, the interior organization is the huge draw in the Cotopaxi Allpa 42. When I’m backpacking, I love knowing exactly what I have and where it goes and I’m using nearly everything I have every day. When I’m on a longer trip with more things to track and I’m not using everything every day, a suitcase with one primary pocket can be a bit of a mystery to me. And it’s only a matter of time before things slide around and said suitcase gets so disorganized that it pains me to look at it, let alone fish around in it.
Not so with the Allpa 42. I love having the suitcase-like zipper opening, so I can see nearly everything I have without having to root through many layers. The pockets — even the largest one — are also small enough that it’s hard for them to get that disorganized. It’s a small enough pack overall that I have to deliberately choose what I’m packing, but it’s also large enough that I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself of anything. And for me, it strikes a perfect balance of compartmentalization and using the space effectively.
Functionality
Cotopaxi’s Allpa 42 is just the right size to stow in the overhead bins. Depending on the plane’s size — we flew on a larger 747 and a smaller 737 — you’ll either lay it flat on the straps or turn it on its side, and both ways, it slides in smoothly. Even when we barely made it to our gate on time for one flight, the Allpa made stowing much less stressful. I was able to find space for it in the overheads on a basically full flight with a little bit of a squeeze. Others — like the folks over at Gear Junkie — have had luck fitting it under the seat in front of them, but I was too tall chicken to try it.
Regardless of the way it’s stowed, it’s easy to keep the external pocket facing outward for access to smaller things. When sliding the Allpa in on its side, you do have to choose between access to the laptop pocket and access to the interior shortcut zipper. That said, it was intuitive as a right-handed person to keep the laptop and water bottle pockets up for access to those as well (though you’ll want to be sure your bottle is closed properly if you leave it in the overhead).
Versatility
After using it for 9 days in Scotland and 5 days on a road trip, I believe the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 to be an excellent extended travel pack. I was able to pack a variety of clothes — some cold-weather, some warm weather, some fancy, some sporty — along with a few books, noise-canceling headphones, toiletries, and an extra pair of shoes, and still have room to bring back multiple souvenirs, including books and thicker woolen items. The interior organization made it easy to separate the clean clothes from the dirty, and had I needed to it would’ve been simple to take the whole pack to the laundromat for wash day.
That said, this pack is much heavier than it needs to be. With details like cloth pulls on each zipper pull and what in my opinion is an unnecessary access point in the interior shortcut zipper as well as an overbuilt main compartment zipper, all these extra features add to the weight of the pack. The suspension system makes it so that I almost can’t tell that it’s heavier — it’s that comfortable — but that doesn’t change the facts. So if you’re looking to travel with more of a backpacking-style backpack, this is definitely a change.
Unlike a backpacking-style backpack, however, the Allpa 42 fits in on city streets. On closer inspection, the 42L is too big to be mistaken for an urban commuter pack, even if it’s as sleek as one. (If that’s something you’re worried about, the 35L and 28L fit in much better.) That said, if you’re traveling between towns or hostels, it does much better than a roller bag on cobblestone streets and even on buses with relatively limited room.
Other travel packs to consider
ULA Ultra Dragonfly
Pack volume: 30L or 36L
Pack weight: 1.9 lbs (36L)
Maximum load: 25 lbs
Carry-on compatible: yes
Stowable shoulder straps: no
Removable hip belt: yes
If you’re looking for a smaller, fly-under-the-radar travel pack that will carry just what you need and nothing else, the ULA Ultra Dragonfly might be the pack for you. This low-profile pack looks like a commuter pack, but the entire front of the pack opens like a suitcase. Compression straps allow you to make the most of your internal space, while compressive mesh on the side pockets and front zippered pocket help on the outside. Both versions will slide easily under the seat in front of you on your flight. It’s fully waterproof to 200 psi and weighs less than half of what the Allpa 42 weighs (30 oz for the 30L; 31 oz for the 36L).
The downsides? Nearly 8 of the 30L — almost a third of the pack — are in the outside mesh pockets. The pack maxes out carrying 25 pounds of weight if you’re looking to pack (or bring back) a little extra. The price tag is about $50 more than the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 at time of writing. And if you want one, you’ll have to compete for it: ULA has a history of selling out every week, so you’ll have to make time on a Wednesday at 1p MT to try to grab one.
View the ULA Ultra Dragonfly
Pack volume: 40L, 55L , 70L
Pack weight: 3.5 lbs (40L)
Carry-on compatible: 40L and 55L only
Stowable shoulder straps: yes
Stowable hip belt: yes
Osprey is an incredibly reliable company with a wealth of different types of packs. Their 40L travel packs, the Fairview and the Farpoint, are front-opening like the ULA. Their insides are more like a traditional suitcase: one large mesh pocket on the opening wall, and compression straps on the inside. When worn, the packs are incredibly breathable, and they feature locking zippers on the main compartment. Another point in favor of the Fairview and Farpoint lines? Some owners have had their packs for 12+ years with minimal damage. When you invest in Osprey, you’re investing for the long haul.
However, I know that the Fairview and Farpoint are nearly a pound lighter than the Allpa, but they also seem overbuilt to me. Compression straps on the inside and outside? A hip belt that isn’t removable? An additional zippered stow pocket for the hip belt and harness when you’re not using them? This pack, like the Allpa 42, could be lighter. Still, as Osprey makes moves to revamp the line, you can find the Fairview and Farpoint on steep discount — and when it’s lighter and less expensive than the Allpa, it might be the pack for you.
View the Osprey Farpoint / Fairview 40L Pack
Pack volume: 35L or 45L
Pack weight: 3.0 lbs (35L) or 3.1 lbs (45L)
Maximum load: 35 lbs
Carry-on compatible: yes
Stowable shoulder straps: yes
|Removable hip belt: yes
At 1 lb, 1 oz lighter and slightly larger than the Cotopaxi Allpa 42, the Six Moon Designs All Day Carry 45L is a lighter option for your travel needs. Like the Allpa, it features a clamshell opening, but unlike the Allpa it features the fan-favorite cell phone pocket in the backpack strap (it’s me, I’m the fan). It also has compression straps on the inside to make the most of the room you’ve got. The fabric of the body and, importantly, the zippers are all fully waterproof. It fits a 40-oz water bottle (vs. the Allpa’s 20 oz). If you’re looking to go from trail to town seamlessly, this might be the travel pack for you.
That said, the All Day Carry feels like a specific pack with a specific audience in mind. The specifically-built trekking pole carrier and ability to choose your fabric in particular suggests it’s meant for hikers who intend to perhaps lean harder into the hiking portion than the town portion of their travels. And it comes with a proportionally technical price tag: the All Day Carry is between $70-$115 more expensive than the Allpa 42 at time of writing.
View the Six Moon Designs All Day Carry
About the author
The author with her Allpa 42. Photo courtesy Mike Hayes.
I’m Amanda, trail name Zuul. I’m not particularly new around these Treeline Review parts; I’ve written on backpacking gear here, so you might have seen my pieces on Rain Jackets, Water Filters, and/or Trekking Poles before.
I’ve also written about going stoveless (and my Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike) for Backpacker Magazine, and about being outside for Griots Republic.
I’ve got right around 3500 miles under my feet, and I walked 3300 of those miles solo, beholden to nothing but the whims of nature and my on-again-off-again hiker hunger. Between those miles and a year as a Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer, I’ve spent nearly a year of my life sleeping on sleeping pads - in deserts and lush valleys, on mountainsides and beachsides.
I’m still a Leave No Trace Master Educator, and am a former board member of the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West. I also run the blog Brown Girl on the National Scenic Trails, and consult on justice and equity in the outdoor and non-profit spaces. You can see all my Treeline Review articles on my author page.
