Before leaving for mountaineering training in California, I stopped by backpack sponsor Granite Gear. The crew there hooked me up with a new pack (Stratus Access) that I will most likely take to South America this winter, Denali next summer and Mt. Everest in 2009.

Because it's a Granite Gear pack I am 100% confident that it will hold up to the rigors of my upcoming journey to the Cascades and more with little real testing. After all, this is the same company that was awarded backpack of the year by Outside Magazine. Bottom line, the thing is really sweet and really bombproof.

Whenever I'm flying out of the Twin Cities I usually stay with Tim Harincar, (of x-journal fame and web ubermind) his wife Elisabeth and their daughters: Miranda and Annie.

Sorting all my gear on the Harincar's porch, I was curious to know how the pack would feel fully loaded. If nothing else, I thought it would be nice to get some of the straps adjusted before heading west. But most of my stuff was still an unorganized mess.

Enter: the Annie Factor. I have a sneaking suspicion that my new training and gear testing partner may find a new carrier as an 'inside' back pack tester.