The Alpha Sherpa was the backpack of choice and is perfect for a golf outing.  We had a cart and filled it with the usual camera, wallet, keys (love that key retreiver!), first aid kit, mosquitoe repellent, sunscreen, water and more water, ice packs and a few beers and snacks.  Wipes and kleenex were also in the sherpa.

The calibre of golf was definitely not on par with the US Open, but golf is a great family sport for all ages!

Activities:  Miley Cyrus concert with Camryn and Krista plus watersliding, shopping, Mall of America and touring a couple of ski areas.

What are you packing?  Alpha sherpa, short haul sherpa and Urban Sherpa.

Backstory: We hit the road on Tuesday for 4 days of adventuring with the culmination being the Miley Cyrus concert Thursday night at Target Center.  Camryn packed the Short Haul with her electronics and DVDs for the trip - an 8 hour car ride.  The Alpha Sherpa was our bag for carrying while wandering around MOA for the evening and the Urban Sherpa prototype my laptop backpack so I can do some work on the road.  The girls had a  blast at the concert and were pretty excited about seeing Miley scoot into one of the tour buses!  Friday we toured 2 ski areas in the MInneaplois area.  Camryn is used to getting dragged in to see the snowmaking systems and the maintenance shops for the groomers. Stopped in and stayed at Canad Inns in Grand Forks on the way home so the girls could waterslide.  Got home Saturday afternoon just in time to get dressed up for Hallowe'en!  Now to get caught up on the Sherpa files and orders back home here at World HQ.

What are you packing- All Sherpas- Camryn has the Short Haul packed with DVD player, iPod Shuffle, books, DVDs, CDs and lip gloss. Snacks and water of course are standard fare.  Alpha Sherpa-  Gary is packing, first aid kit, beverages, snacks, head sets, National Dragster, sharpie, sunscreen and wipes.  Baby Sherpa- Heather is packing more snacks, water, head sets, souvenirs, wallet, sunscreen, bug spray, jackets, cell phone, video camera, digital camera, brush, and books/notepad.  Also packed waws the umbrella and rain gear!

Back Story- Our Annual trek to NHRA races in Brainerd.  We take our 5th wheel and camp at the track along with bikes.  This year it rained a lot s the rain gear was imperative.  WE also go watersliding so the Shepra bags are used for shlepping wet gear (the cooler works well for this). We load the Sherpas to the hilt to take to the grandstands for the day and they are super comfy even weighed down.

The Safe2Goes are moving really well the new retractable mechanism works well and the new models are so cute.  A lot of zoos are getting them for their gift shops and my retailers love them!

Activities:  Fishing, car show, Ag Fair, Tubing, Boating and Camp Playmore (for Camryn)

What are you packing?  Alpha Sherpa, Urban Sherpa and Short Haul Sherpa. Snacks and provisions for the boat.  Fish bait, binoculars, charts for the lake, wallet, umbrella, rain jackets.

Backstory: Made our annual trek to Lake of the Woods.  The weather would not cooperate this summer at all.  Had one glorious day of sunshine, the rest of the time we were dodging showers.  Camryn went to Camp Playmore for 3 days.  Neat place had to go by boat to Town Island.  She had fun but unfortunately couldn't use the wwater trampoline becuase of the weather:( Firends joined us and we boated to the fireworks and did a day of tubing (Camryn's next favourite activity to skiing!)  The kids loved fishing for crawdads (released them) and Camryn saw a skunk and got within 10 feet of a deer! The weather was good for the fireworks which are wonderful to watch from the boat. A picture of Camryn with the Sherpa!

Activities:  Beaching, swimming, biking, boating, fishing, hiking and bear watching! (or avoiding)

What are you packing?  Alpha Sherpa, Urban Sherpa and Short Haul Sherpa.  Similar list to the Niagara trip except insect repellant and more sunscreen and lip balm, towels, snacks and the blackberry for trying to keep on top of emails.

Backstory: Camryn's cousins from Ottawa come out to stay at the family cabin in Grand Beach and we get a campsite for our 5th wheel and stay for a week. They have great bike trails and althought the water is pretty cold this year that doesn't bother 8 years olds who could stay in all day!  The Park interpretors notified us to make sure we keep a clean campsite as there are bears in the area and we met the neighbourhood bear face to face one evening!  He was an affable bear just wandering from site to site looking for snacks & then meandering off into the bush but I don't think I'd want to meet him in the dark!

What are you packing?  Loaded up 3 Sherpas for the trip:  Short Haul Sherpa- Camryn's Backpack- iPod, DVD player, head set, videos, books, extra clothes,sunglasses, water, snacks and a couple of little stuffies.  Alpha Sherpa-(field testing new backpack) camera, video camera, extra tapes, batteries, first aid kit, sunscreen, wipes, kleenex, magazines, snacks, water and jackets.  Urban Sherpa-this carried my laptop, GPS, peripherals and files, reading material, sell sheets, patch cables, chargers, passports and other documentation for the flights.    Backstory:  Summer vacation started this year with Camryn and I flying to Hamilton to go and visit with our friends in Queenston (right next to Niagara Falls).  Camryn attended a week long Musical Theatre Camp that my friend Lisa conducts.  This is one of the best musical theatre camps in Canada and it works out so well for us.  I get caught up visiting with Lisa and her family and Camryn has a blast with Lisa's three children and 8 cats.  Gary flew in on the Thursday for a visit and to watch the performance. The Sherpa bags went everywhere with us-we went swimming a couple of times and to a waterslide and the cooler is perfect for the wet suits.  Sailing on the Niagara River and Lake Ontario was wonderful and Alpha Sherpa was perfect for carrying our gear.  You can see the CN tower across the lake and you sail past historic Fort George, Fort Niagara and the Brock Monument. We climbed all 235 steps to the top of the Monument &you have a fabulous view of the region.

Baby Sherpa has been watching all the entertainment shows this past few days looking for glimpses of Nancy Vardalos Ginakes and family at her sister Nia's Hollywood premiere of her movie "My Life in Ruins".  Nancy is the inventor of our newest product line Safe2Go.  Nia is the proud Mom of a four year old and the owner of a Baby Sherpa backpack and a Short Haul plus Safe2Goes.  Nia's next movie "I hate Valentine's Day" with John Corbett includes a clip with our Safe2Go frog!  Our new Safe2Goes will be available later in June and I can't wait to see them! 

Last weekend Gary and his brother Randy went to Brainerd, Minnesota for Drag Racing.  As he was packing and auditioned all of our backpacks to see which one would suit his needs for a weekend at the track- his choice- the Baby Sherpa!  The biggest seller for him is the cooler, the insulated bottle pocket and the bungee for carrying hs head set.  He even uses the change pad to sit on!  Does having Baby on his backpack bother him? Not a problem!

Have a great week,

Heather

Here are some pictures of our day!  Gary is the photographer so we didn't get him in these!

Lots going on with Baby Sherpa right now.  Our kiddie karacter Safety harnesses have been tweaked and we added 8 new members to the family.  Alpha Sherpa is going to be available later this summer- we have added a laptop sleeve and the material is nylon. Watch for the Safe2Go frog in Nia Vardalos' movie I Hate Valentine's Day.  NIa has another movie coming out- My LIfe In Ruins.  She is also the proud mother of a 2 year old and a Baby Sherpa.

Off to bake cookies with Camryn and bask in my ACDC ticketspurchase!

Heather

PS Camryn got 90 days on the snow this past winter-she loves her skiing and snowboarding!

"I bought the sherpa a few months ago in my quest to find the "perfect" hands free diaper bag.  This  things totally kicks ass and I can't imagnie life before the sherpa!  I tell all of my friends who have kids, about it and I've had people stop me in airports to ask what exactly it was and where could they get one.  We've just returned from yet another family vacation and I mentioned the sherpa in my blog.  Be sure to check it out! "

Here is what Dallas packed into the Sherpa bag for their trip-

DIAPER BAG: I bought this wonderful backpack diaper bag called the Baby Sherpa! OH MY GOD! This thing totally rocks and makes carrying Kiki so much easier! It has a bottle holder on each side (one is insulated), an insulated compartment on the bottom, diaper-changing pad, all sorts of hooks and clips, three huge commpartments on the inside and a bungee cord thing on the front that will hold a rolled blanket or coat. So in the Baby Sherpa went the following items:

1) A diaper for every hour that we would be traveling from one place to another.

2) Wipes.

3) Two empty bottles.

4) Anti-bacterial wipes. (I know, not natural, but airports are soooooo dirty!)

4) One quart sized ziploc that would hold any liquids I needed to take.

5) Five or six pacifiers.

6) Woobie. (If you don’t know what a woobie is, you don’t have kids.)

6) Wallet.

7) Sunglasses.

9) Copy of Kiki’s social secuirty card and birth certificate.

10) Cell phone.

11) Bibs, utensils.

12) Enough formula for two feedings.

 Natural Nuggets Baby Sherpa

Thanks for the feedback from the field.  I love to see Baby Sherpa making parents lives a little easier when they are out on adventures with their children.

I am just off to take Camryn to school, it is freezing rain this morning with 20 cm of snow predicted.  Camryn is thrilled and it means one more busy weekend at the skihill here, my other life,

Heather

Wow talk about an adventure!  This family with 5 children make a trip to Disneyworld look like a walk in the park.  Wendy F. and her 5 children went camel trekking in Morocco.  Packing a Baby Sherpa and her baby to her back.  Wendy reported a great trip, they do travel quite a bit and loved her Sherpa.  

"Hi  - here are a few pictures of the bag from our desert trek in the Sahara in Morocco.  I wanted to get some better shots of the bag in use for you but with 5 kids with us (including a baby strapped to my back!),it was a bit rushed and difficult.

Thanks again for your help with the bag!

Wendy F.

If you have story and pictures using your Sherpa travelling we would love to hear about it and see them!

Activity:  R & R, Downhill Skiing and buying tow rope for ski area. Went water sliding Grand Forks at Canad Inns.

What are you packing:  took the Baby Sherpa on the slopes- the usual snacks, video, camera, kleenex, goggles, lipsyl, fruit juice, Yop, mints,balaclava, neck tube, and smart phone.  Short Haul- Camryn's travel bag- DVD play, reader, DVDs, iPod shuffle, patch cords, doll, toys,snacks and water.

Urban Sherpa- 14' laptop, patch cords, file folders, magazines, GPS, and power bar.

Backstory: A major rain/snow system was moving in so we left as soon as we closed the skihill to tour south for a couple of days.  Got as far as Grand Forks where we stayed at Canad Inns and did a morning of water sliding before picking up a tow rope in Fargo and getting to Powder Ridge.

Powder Ridge is another great little ski area in the Minneapolis area.  Camryn and I skied while Gary toured the operations with one of the owners- Gerry who was so gracious to comp us lift tickets and give Gary a tour.  We managed to stay ahead of the weather system that was wreaking havoc on roads further north where the Interstate to Canada was closed for a day and a half.  Camryn just loves skiing and this year she has logged 64 days so far on the slopes!  Not bad for an 8 year old.

Destination:  Medicine Hat and Drumheller, Alberta

Activities:  Tyrrell Museum, hiking, fossil hunting, touring Dinosaur Park and climbing the world's biggest T-Rex!  Attended ski meeting at Hidden Valley Ski Area.

What are you packing:  Short Haul Sherpa- This is Camryn's backpack of choice- Has her DVD player,  iPod, DVDs, a couple of books, pencils, markers, water and snacks.  The odd "stuffy" s in it too!  We are field testing the Alpha and Urban Sherpa.  I love the Urban Sherpa- even the prototype.  I have my laptop, all the peripherals, thumb drives, movies, binders and other assorted files for the trip.  The Alpha has the snacks, drinks, first-aid kit, extra clothes, lip balm, wipes, kleenex and cell phones.

Back story:Catching up here on some of my blogs and travels.  Late October we toured out to Medicine Hat, Alberta for s Saskatchewan- Manitoba ski operators meeting.  Took an extra 2 days and went to Drumheller and the Tyrell museum. The Hoodoos are really cool and we went to Drumheller ski area and adjacent to it they do a passion play every summer surrounded by the badlands.  What a cool venue!  The Tyrrell Musuem is a must for the dinosaur lovers in your family and climbed up Max- the world"s biggest T-Rex.  That is him in the background.

Activity:  R & R, Downhill Skiing and shopping.

What are you packing:  took the Baby Sherpa on the slopes- the usual snacks, video, camera, kleenex, goggles, lipsyl, fruit juice, Yop, mints,balaclava, neck tube, sunglasses and smart phone.  Short Haul- Camryn's travel bag- DVD play, reader, DVDs, iPod shuffle, patch cords, doll, toys,snacks and water.

Urban Sherpa- 14' laptop, patch cords, file folders, magazines and power bar.

Backstory: Well it has been a couple of months since I blogged in but have been using the sherpas and Urban Sherpa gets a daily workout!  Last week was my birthday so we went to Fargo, North Dakota for a romantic 3 day get-away(LOL!)  Pulled Camryn out of school and left the -35C temeratures of Manitoba to go to balmy Minnesota and North Dakota (only - 25C)

We had  great time skiing at this small ski area Andes Towers,Camryn loves speed but Mommy does her blue and green runs.  Gary did an ops tour of the snowmaking system and the Snowvcat shop.  I had knee surgery last May (both cartilages taken out) plus an old ACL injury from 25 years ago so I was amazed at how good the knee felt.  I'll try and keep this BLog more up to date on our travels!

Activity: Boating, Tubing, fishing and Canoeing

What are you packing? First aid kit, yogurts, bunwiches, chicken Caesar wraps, water, juice, minnows (for bait), towels, cell phone, wallet, newspapers (for reading while floating), towels, doggie treats, kids treats, camera, pen , sanitizer, sunscreen, bug spray and extra clothes.

Backstory: September long weekend, the bitter sweet good bye to a too short summer. Stellar weather was in the forecast and Mother Nature didn’t disappoint us. Saturday Camryn , her cousin Aidan and friend Clarke, Gary and I packed up the boat, tube and fishing rods to go to Petersfield for a day of tubing and fishing. Petersfield and the creeks is a beautiful area only 35 minutes from home. A network of 4 creeks feed into the Red River and Lake Winnipeg. Fishing was amazing, we had been skunked so far this summer but not this time- 12 fish in 90 minutes. We just catch and release. The kids had a blast. I didn’t have time to read my papers, too busy with the hook baiting and netting the fish. The next day we packed up and went to Sugar Point in Lundar for the day to visit. We were going to go canoeing but a vicious north wind came out of no where reducing the temperature to 16C (61 F) so we just had a visit with friends of ours.

Destination: Lake of the Woods, Kenora, Ontario, CANADA

Activity: Camping, Boating, tubing and Fishing at beautiful Anicinabe Park in Kenora on the shores of Lake of the Woods.

What are you packing? Cell phone, flashlight, first aid kit, snacks, wipes,wallet, hand sanitizer (especially after baiting hooks with worms!), magazines,pen, paper, garbage bag (for wet clothes), lighter, Swiss army knife, sunscreen, bug spray, rain poncho, towels, umbrella, doggie treats, water, camera, wieners, buns and condiments for a shore lunch.

Backstory: For the past 5 years we have made the trek out to Lake of the Woods for Harbourfest. Lake of the Woods is a gorgeous lake with much exploring to be done. Gary and Camryn love fishing. I assist on helping to bait hooks and get caught up on my reading and relaxing. We also go tubing with friends and crayfish catching at Scotty’s Island. On Sunday night you anchor out in the harbor and watch the fireworks from the boat and listen to the concert under the Big Tent. This year it is Paul Brandt. We then boat back to camp in the dark, roast marshmallows on the fire, count the stars and our blessings and enjoy life. Baby Sherpa again gets a workout in the boat and being water resistant is very helpful seeing that it rained a lot over the weekend. I stopped in to drop off a Baby Sherpa order with Kim at Bareheart Boutique on Main Street, Kenora. Stop in and say hi to Kim if you are ever out that way! Now home on Tuesday to do laundry, take Kaysa to Johnny Be Good for a few days and drop off the boat. I’ll check in with my Dad and then it is down to Minnesota with the 5th wheel for NHRA drag racing.

Destination:Brainerd International Raceway (BIR), Brainerd, Minnesota.

Activity:NHRADrag Racing Lucas Oil Nationals. All the big guys are here and if you have never seen 300 miles per hour and nitro this is a great setting to watch it. There is also lots of socializing that goes on and Dewar usually play a few tunes for us on his Bagpipes!

What are you packing? We brought both the Baby Sherpa and the Short Haul Sherpa. Gary would head over to the grandstand ahead of us and I would pack extra stuff for Camryn. Head sets (3), Seat cushion, Sunglasses, Sharpie (for autographs on shirts and hats),Cell phone, first aid kit, snacks (I hate track food), wipes, wallet, hand sanitizer, program, Race tree sheets, sunscreen, water, adult beverages, camera, hat, National Dragster, batteries, souvenirs, Teddy (NHRA souvenir teddy bear), ear plugs, workbook and pencil case for Camryn (in case of an oildown on the track) and binoculars.

Backstory: For 28 years Dewar and I have made the trek down to Brainerd for the Nationals. This is where everybody who is anybody in Drag racing goes. Camryn has been going since she was zero. We travelled lighter this year and didn’t take our bikes because we had a campsite closer to the track and not so far back in the zoo as the infield camping is referred too. When you are heading up to the stands to spend 5-7 hours you need to pack lunch and drinks unless you want to pay track prices and get indigestion. The change pad works as a seat cushion for a bit but Gary needed to upgrade to something thicker by Sunday. A carabiner works wells to hold it on to the toy loop. The program and Camryn’s workbook fit in the change pad sleeve. Teddy traveled in the bungee. We would pack the Short Haul in the evening as we made our rounds to Bud Corner, the Concert Stage and other events that they have going on in the infield.  Looking forward to next year’s event again!

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Destination: Grand Beach, Manitoba

Activity: Camping, Biking, hiking and Beaching

What are you packing: Beach gear, Frisbee, camera, PDA, Sunscreen, bug spray, snacks, water, wallet, garbage bag, towels, extra clothes, lawn chair, wipes(kids never outgrow them!), first aid kit, hand sanitizer, Benadryl, reading material, pen, Kleenex, and extra bags for beach combing.

Back story: Arrived here on Monday after 4 days at the Folk Festival. My sister and her family are here from Ottawa and are at the family cabin for July. Our daughters are 3 months apart in age and the greatest little friends. My husband Gary has to work but I figure a week of camping, beaching and biking will be like a retreat and I will be able to get some writing, physiotherapy on my knee and reconnecting done. I don’t have a vehicle here (intentional) and it is 1 mile to the closest sort of store. I won’t make much of a carbon footprint this week. My Baby Sherpa backpack is the greatest for walking to the beach or biking to the store. We use the cooler to pick up produce and groceries at the store so that it is not totally withered by the time we get back to camp. Walked to the beach today with our gear and again Sherpa is the bag of choice. No WIFI here so on my Q phone to connect to the real world for updates. Grand Beach is a beautiful beach, Camryn is having a blast-cousin Kristin shovels most of the day for the sand castle while Camryn sorts out the rocks and then goes snail collecting. To check out more about Grand Beach go towww.manitobaparks.com

We also did a lot of hiking, about 5 – 7 miles a day. I used the Sherpa each time to carry the various gear. When packing I brought my laptop in a beta version Urban Sherpa-launching later this year. I love the Beta version so the final one will be great!

Destination: 35thAnnual Winnipeg Folk Festival

Activity: Music, Camping and more Music.

What are you packing: Tarp for ground sheet at main stage, flashlights, camera, PDA, Sunscreen, bug spray, snacks, water (lots), wallet, garbage bags for protection from rain, jackets, lawn chair, pen,sharpie,wipes (kids never outgrow them!), first aid kit, Benadryl, binoculars, stakes to tack down tarp, and program.

Back story: My husband and I have been attending the Folk Fest for 28 years. Our daughter since she was zero. The festival starts on Thursday but Gary goes into Birdshill Park on Tuesday so that they secure a good spot in Festival camping with our friends. Now our idea of camping is a 5thWheel trailer 28 feet long with a slide out. Our daughter has her own room with 3 bunks for sleepovers and we bring a generator so that if need be we can power up the AC and Gary’s CPAP machine. Our friends are musicians so it is basically 24/7 music for 4 days. Vehicles are parked for the weekend so to get to the site you must walk, bike or take the bus. We bike during the day and bus or walk at night. We have tented but getting soaked to the skin is not my idea of adventure anymore. 7 year old Camryn packs her guitar and jambe drum to jam with the band or maybe head up to Pope’s Hill. We see an awesome performance on Sunday night by Ray Davies (the Kinks) which was the reward for hiking over on Saturday in a monsoon rain storm!

Destination: Valleyfair Amusement Park, Shakopee, Minnesota

Activity: Waterpark, roller coasters and rides

What are you packing: Towels, swimsuits, camera, PDA, Sunscreen, snacks, 3 20 0z water bottles, wallet, sunglasses,wipes (kids never outgrow them!),first aid kit..

Back story: We went to Brainerd, Minnesota to pick up our new 5thwheel and then to the Twin Cities for shopping, back to the Fifties Car Show and Valley Fair. More on the car show later. The Sherpa bag fits great on the rides and a good thing it is water resistant! You get really wet on a couple of the rides.

Destination: Back to the Fifties Car Show, St.Paul, Minnesota

Activity: 11,000 pre-1965 vehicles at the St.Paul Fairground.

What’s Gary packing: Video camera, camera, PDA, Sunscreen, water, ice pack and adult beverages. Camryn and I were shopping so he packed light, then again I am not sure how many bevies he took.

Back story: Dewar is a gearhead and he loves his cars. He would have spent the whole weekend at the car show but Sunday was Family day for us at Valleyfair so he will have to catch it again next year!

Activity: Divisional Drag Racing Meet

What’s Gary packing: Videocamera, camera, PDA, Sunscreen, water, ice pack, adult beverages. Binoculars, head sets, ear plugs, Kleenex, pen, sharpie, National Dragster

Back story: Gary and brother Randy make their annual trek down to Brainerd for Drag racing.. Baby Sherpa is the preferred backpack to lug even for Gary. He uses the change pad for his seat in the stands and the bungee is great for hanging the head sets from. His National Dragster slides in the change pad slot perfectly and he has extra room for brochures and stuff he picks up.