The annual Atlanta Jazz Festival provided me the perfect opportunity to justify one of my most recent travel bag purchases. As much as we love eating at the many vendors whenever we go to a festival, we’ve learned that in order to spend money on the things that truly mean a lot to us, we’d have to be selective about vendor purchases. Since Memorial Day is usually associated with barbecue, we decided to pack our barbecue dinner and head down to Piedmont Park to listen to some fabulous jazz. Here in Atlanta, we love our cars. We love them so much that we drive them everywhere. (It doesn’t help that we have a pretty crummy mass transit system.) With attendance at the jazz festival being higher than we’ve seem it in the recent past, the closest place to park was .8 miles away from the venue. (I know this because I used my walking app to get as much credit as possible for the energy expenditure.) Carrying the following downhill to the festival and uphill from the festival was a breeze. The pack was comfortably on my back, making carrying it effortless. Here’s what we brought:
- 4 grilled burgers
- 4 Italian sausages
- buns for the burgers and sausage (1 of which was a gluten-free Udi’s bun)
- small container of baked beans from This Is It Barbecue and Seafood
- snack-sized baggie of onions
- packets of mustard and ketchup
- a large bag of tortilla chips
- one pack of Mint Milanos
- one bag of black pepper Snap Pea Crisps
- one King Size Reese’s Big Cup (guess who that was for)
- 6 bottles of water
- one ice pack
- 8 sturdy paper plates
- 8 clear, plastic cups
- a pack of luncheon napkins
- a small bottle of hand sanitizer
- plastic utensils
- two small, plastic bottles of Crown Royal
- two single-serve plastic bottles of cabernet
- insect repellant
- sunscreen
The food and water were fairly bulky, but I could have gotten more things in the bag, had I wanted or if I didn’t mind things getting squished. The fold-up picnic blanket wouldn’t fit, but since it had a shoulder strap, it was a non-issue. My Kindle and wristlet fit inside the pack, but ultimately I decided to carry a small tote in case I did some shopping.
As much as I love the Tortuga brand, I felt that this bag was better suited for the task than the Tortuga Air would have been. Why? Simply because I felt like a black rectangular pack screams luggage, while a bright green pack feels more versatile and festive. So, to the occasional traveler. Don’t let the lack of travel stop you from using your favorite gear-whatever brand you choose. Comfort and convenience can happen at home too.
The s.o.u.l. Inspiration 