In the fall of 1984, my father took me to REI in Berkeley to buy a Kelty backpack for my forthcoming trip to Germany. He said, "We're going to get you a really good backpack that will last for decades." And it has. It's one of my oldest possessions. I don't remember how I picked it out—I assume I just followed my Dad's suggestions. I travelled with it in Germany in 1984-1985, to Toronto to visit my father there for Christmas in 1985, all over the United States in the summer of 1988, to Paris in summer 1989, and on many trips in Europe after I moved here in 1991. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 10 May 2025)