Gear We Love

After spending 14 months circling the globe, living out of our backpacks for the entire year, we've developed a deep appreciation for reliable, quality gear. From the mountains of Nepal to the jungles of SE Asia, from the deserts of Africa to the cosmopolitan streets of Europe, the clothes and gear we brought with us were put through every test you could imagine.

Here are a few of our favorite items, those indispensable things we would've been lost without...

Patagonia R1 Flash Pullovers:

Warm, comfortable, and stylish, great on it's own or under an outer layer...it's the perfect travel shirt.

Sporting our R1's at the top of Gokyo Ri in Nepal, with Mt. Everest in the background:

Patagonia Morning Glory Dress:

As Patagonia says, "When onshore winds blow out your morning surf session, pull this irrepressible dress out of your pack and head to town"....or do as we did and head out fishing.

Searching for dinner off the coast of Zuljana, Croatia:

Petzel Tikka Plus Headlamps:

Small, light, indestructible, bright, and a super-long battery life. Enough said.

Exploring the caves north of Chiang Mai, Thailand:

Custom Patagonia Capilene Sleeping Bag Liner:

A little extra warmth with our down sleeping bags in the cold, great on it's own in the warm weather, and perfect for keeping those nasty bed bugs and who-knows-what-else away in cheap Asian hotels.

Buck X-Tract Knife:

A great, sharp blade for everything from filleting fish to slicing cheese plus screw drivers, pliers and a can opener....all you'll ever need, and nothing you don't need, right in the palm of your hand.

Cleaning a kahawai caught from the empty surf on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island:

Patagonia Continental Pants and Shorts (for him):

Two weeks trekking in Nepal, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, touring Paris, or to cover up in the Muslim countries...these pants went through it all and look exactly like the day we bought (okay, got them for free) from Patagonia.

When Dustin wasn't wearing his continental pants, there was a very good chance he was in the continental shorts. A durable, quick drying do-it-all pair of shorts that don't look too "backpackerish".

Covered up while exploring the shorts-aren't-appropriate streets of Marrakesh, Morocco:

Trying not to freeze at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro:

Surf fishing in New Zealand while sporting the perfect travel shorts:

Enjoying an ice cold Beer Lao Dark on the streets of Luang Prabang: