Awesome pictures! I love the owl! You look great! What a fab trip.

Good luck with the Fanny pack. Sounds hot to me, but less so than a camelback, and you know what you need. The nano puff in its own pocket sounds perfect for dangling off something else, no need for a bag of any sort to put it inside of. Another idea for a water bottle holder would be one that clips onto your waist and or something.

Vegas is certainly not a place I’d choose for a family vacation, but when you don’t have much choice (we flew from Germany to my parents, to the conference, back to my parents’ and home to Germany. I was not about to leave my son with someone else while I traveled to another continent, and my parents refused to have him stay with them without me), you do what you can. The original springs are something I’d recommend to anyone, especially if they eschew cars like I do.

Karie, thank you. I’ll look into Deuter. I’ve never heard of it so I appreciate the recommendation.

Cee, we didn’t see any gopher holes at all.

Brooklyn, thank you. I just adore owls, so of course I love it when others do too.

SF, there probably isn’t a perfect solution. I’m going to try out vests and a waist pack, and see which seems the best.

Love the little owl especially

Great trip and wonderful pictures!

Suntiger, thank you. They’re small but mighty!

Slim cat, thank you.

Cee somewhat disappointed... How about hyperactive roadrunners being chased by coyotes using ACME products ?