Tatum Monod is most famous for her freeskiing feats, but come summer she rarely travels without a fly rod.
The Canadian skier had to fly to L.A. for work with a sponsor, and she decided to add sun and surf to her itinerary. It was a chance to get in some summer adventure before returning home and staying in quarantine for 2 weeks.
Monod has also been testing out the latest luggage, duffel bags, and backpacks from the YETI Crossroads collection. We asked her how she packed for the trip and which bags she’s been using most.
Skier & Angler
Tatum Monod started fly fishing before she picked up skiing at the “late” age of 12. She took to ski racing and then freeskiing, where her accomplishments made her a pro. Freeskier recognized her as the Skier of the Year in 2014 and 2017, an award sourced by polling fellow athletes. In 2015, she was named the People’s Choice freeskier.
All winter, she chases fresh powder and when that pursuit runs dry, she always comes back to fly fishing. She packs a rod and reel on any of her travels that might provide the opportunity to use it.
As a YETI ambassador, she’s received a suite of the brand’s latest bags. She’s used the Panga bags during ski season and is still incorporating the new additions like the Crossroads 29″ to her everyday life and travels
We caught up with Monod while she was staying by the coast of Huatulco, in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca to see what she carries on a multi-leg trip where business, surfing, and fishing are on the itinerary.
Coastal Packing
Monod has all of the YETI Crossroads luggage and backpacks to choose from. To pack for multiple pursuits on a trip with multiple stops, she chose the largest luggage and largest backpack.
That’s the Crossroads 35L Backpack and the Crossroads 29” Luggage with the rollers, which gets checked. (The smaller Crossroads 22” luggage is sized to meet more carry-on restrictions.)
She says bringing the larger backpack on this trip was a no-brainer.
“For traveling in the airport and since, I’ve been using the backpack every day. I’ll use it as my beach bag or around town or to surf to fish. It’s sweet, I love the external zipper on the backpack that you can put a whole water bottle in, and then you don’t have to open the whole bag to get to it,” she explained. “That’s probably my favorite feature. It’s so simple but so useful.”
Monod praised the removable external straps, which she used to carry her rods through the airport and onto the plane. She said her fly rods, regular three-piece rods, don’t fit in the luggage — or any luggage she’s ever owned, “Which is fine. I guess if they did lose my luggage, it would be pretty gutting to lose those rods as well.”
This trip was centered on surfing, so she saved fishing for after, or when the surf is flat. The area isn’t exactly known for surf fishing, especially fly fishing.
“I’ll fish if the surf’s kind of ‘meh’ and there’s a real point I could cast from or a beach I can set up streamers on. But the expectations are not too high. It’s not like Baja where it’s known for its rooster fishing. I’m just figuring it out myself.”
‘Typical’ Packing List
So what does a typical day at the beach look like for Monod? Since she’s likely to surf and fish, she packs for both.
Crossroads 35L Backpack: Fly Fishing Essentials
“I don’t have to compromise depending on what the day will bring down here,” she said. “I generally have a fly rod on the outside and then a big Rambler in the quick-access pocket.”
On this trip, she used the Modular Compression Straps of her Crossroads 35L Backpack to attach a Sage fly rod case to carry an 8-weight Redington and a 9-weight Sage Salt HD rod.
Inside the bag, she carried some typical beach essentials and, of course, the rest of her fly fishing gear.
“I have my sunglasses, sunscreen, keys on the little lanyard in the accessory pocket. Inside, I have a few fly boxes, tippet, my reel, and my pilers and all that in there for fishing, and then I have my surf wax, towel, swimsuit, some snacks, and whatnot.”
More specifically, her fishing setup used RIO tippet, a Sage Spectrum Reel, and hand-tied Clouser minnows for saltwater flies.
Crossroads 35L Backpack: Surf Day Necessities
Monod shifts gears from fly fishing to surfing depending on her location and weather patterns, but the Crossroads Backpack remains her go-to for packing to surf.
For riding the waves, she brings her surfboard for the trip, a Haydenshapes Hypto Krypto (5’9″). Since the trek to the beach and fishing points is not all soft sand, she wears waterproof Arc’teryx FL GTX Shoes instead of sandals.
She said the backpack held up against the dirt, sand, saltwater, and mud she’s dragged it through on hikes and days at the beach.
“It’s heavy-duty and sort of overbuilt. It takes some muscles to get in and out of the bags, but then again, in five or 10 years when you’re still using it, that’ll be worth it,” she reasoned. “It also cleans off easy.”
Crossroads Duffels: Everyday Travel Needs
Monod has discovered the utility in the Crossroads Duffels back home during the skiing off-season.
“Those things are sweet. I’ve found those to be more of an everyday thing. I’ll throw the gear in one whether I’m going camping for a night or two or just a day activity,” Monod said.
“I love the little dividers in there so it doesn’t have to be in pouches or cubes. Sometimes it’s nice to just throw things in there, yet still be organized.”
This post is sponsored by YETI. Learn more about the Crossroads Collection of luggage, bags, and backpacks.
