So the aforementioned backpack: As it turns out, my 1995-era North Face backpack decided to give up the ghost on this trip, tearing the seam nearly all the way around. This may have been because Joel and I strong-armed 30+ lbs of gear into this simple day pack, using a 2-man technique to get the zipper to shut. So, I jury rigged my backpack shut with some extra slings and a carabiner or two. Luckily I had brought a spare backpack on the trip, and even more luckily, North Face products carry a lifetime warranty and there is a North Face store less than a block from my office. So, on Monday after I returned to San Francisco, I took the backpack to the store during lunch, and a cheerful (and amazed) clerk informed me they would send the pack off for repair and advise me of "my options" which he indicated might be limited to a gift card. He was very polite and said they would stand behind their product but his curiosity got the best of him and he did ask when I bought it.
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— Margaret Hovell