First thoughts on our Cotopaxi Allpa 35L travel packs

A quick review after two long weekend trips with these Cotopaxi Allpa 35L travel packs.

We primarily bought these for use on weekend trips to cities, especially when we use public transportation instead of renting a car, or when we’re bouncing around several destinations using short flights or public transit.

Our first trip was a simple long weekend to visit Jen’s parents, which involved flying, renting a car, and staying at the family home—so the bag offered few benefits over a normal roller bag. Still, it worked fine enough, even though our long walk through O’Hare and to the rental car facility might have been marginally more comfortable rolling a bag instead of carrying one. The second trip was a weekender to San Francisco, which involved ubering and staying at a friend’s house. So again, not a lot of advantages over using a normal roller bag.

That said, we’re both pretty satisfied so far.

The packs are generally laid out well and work for how we pack. The first trip I stuck to my usual packing cube strategy, which mostly worked; I could probably dial it in a bit better with different shaped/sized packing cubes than the ones I currently use. The second time I just packed directly into the zippered compartments, which worked much better, though feels a bit “naked.” I pack all of my clothes into the larger compartment that takes up the one entire side.

The smaller compartment on the other side is where I put my toiletries, including liquids (since I usedTSA pre-check, we don’t have to have remove them or else I’d keep them in a more accessible spot), plus other items, like a sweatshirt, pajamas, charging pack, rental car kit, and so forth. In a smart design move, this section also extends behind the small, flat zippered pouch above it, which provides a bit of extra space, depending on how full the other pockets are.

The opposite side of this area is a large compartment on the front of the bag, which is where I keep my airplane bag (I currently use this small 3L Patagonia Black Hole Cube, but though a 2L version would be more ideal). This bag holds a whole slew of things that I might want access to during a flight—snacks, airpods, kindle, phone holder, battery pack, notebook and pen, tissues, wet wipes, masks, some meds…basically anything I might possibly want. I take this entire airplane bag out when I get to my seat on the plane, attach it to my water bottle, and put my carry-on in the overhead bin. The airplane bag then lives under the seat in front of me, though it’s small enough that it doesn’t impede my legs from stretching out at all (I also have an attached carabiner so I can hang it from the seat back pocket if I prefer). This plane bag strategy works great for me, and it’s incredibly easy to use with that large compartment on the front of this pack—much easier, in fact, than with my roller bag or my usual “personal item” backpack I’d use with my roller.

There’s a padded laptop area up against the shoulder straps whose sleeve perfectly encases my 13" MacBook Air. With the added padding from the shoulder straps, I think it’s well protected when the bag is full, though I’m a bit more nervous about it when the bag is open, especially if the bag could get torked and twisted in an awkward way that compromises the screen (yeah, I’m probably overly paranoid about such things) which seems possible if you try to move the bag while it’s unzipped and half packed. But that’d only happen after I was at my destination, so I should be able to remove and safeguard the laptop when I arrive. Finally, there’s a stretchy water bottle sleeve that’s deep enough to hold my 20oz bottle without fear that it’ll always fall out, though I wish there a loop nearby to attach it with a carabiner.

Beyond that, the remaining pockets to mention are all fine. There’s a smaller one above the large plane bag compartment where I keep my sunglasses and other small items. When you fully close the bag, the two halves zip together in the middle, and I’ve used the space in between to pack an empty flat daypack to use at our destination that wouldn’t have quite fit inside a compartment.

There are a number of other minor bag features I won’t get into, as we haven’t really utilized them yet. Ok, I will point out the handles—there are several of them positioned around the bag that are easy to grab, which I’ve found well…handy 😉. And while I haven’t made much use of the waist belt, Jen has gone so far as to stash the straps behind the hip pad—a nice feature if you won’t be using them.

The only concern thus far is that I’m surprised at how scuffed up the exterior has gotten after just two trips, especially since we’ve only hand carried these. It took just one flight in an overhead compartment to receive a number of blemishes on both of our bags. These appear to be cosmetic, but it’s something to keep an eye on. Just a few trips in and your pack will paint you as a well seasoned traveler who must bounce around the world constantly.

All in all, the packs have been a good purchase. I’m interested in seeing how they hold up over time and if we start “onebagging” it over our usual roller + small backpack routine as a result of having them.

When you do a bedtime shot with your wife…(but it’s actually just nighttime cold & flu medicine because you’ve both been sick all damn week).

Two hands are holding a Las Vegas shot glass and a small cup filled with a red liquid in a kitchen.

Found an ASU game watching party here in San Francisco 🙌 #GoDevils

Did our first driverless Waymo ride here in SF (weird, since Waymo’s training facility was near our house in Phx). Impressed with how well it negotiated some tough scenes, including steep hills, traffic parking in the street for no apparent reason, and plenty of unexpected pedestrians in the road.

My wife and I are flying to San Francisco for the weekend. It will be an unusual trip for us—the first time we’ve flown to a US city together and not rented a car. Usually we’re off to explore a larger region, but this time we’re just hanging out with friends in the city proper, sans any set plans.

ShadeMap.app is a useful map that simulates sun shadows for any time and place on Earth, along with the total amount of sun it receives over the course of the day.

We were traveling during the home opener, so yesterday’s ASU football game was our first of the season. It also marks the start of my 39th year(!) as a season ticket holder. Whoa!

It was a bit of an ugly performance imo, but I’m glad we got the win and could enjoy our traditional victory “champagne” toast during our post-game tailgating while the traffic subsidies. I’ve dialed down my investment in the team (and sports in general), but still have a good time tailgating with friends and enjoying the stadium atmosphere.

Just posted: My summer in 10 photos.

Piggybacking on @birming’s post on turning a problem into a perk, I wrote about how I’ve gotten some good out of a bad situation by adopting a similar approach.

I ran across this post from March outlining the trips we expected to take this year while looking for something else. Of the 8 listed as “booked,” we only did 2 as originally planned, and only a smaller portion of one other we had listed. Of the 9 “still plotting,” we’re doing exactly 0 of them.

I’ve been prepping our tailgating stuff for tomorrow, our first home ASU game of the season, and was reminded of how we met the rest of our tailgating crew. Here’s the fun story.

Visiting the Flight 93 National Memorial

Nine days ago, we visited the Flight 93 National Memorial, the site of the plane that crashed en route to the Capitol Building on September 11th, 2001. This was my second visit, and it hit just the same as my first time there.

As you’d imagine, it’s an incredibly somber place, especially for anyone who remembers that day. The exterior of the memorial is angled to align with the flight path, capped by a memorial plaza and a solitary stone in the field where the plane crashed—killing everyone on board, but saving so many others.

The visitor center is relatively small but quite powerful; it feels weird to have a park bookstore there, or even a passport stamp available. No photos or videos are allowed inside, and most people have shed at least a tear or two by the time they depart. I opted not to listen to the phone calls left by those on the plane this time, a good call given how it crushes rushes you.

The approach

The end of the approach, overlooking the memorial plaza and crash site in the distance

The angles here are piercing. This is the edge the visitor center, as seen from near the end of the approach above

Along the memorial plaza walkway

Deer wander near the crash site, denoted by the large boulder

The Wall of Names, Ceremonial Gate, and boulder in the distance

The Wall of Names, looking back up at the visitor center and approach. The gate and boulder are behind you, all lined up with the flight path.

The Ceremonial Gate, with the boulder visible in the distance.

Two of several outdoor interpretive displays near the memorial plaza—a small nod to the more complete interpretation in the visitor center museum.

The Tower of Voices, which had yet to be built during my 2016 visit. This was designed as a musical instrument, built with 40 wind chimes to sound in the breeze. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough sustained wind to hear much during our visit, though you can hear what it sounds like thanks for a nearby push-button speaker.

There’s more to the site, of course, but I didn’t capture it on this visit. Besides, photos don’t relate the feeling you have in reliving this day, you just need to go there yourself. So if you find yourself in western Pennsylvania, I recommend you stop by.

We had to cancel some camping plans with friends to book this upcoming “flyover state” trip, which brought me to the cancellation page on recreation.gov. Wow, it’s been a disappointing year for our initial trip plans—12(!) camping cancellations since returning from our big trip in March.

We use our own travel management system that I built in Notion many years ago for collecting all of the relevant info, confirmations, files, links, and trip ideas for our various adventures.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t lean on good ol' scratch paper for the in-process notemaking phase.

We just booked another trip to Nebraska, and I’m not sure what’s happened to us. 🤣

The Pro Football Hall of Fame

Our first stop on Sunday morning was the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. I enjoyed my visit back in 2013, but Jen hadn’t yet been. She’s a Lions fan, so there wasn’t much for her there (😂 I kid).

Anyway, it was especially fun to visit this year because Eric Allen, who played at ASU, was just inducted this year. Needless to say, nearly all of my photos feature former ASU or 49ers players—my two beloved teams. I won’t post too many photos, as I took plenty…

ASU

49ers

Of course, I could have added about two dozen photos of busts, but I’ll spare you those. Needless to say, it’s a spot that football fans should visit.

Stopped for a beverage on our way to the airport. Picked the best rated brewery we could find in the region, which is in downtown Cleveland. Had trouble parking, didn’t realize it’s gameday for the Browns. (Side note: almost illegally parked in front of topless unhoused woman.) Apparently the dejected crowd will soon make their way in (“look for the sad zombie walkers, they’re the Browns fans,” explained the helpful bartender. “Come order your food as soon as they start trudging in.”). 😂 Anyway, they have a decent hazy here.

Arrived at our last planned stop of the trip: Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This marks Jen’s 394th national park unit (of 433). After two plus decades of park visits, she’s now in line to finish this goal in summer 2027. 👏

Cuyahoga Valley National Park sign

A few shots from Port Clinton. Posting this tiny lighthouse in case I adopt a “lighthouse in every state” quest. Also, I love this little free library, which is adorned with a fighter plane and dedicated to a specific member of the Tuskegee Airmen.

A historic cannon is displayed on a concrete platform in a park, surrounded by grass and trees.A small blue Little Free Library with a transparent roof featuring a model airplane on top stands near a lake with a lighthouse and tree in the background.

National Parks that usually involve a ferry ride

I dropped Jen off at the ferry over to Put-In-Bay so she can visit Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, her 393rd national park unit (yay!).

I’ve already been there, of course, and we have a few other things we’d prefer to see today instead of spending extra time on the island. So we decided that she would make it a quick trip over-and-back just to see the park unit, and I would stay behind, saving us a $44 ferry ride plus an $18 parking fee. So here I am, enjoying a coffee and typing out a quick blog post.

Buck Island is only accessible via boat; the primary activity here is snorkeling an underwater trail around the island’s reef.

National Parks that usually involve a ferry ride

Her morning itinerary got us to thinking about how many national park units usually involve a ferry for most visitors. Here’s the list that came to mind, as I walked her to the ferry terminal:

  • Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial (OH)
  • Isle Royale NP (MI)
  • Statue of Liberty NM (NY)
  • Governors Island NM (NY)
  • Cumberland Island NS (GA)
  • Dry Tortugas NP (FL)
  • Channel Islands NP (CA)
  • Pearl Harbor NMEM (HI)
  • Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie NHP (SC)
  • Buck Island Reef NM (USVI)
  • Apostle Islands NL (WI)
  • Lake Chelan NRA (WA)
  • Kenai Fjords NP (AK)
  • Fort Matanzas NM (FL)
  • Biscayne NP (FL)
  • Glacier Bay NP & PRES (AK)
  • San Juan Island NHP (WSA)
  • Virgin Islands NP (USVI)
  • Virgin Islands Coral Reef NM (USVI)
  • Voyageurs NP (MN)

As with any list, there are arguments to be made around what should be included and what shouldn’t. For instance, I think you could also make an argument for including Golden Gate NRA (specifically due to Alcatraz, which is definitely its best known attraction), and even Pictured Rocks NL, which sees a lot of tour boat traffic in the summer, even though neither unit requires a boat ride. And Virgin Islands NP and Virgin Islands Coral Reef NM are on St John, and the entire island is usually accessed via ferry from St Thomas, so I’ve included both of those, even though you can easily drive to either unit once you’re on the island itself. Kenai Fjords NP often involves a boat ride too, but I think far more visitors also make the hike to Exit Glacier, so…should the boat ride count? I say yes; after all, the fjords is in the damn name itself. There are other parks with sites or areas that are only accessible via ferry, but they do not serve as a primary attraction, so they don’t make the list.

Are there any others I’ve forgotten or ones you wouldn’t include?