ANOTHER BLAST FROM THE PAST … camping out on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston

Eastern Mountain Sports was founded in 1967 in Wellesley, but in late 1968 they moved into their flagship store on Commonwealth Avenue. In the early 1970s they held a fantastic annual sale, which also included all of their rental equipment. These yearly sales drew huge crowds, which meant that fanatics (like me) cased out the joint the day before, and slept on the sidewalk overnight, to be first in line. The next morning my college buddies, and I were probably 10th in line, and we were sure we would get everything we wanted. However, the crush of hundreds of people behind us, meant the gate was crashed when they opened the store. This Gerry expedition down coat was my prime goal that morning, a secondary goal was a Sierra Designs expedition tent, which was sadly ripped out of my hands in the melee.

I have used this massive puffy on two Denali trips, a big solo on the Italian face of Mont Blanc, as well as on numerous overnight bivouacs paired with my half bag. It is festooned with many duct tape patches, ripped pockets, and a funky zipper. Now a days, I use it to walk the dog, stay warm while waxing nordic skis, and keep it in the Hockmobile during the winter, in case I am caught in a blizzard and have to bivy.