On my last big adventure the main zipper broke and the rest of the little zippers rusted out. So I sewed the main flap halfway shut; just enough to get things in and out and deter thieves from helping themselves.
And then the zipper started working again. It was a miracle. I was very, very happy.
So I took said backpack to Utah with me last month. And the zipper broke again.
Ugh.
When I got home I decided to take it to be repaired. Brilliant, eh? Did you know you can have zippers repaired? In this on-demand, throw-away society it was hardly the first thing to cross my mind. In fact, I went out and bought a new Northface backpack a few months ago. But new pack just wasn't the same. It hadn't hopped flights with me to five countries, been bled on, dragged in dirt and scuffed up in the thick of hiking through rainforests.
Sometimes I am a creature of habit. Travel requires people to get out of their habits and look outside themselves, to stay on their toes and adapt. So you will understand why having something familiar and comfortable while traveling is important. It's an anchor.
Before dropping my old pack off to be repaired, I unpacked it rather ceremoniously. I took out the mini-maglite I stashed in it years ago. The one I got while working for Holland America line. I took out the shells from countless beaches worldwide that I'd stashed into mini-compartments all over the bag. And with the shells fell multi-colored sand; black, white, pink, beige. A tiny first-aid kit. A pack of fruit snacks (still good!). An ace bandage. A travel bike pump and tire repair kit. Several empty zip-lock baggies.
I lovingly ran my hand over the scabs and tears in the black fabric and then pulled one final item out. A ziplock bag containing a half roll of toilet paper.
And I thought to myself, "Ha! that's the sign of a traveler if ever there was one!"
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