The precious daypack

This is an old  daypack that I have  used inappropriately for 14 years. (I have only used her as a daypack on two trips.)

She has been to Asia and to NYC and to Florence and been trilobite hunting in Utah. She has been my only luggage for weeks at a time. She has carried everything I needed on any given trip.

Now her shoulder straps are  tied on, not sewn. Only some of the zippers work. The seams have been rubbed and stretched  and banged about.

Space is precious in the back of a truck, but I can’t seem to  leave her behind.

Does she fit in during the next journey? I do need a daypack, and she does have good qualities. She can carry all of the rock hunting tools with ease. She can add a notebook,  pencils,  binoculars,  lots of water, sunscreen, lip gloss, a scarf, an umbrella, an i-pod, camera  and lunch. We have been together for so long I know where everything belongs.

She is awkward to carry. There are holes in her pockets. She’s gonna fail.

Still don’t think I can leave her behind.

I have never really liked her. She wasn’t my color. She has no internal support. Her waistband is a joke. Her shoulder straps are perfect for a daypack, not what I subject her to.

But after 14 years I have grown to love her. She has been home in foreign countries, a pillow in the desert, and a holder of secrets.

I cannot leave her behind.

So, where to store her ?