A few years ago, photographer Derrick Busch quit the photo job he’d had for almost two decades and went full-time freelance. If he could spend his time combining his love of photography with his love of adventure, he’d be happy. So far, it’s working out.
Busch is an avid fly fisher, backpacker and packrafter. He often rolls up his raft and takes it with him on work trips — to locations like Iceland, Argentina and New Zealand. Being able to hike out on a trail, pull a boat out of your pack and float away is a special kind of freedom. “It gets me places that I couldn’t normally get to,” said Busch.
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TINCUP’s® Adventure Pack was the perfect companion for Busch on an overnight trip to paddle Class III rapids on Southern California’s Upper Kern River. TINCUP’s river-ready packaging is lightweight and durable, making it well-suited for multiple days out on the water — and there’s nothing river rats love more after a day of rowdy rapids than a nip of whiskey by the fire. Curious to hear how it fared? Here’s why the TINCUP Adventure Pack should come on all your future adventures.
“There’s always whiskey involved on these trips — you can’t really be backpacking with a 12-pack,” said Busch. “You want something you can enjoy, but you want it to be light.”
Busch likes to bring whiskey along on the river, but is always thinking about weight. The key to packrafting is keeping your kit light because everything needs to fit inside the boat, or be strapped to the outside. TINCUP’s Adventure Pack whiskey comes in a lightweight aluminum bottle; so it’s really the perfect companion for a light and fast paddle.
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It Goes Where Glass Won’t
“Packrafts and broken glass don’t mix,” said Busch. “And you can’t have broken glass in the river.” The bottle’s hexagonal shape means it won’t roll away, and its aluminum build keeps it lightweight — a must on the river, where bringing glass is a major faux pas.
Plus, TINCUP’s bottle can handle being tossed around at camp and on the water. When Busch rolled his packraft in a rapid, he went swimming, but the whiskey bottle stayed strapped to his boat — an epic and successful stress test. Busch loved that he didn’t have to worry about the bottle breaking in his backpack, at camp or in the raft. Plus, he thinks the sleek blue bottle looks considerably cooler with a little wear and tear.
The best way to celebrate a full day on the river with friends is to pass around a bottle of whiskey while sitting around the campfire. At their riverside campsite, Busch and his friends enjoyed swapping stories of the day and enjoying one another’s company; all over a well-won nip of TINCUP whiskey.
Gear Patrol Studios
Gear Patrol Studios
Gear Patrol Studios
Gear Patrol Studios
