Will it all fit?
Earlier today I went through backing up the laptop (and lost a bunch of data moving it to a Western Digital network drive, which didn’t start the day well), then packing, and getting the vehicle ready – oil & filter change, tire pressures, fluids etc.
The trip is tomorrow, and I currently have everything I plan to take on the living room floor. And coffee table. And fireplace. And both couches. I’ll make it fit.
I’m still being mocked. I have the monster Coleman Cooler
, loaded with coke, sprite, juice, and assorted other items. Just read that they recommend 0.75lbs of ice for every rated quart. That’s a mere 75lbs of ice!
I have 3 cases of bottled water. Then another 2 cases of Gatorade. A bag of clothes for me, and another for my daughter (12 sets of clothes for an 11 day trip so we don’t have to mess with laundry). A big plastic tub of food. A box of 50 packets of Chips. And 2 more bags of food that the Ball & Chain went out and bought from the local store just to make sure we had food for our daughter Katie. And a big orange Gatorade container full of water, just in case. You never know.
Then there are two tents – the big SwissGear 9 person, and the 2 person Cabela’s tent just in case. Two Coleman inflatable mattresses – a Queen Size
for me and my daughter to put our sleeping bags on in the tent, and a Twin Size
that will fit in the back of the car, just in case that’s an option at some point in bear country - with the back seats folded down, there is about 7 foot by 4 foot of space in the back of the Nissan Armada. Guess we could put the rest of the stuff in the tent if we do that? Then there is the two roll-up, self inflating SwissGear mattresses just in case. Two pillows (I'd like to make it clear that the Tiger one is not mine). Then the two giant sleeping bags, and the tarp to put under the tent. And a small toolbox of accessories (knifes, axe, mallet, spare tent pegs, hammer, duct tape etc). Mustn’t forget the fold up shovel/axe that cost a whopping $5 (and will probably break on the first use – bought that more as a joke than anything).
In addition to that, there is another plastic container of cooking gear – propane burners, lighters, pots, pans etc. Two big pelican cases (1510 Case
& 1610 Case
) containing my cameras and computer. 3 fold up chairs and an aluminum table. A very comprehensive tool kit, socket set, and “power station” – basically a big battery with built in jump leads, lights, 12V power outlets, small air compressor etc., also just in case.
Bought a couple of 55 liter Sealline Baja Dry Bag
to put stuff in on the roofrack, then another couple of Ozark Trail bags as well to hopefully keep stuff dry – if the rain doesn’t ease, we’ll need them.
Then there is the miscellaneous stuff – mosquito net, oil, sunblock, mosquito repellent, WD-40, spare fuses/bulbs etc for the car, towels, swimming costumes, iPod
(over the past couple of weeks I’ve loaded my entire CD collection into iTunes, so I have almost 18 hours of music lined up for the trip to annoy my brother with) – the list goes on. And on and on. Don’t know why I’m being mocked.
Oh, and one very, very excited 5 year old, complete with a in-car DVD System
, about a dozen DVD’s, her LeapPad
& Leapster
, books, princess blanket, and stuffed Elephant.
The plan was to load up tonight, but the pouring rain means I have to set my alarm for 4:45am tomorrow, so I can load up, get my daughter ready, pick up my brother and head out on the highway by about 6:00am or a close approximation to it (like 11:00am?). Hope my brother is packing light.
My 576 page SAS Survival Handbook
arrived a couple of days ago (yet another source of amusement for friends & family), and I’ve only had time to get to page 14 (i.e. I’ve finished the introduction). I now know not to eat a polar bears liver because it could kill me, but I'm not sure if that’ll help in Yellowstone… Besides, I doubt I'd actually survive long enough against a live Polar Bear to get anywhere near it's liver, surely it's claws or teeth are much more likely to kill me first.
T minus 1 day and counting.
Ready or not, here we go...
Earlier today I went through backing up the laptop (and lost a bunch of data moving it to a Western Digital network drive, which didn’t start the day well), then packing, and getting the vehicle ready – oil & filter change, tire pressures, fluids etc.
The trip is tomorrow, and I currently have everything I plan to take on the living room floor. And coffee table. And fireplace. And both couches. I’ll make it fit.
I’m still being mocked. I have the monster Coleman Cooler
, loaded with coke, sprite, juice, and assorted other items. Just read that they recommend 0.75lbs of ice for every rated quart. That’s a mere 75lbs of ice! I have 3 cases of bottled water. Then another 2 cases of Gatorade. A bag of clothes for me, and another for my daughter (12 sets of clothes for an 11 day trip so we don’t have to mess with laundry). A big plastic tub of food. A box of 50 packets of Chips. And 2 more bags of food that the Ball & Chain went out and bought from the local store just to make sure we had food for our daughter Katie. And a big orange Gatorade container full of water, just in case. You never know.
Then there are two tents – the big SwissGear 9 person, and the 2 person Cabela’s tent just in case. Two Coleman inflatable mattresses – a Queen Size
for me and my daughter to put our sleeping bags on in the tent, and a Twin Size that will fit in the back of the car, just in case that’s an option at some point in bear country - with the back seats folded down, there is about 7 foot by 4 foot of space in the back of the Nissan Armada. Guess we could put the rest of the stuff in the tent if we do that? Then there is the two roll-up, self inflating SwissGear mattresses just in case. Two pillows (I'd like to make it clear that the Tiger one is not mine). Then the two giant sleeping bags, and the tarp to put under the tent. And a small toolbox of accessories (knifes, axe, mallet, spare tent pegs, hammer, duct tape etc). Mustn’t forget the fold up shovel/axe that cost a whopping $5 (and will probably break on the first use – bought that more as a joke than anything).In addition to that, there is another plastic container of cooking gear – propane burners, lighters, pots, pans etc. Two big pelican cases (1510 Case
& 1610 Case) containing my cameras and computer. 3 fold up chairs and an aluminum table. A very comprehensive tool kit, socket set, and “power station” – basically a big battery with built in jump leads, lights, 12V power outlets, small air compressor etc., also just in case.Bought a couple of 55 liter Sealline Baja Dry Bag
to put stuff in on the roofrack, then another couple of Ozark Trail bags as well to hopefully keep stuff dry – if the rain doesn’t ease, we’ll need them.Then there is the miscellaneous stuff – mosquito net, oil, sunblock, mosquito repellent, WD-40, spare fuses/bulbs etc for the car, towels, swimming costumes, iPod
(over the past couple of weeks I’ve loaded my entire CD collection into iTunes, so I have almost 18 hours of music lined up for the trip to annoy my brother with) – the list goes on. And on and on. Don’t know why I’m being mocked.Oh, and one very, very excited 5 year old, complete with a in-car DVD System
, about a dozen DVD’s, her LeapPad & Leapster, books, princess blanket, and stuffed Elephant.The plan was to load up tonight, but the pouring rain means I have to set my alarm for 4:45am tomorrow, so I can load up, get my daughter ready, pick up my brother and head out on the highway by about 6:00am or a close approximation to it (like 11:00am?). Hope my brother is packing light.
My 576 page SAS Survival Handbook
arrived a couple of days ago (yet another source of amusement for friends & family), and I’ve only had time to get to page 14 (i.e. I’ve finished the introduction). I now know not to eat a polar bears liver because it could kill me, but I'm not sure if that’ll help in Yellowstone… Besides, I doubt I'd actually survive long enough against a live Polar Bear to get anywhere near it's liver, surely it's claws or teeth are much more likely to kill me first.T minus 1 day and counting.
Ready or not, here we go...
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