Forget REI, go MoMa!

A business trip took P to NYC this last weekend. That's always a reason for celebration because he gets to visit our oldest daughter there. And her law firm can get free tickets to many museums, including the Museum of Modern Art.

We're big fans.

While he had a few extra minutes, P wandered through the gift shop there, and found some very cool items that belong in any backpackers backpack!

First of all, an improvement on his old drugstore seven-day pill box that has more compartments and is lighter and smaller--just perfect for his fly fishing gear. Beautifully designed.(Duh! It's in the MUSEUM!) Each type of fly now has its own compartment. Cost? $3.50

And in a similar vein, he found a very clever collection of little plastic cylinders that screw together to make a tower about five inches tall and one inch in diameter. He picked one up for M as a mobile spice rack for our pack trips---and she immediately decided it would also work for some of her creams and lotions. Weight is a couple of ounces. Also under $4.00.

Next up? A flyweight camera case made of space age materials that would be perfect for our little cameras. That one cost about $12--but he didn't buy it. He just mentioned to our daughter that it would make a nice Christmas gift, if that's the sort of thing she was looking for. nudge, nudge.

And then he found the piece de resistance. Yes, a Superman wallet (they had other designs, from a dollar bill to a map of the NY subway system) made of Tyvek. It's practically weightless, and has room for all the stuff you need---a few credit cards, a driver's license, and some cash. $15 and well worth it.

That's another one that got put on the Christmas list.

Just like on the trail, you often find the coolest stuff when you aren't really looking...