My father was a carpenter, and I was recruited to help him whenever he needed it. From a young age, I developed the skills to make useful items with my hands. The art of woodworking takes trial and error of which I developed by age twelve. 

The bus was a challenge I took on to fulfill my childhood nostalgia. It only felt fitting to name my tiny home on wheels after what I was referred to as a child, Sassy. Making the bus has been a challenging project that has tested my building skills and creative thinking. But as my father would say, “there is no greater feeling than walking away after a hard day of work and getting to see what you created”. My reward has been not only to see my creation but the ability to travel and camp living out of the bus. 

When designing my Hexa jacket, I chose colors inspired by the bus. My road trip destinations encompass rushing blue rapids, icy winter frost, and new growth of moss. I chose to incorporate willow grey, shaded spruce, and kale green in the jacket. I wanted the jacket to be extra special by customizing it with my bus logo. I sent a print to Hexa and they were able to easily add it to the front and side of the jacket for me. 

After only three short weeks the jacket arrived at my front door. The colors were exactly what I had planned based on the customizing tool online. The jacket is super while being lightweight and compressible which is important living in a tiny home. The fit of the jacket was snug to keep me warm as winter is approaching but also still allows room for my work overalls. 

As I have been traveling in the bus for the past few months, the jacket has been very versatile. From the sunny afternoons in Glacier to a chilly sunrise hike in Acadia, the jacket has been useful in a variety of climates. The down has kept me both cool and warm in my travels across the country. 

A large part of bus living and camping is the no trace left behind policy. From a young age, I learned to conserve the outdoors. On a much larger scale, Hexa shares the same values. Using sustainable down and fabrics and ethical practices, Hexa is doing their part to take care of the planet so that people like me can take advantage of all that nature has to offer.