The Avocato

What the hell is wrong with me?  Grown man, 44 years old, posting pictures of sandals and shoes and shit.   Flip flops and string?  Come on.  Stop it. Ignoring that, Lola and I both received our backpacks yesterday.  My little green and black Osprey--which she named Kermit tonight over veggie burgers, french fries, darts, and a tight six piece brass/double bass/banjo/percussion/piano band at the Bull and Bush Pub in Glendale--was delivered to me by the UPS man in the morning.  After that we put the top down on Roscoe and took the thru-city route to REI, deciding that this was the day the she would pick her pack after a few weeks of trying various models on.  Backpacks can seem great on paper and on the internet and get great reviews for comfort but if they don't fit well on you then they might as well be made of porcupine quills and battering rams. Step one:  It feels good in the store or it doesn't feel good in the store. The store ...

It is too much to ask for a single product to be perfect for all situations, evidently. There are some things I have been looking for in a camp sandal or shoe: 1) Weighs very little, 2) Is comfortable, 3) Doesn't break the bank, 4) Doesn't take up too much room, 5) Can be used with or without socks, 5a) If socks are used they do not have to be specialized--I'm looking at you Injinji, 6) Can be used for stream crossings, 7) Dries very quickly, 8) Any fool can make them, 9) Is somewhat durable when not abused. I know, I know...I don't need to take camp sandals with me on a thru hike, but I'm gonna...maybe. You don't have to but I want to. So this is for those of you who also wanna. Because I could not find anything on the market, I made some. Here is how they came to be (I feel like an unshaven and slightly smelly Martha Stewart right now): I thought old school Tevas would do the job, but they are 13 ounces for a pair. Too heavy.  Crocs ...