What’s the Worst Adventure Companion?

It is the season of road trips and adventures, and that means it’s the time when we share confined spaces for long periods with people that we consider our friends. Whether we still consider them our friends when the adventure’s over depends, of course, on the personality traits, quirks, and tics that are only revealed through long hours together.

My son, befitting a kid who’s just graduated from high school, is on his second road trip in the last 10 days. During the first, a camping trip, he and his two buddies couldn’t find a flat enough spot for their tent, and it was buggy, and so all three piled in the back of the truck. Turns out one runs a lot hotter than the others and he spent the whole night tossing and turning. And grumbling.

They’re still friends. That’s the nice thing about two-day trips – you can deal with just about anything for 48 hours.

Some offenses, though, are nigh-on unforgivable. A few years, I spent three weeks in Greenland on a very small boat with seven other people. It had one cabin and some thin mattresses wedged into the bow, and we slept in shifts, three at a time, because there was so little room. Tragically, someone started stealing food – tragically, because this is such a breach or community and doubly tragically because it was our chocolate bars. (She was caught with the bars sticking out of her luggage and surreally denied knowing anything about them.)

Oi.

Well, the list of potential transgressions, offenses, and irritants is a long (and perhaps endless) one, so you can select as many of the answers as you like.

WIN SMITH SUNGLASSES JUST BY VOTING
This week, one poll participant will receive Smith Optic’s Clark sunglasses. We’ll pick the winner via random number generator (and announce it here) – all you have to do to enter is vote and leave a comment so we have your email to contact you. Must have a U.S. or Canadian address. Contest ends Sunday, July 19, at midnight PST.

Congratulations to Daniel Overvoll, who wins the Smiths this week!