Gear For A New Season

 Summer is officially here! Okay, not really officially. We still have a few weeks before that. And OKAY, you all have probably been in your summer for a month or more (I'm talking to you, 90+ Midwest). Now that I have sufficiently negated my introductory statement...Summer is unofficially here in Grand County, CO.

 Being a crazy planner-type, I dream up my travel and vacation plans seasons in advance. I hoard my vacation time in such a way that I can make the most of every possible minute off. Summers are slightly more difficult to plan than other seasons since it's M's busy season (meaning he gets 6 days off between Memorial Day and labor Day). This means a) I need/want to be home for those specific 6 days b) trips I take now must include my dog and c) there's a good chance that I will be flying solo on many adventures. BUT it also means that I will be alternating working a few Saturdays, which allows a few opportunities to smash together 3-day weekends! This is the season of work hard-play hard!

 In preparation for a new season of road trips, hiking, biking and schlepping of gear to various destinations and because I am an organizational loony toon, I have been on the hunt for a specific piece of gear. Gear to rule all gear. The piece of equipment that will wrangle and maintain the order of all odds and ends. Last week I found it, last night I received it. And here it is, the Mountainsmith 3 Cube Modular Hauler!

Okay, just kidding...that's not what it's designed to haul.

 The system consists of 4 pieces, the 15x25x15 hauler (outer bag) and 3 cubes that fit inside.

 The intention here is to be able to organize equipment in the color-coded cubes and easily lug in/out as needed.

I'm thinking of a few ways to use this.

1. Stuff for Bracco, Stuff for Me, Stuff for M (when he can join us)
2. Hiking Gear, Biking Gear, Stuff For Bracco (he's always going to need food/water etc)
3. Quick access clothing for a few nights

The great thing here is that depending on the adventure, I can designate the cubes to carry whatever I need them to. I can easily grab Bracco's bag and toss it into someone else's car for an impromptu hike or make sure that I always have my running gear accessible (no more excuses I guess). I purchased this for about $80 but if that's out of your price range, Mountainsmith makes a 2-cube version for about $60. There's free shipping if you order through backcountry.

 I have had many tricks in the past for organizing without this item and I know many of you will find it to be unnecessary. You could come up with similar systems using the Eagle Creek Pack It System (although, I doubt it would be cheaper) or using Rubbermaid containers for less. The bottom line is that not everyone will need this. I plan to attempt all of my packing for the (adventure leak) Telluride Bluegrass Festival next week and I'll let you know how it works out. My only concern at this point is the size of the thing. I drive a roller skate.