The Mule
The pack mule can only carry so much and then the mule is done. I wonder how much a mule can carry. I wonder that same thing about our travels down the East Coast via the ICW. Do you know what you would bring on a trip like this? If you do have ideas of what you would bring, please share them in the comment section.
What would you bring to wear? Linda Jean needs to be taken care of first. She needs lots and lots of tools, extra parts, engine oil, and things I don't know about to keep her running smoothly or running at all in some cases.
Second in line is food. What spices do we bring, how much pasta, how many cans of beans and tomatoes, what meat freezes well and how much will the freezer hold? Kitchen "gadgets" are on the l list, which I define as those items needed to prepare food from the nut chopper to the flatware. Third comes communication with the world, which means bringing iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, iPods and all the items to keep them juiced up. Fourth might be clothes. Can you see where I am going with this?
Every woman that I have talked with about clothes has said that they always bring too much and end up wearing the same thing most of the time. I had a light bulb moment when I was on the boat trying to get dressed, there isn't much room to dress and it is too hard to find those items you stashed away. But what will be that one piece of clothing you want to wear all the time. I am a clothes hound, so this is a challenge for me. I have spread items of clothing on a bed starting in June and every time the weather changes I add and take away articles of clothing. Layers are what everyone tells me. Well, I have layers and layers. One has to think about all types of weather, because it could be near freezing or blazing hot. A friend asked me about the details of packing and getting ready for the trip so here it is.
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| Air tight zip bags still add up. |
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| I doubt I will be able to fit all this on the boat |
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| Footwear! |
We have been preparing for this trip for 11 months. Rob has learned everything he can from several sources. This includes maintenance, running the boat and he has done a great job.
I don't know when I started thinking about the trip by actually doing something and when that happened the house has never been the same.
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| Home since May or June |
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| Canned goods and paper products |
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| ...more and more |
In my next post I will tell you about the TO DO list.
If you have any suggestion about what to bring and how much or how much not to bring I want to hear about them.
Tricia
In many ways, you're like the early settlers packing their wagons..what to bring; what to leave. Decisions, decisions. In my younger days, I had quite an array of clothing and shoes, but over the years with the type of work I've been doing including running a shop, I tend to wear the same style with a heavy emphasis on jeans and sneakers, so I'm not going to be helpful in giving suggestions as what to wear..Though getting those bags that get vaccum packed (air removed from the package) will help you get more clothing in a given amount of space..Food for thought. Meanwhile, happy packing!
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures, Tricia!!! All I know about is long distance hiking, where there is also a need to reduce things to the minimum. I would set a pile of "maybe" clothing with labels on them, and if I needed it later on in the trip, could ask my supply person to send the "long sleeve black jersey", or whatever. Also, just assume that you will learn about clothing as you go, and it will be easier next time. Keep notes of what you end up wearing and what you don't.
ReplyDeleteThis is so exciting!!!
I love the idea of keeping track of the clothes I actually wear. I now have a tab for that in my notebook. Thanks for commenting on my post.
DeleteI say fleece and scarves!
ReplyDeleteOn the list! Thanks
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