Travel Accessories with Traveling Jackie

Osprey Ambassador Jackie Nourse(S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) surrounded by some of her favorite travel accessories

Ultralight Dry Stuff Pack

The Ultralight Dry Stuff Pack is one of my favorite secret weapons in my entire Osprey quiver for two reasons:

• It is so small that it always fits in my luggage, every time I pack, no matter how small of a pack I’m taking, so it’s ALWAYS with me, which means that…
• I’m always prepared to not only keep my essentials dry if the weather is questionable, but to have a daypack in case I’m in need of one. I’ve also used it to protect items from sand in the desert, and I can furthermore confirm that its deep water bottle pockets fit bear spray and regular bottles of wine just perfectly… you know, the essentials.

Jackie takes on Patagonia in her UL dry stuff sack(S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre). Image via Kelley Olson(S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)

Airporter

While I always prefer to travel carry-on only, sometimes I have to check trekking poles or extra goodies for my trip participants. Enter the Airporter. There are so many reasons to love the Airporter!

• It solves the issue of dangling straps or unbuckled clips that would be hanging precariously and potentially getting caught on luggage belts while my pack is out of my care.
• It makes my beautiful backpack look incognito, as the Airporter is a neutral color and not exactly begging for attention on a luggage belt.
• It protects my pack from the elements of the checked luggage world - I can imagine how much dirtier and more beat up it would be were it exposed to the belts, weather, and awkward handling of the baggage personnel.
• It is unique in appearance - no one ever confuses my Airporter for their own luggage.
• The strap on the Airporter makes it easy to throw over my shoulder and transfer the pack without opening it up.
• It doubles as a rain cover in a pinch, and I’ve actually had to use it for this purpose before when I forgot my proper rain cover for my pack. It has loops in place to secure it onto the pack and against the wind - it worked just fine!
• In the past when I’ve purchased some bulky souvenirs, I just stuffed them around my pack inside the Airporter to check home, rather than shipping or purchasing an extra bag.
• Pro tip: When your pack is traveling on top of an adventure vehicle on dirt roads, use your Airporter to protect it from the dust and grime of the road!

Looking to protect your pack and gear from rain, dirt and more? Look no further, and get yourself an airporter today(S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)!

Packing Cubes

I believe a traveler’s true travel wisdom can be measured in the years or months since he or she started using packing cubes. I do not understand how I used to operate without them, other than extremely disorganized and constantly frustrated.

As a backpacker (or, I believe, in life in general, but especially as a backpacker), there is only one way to truly stay organized: everything has a place, and everything goes in its place, every time.

Enter the brilliance of packing cubes. I have a system within my packing cubes that I use every time, so each different size and color contains a specific set of items, and I know where to look for what I need, every time. Combine packing cubes with the brilliance of a full-zip pack like my treasured Fairview Trek (and Farpoint Travel for years before that), and I have permanently conquered the deep dark well of what used to be my top-loading, blindly-stuffed frustration of disorganized packing. Never. Again.

Packing cubes delight!

Ultralight Stuff Duffel

Many of my thru-hikes or cycling tours include daily luggage transport service as well as luggage storage for any unneeded items while on the trail. This presents the problem of what to pack my extra items in that can be transferred or stored for me while I’m on my bike or only carrying my hiking pack.

I’m especially looking forward to the new Stuff Duffel for this purpose of storing or transferring extra items during a trip, while still being able to carry-on without extra bulky luggage. Also, it would serve as that sometimes-needed extra bag when I overdo it on must-have woven blanket souvenirs, which I may or may not be obsessed with. WIN!

Don't forget to follow Jackie on Instagram(S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), and head to JUMP Adventures'(S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) website to learn more about her upcoming journeys!

Featured image via Kelley Olson(S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)