Pre packing for a trip

[swamprat]

Not sure if this goes here or not but its something that comes up every time we get ready for a trip.

Seems like every time we plan a trip that we spend entirely way to much time getting everything together. We spend on average 4 or 5 hours ( sometimes allot longer) getting stuff together, bagged up in dry bags. Planning meals. Running out to the grocery store for supplies etc etc. And this is just for the average 2 or 3 day trip. Longer, more serious trips to say the 10K islands take a week of evenings to get things together and planned out.
Some of the things that we have discussed but not neccesarily put into action yet are.
1. A checklist of everything that needs to go. Maybe multiple checklists for differing places/conditions.
2. A pre planned menu that we could shop ahead of time and have on hand, sitting on the shelf or in the fridge ready to go.
3. Pre packed clothes, accesories and medicines.
4. Pre frozen water bottles.Sitting in the freezer ready to go.
5. Refill stoves and lanterns on returning so they are ready for next time.
Seems we had several more ideas but I'm drawing a blank right now. Most everything that we need is in one place right now. Its just a matter of sitting down, making a list. Dragging everything out. Deciding what is needed. Pack it. Then put the racks on the car and load boats. Seems like we should be able to decide we are going and be on the road in an hour or less. Not half the day.
Any ideas? foolproof systems?

 

[Kayak Jack]

rat,

My foolproof system seems to suffer from the same symptoms as yours. I get the food ready first, cause that's the toughest part for me. I dehydrate and vacuum pack all my stuff. I do buy dry roasted peanuts, dried cherries, and dried mangoes. But I dry my own veggies for soup, make jerky, and bake power bars. Katie and I also make home made noodles for soup.

I pack cold breakfast & lunch so we can eat on the roll, makes another 5-10 miles easier. Supper gets decadent.

Getting trip ready takes time, thought, and preparation. The value of the process is in the process. Maps, gear, food, clothing, shelter.

 

[hairymick]

I chill the beer, before putting in the cooler. Makes the ice last longer

 

[bearridge]

Friend Brad,

Once ya turn geezer 'n ya dont have ta worry bout the time clock, packin' fer a trip aint that bad at all. 8)

regards
bearridge

ps How ya organize yer campin'/paddlin' gear likely iz the biggest gear time saver. Food 'n drink aint near bout az eazy. I always had big cookin' plans, but when it come down to it, I always go simple......rather spend my time lookin' at the river go by than at a skillet. I like sardines. I like chop sticks. I must be part Chinaman.....makey jokey....me pour pee pee in yer cokey. [Good thing this aint in one of them "serius" sections.) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

It aint what ya dont know that hurts ya. What really puts a hurtin' on ya iz what ya knows fer sho, that jest aint so. Uncle Remus

 

[oldsparkey]

One way to do it is on the next trip keep a record.
1... Of what you use.
2... What you want and don't have. ( or forgot)
3... What you have and did not use.

When I return from a trip it , 1st priority is cleaning the gear and getting it ready for the next trip , putting away the stuff I did not use and getting out what I forgot so it is at hand and ready.

It seams like if it is for one night or two weeks the stuff is the same , just a different amount of each that is wanted for the duration of the trip. The biggest problem is the chow and drinks.

Two weeks in the glades sure requires more the a three day down some river , especially the drinking water.
No matter which I go on I always have plenty of chow when returning home , I like to have a two or three days back up supply. This way all the bases are covered and if someone is short on chow then I have plenty to share. For some reason the places I like there aren't any seven elevens , you would think someone would have one close by , there is one on every corner when driving. :roll:

I can get ready for a trip in a flash , just repack the stuff from the oversize bags to the smaller stuff sacks.
The thing that takes some time is the groceries but one reason for that is I like playing , looking , shopping around in the place.

Let's see if I get this can or chicken , I can have it with some noodles , or do I want the instant rice and mushrooms , how about a pack of that gravy , some canned turkey and stove top dressing , Yes , a pack of instant potatoes ( just add water ones) , Ok ....onion flakes , cayenne. "O" Boy ..look at the soups , dang I can add some more rice to the chicken an rice soup ,cornbread (better get a couple packs ) would be good with the bean soup. Tuna and the Lipton garlic noodles for a tuna noodle meal , Vienna's and Ritz crackers , cookies.....where are the Bagels and Laughing Cow cheese...........

Never go to the grocery store hungry when packing for a trip.........

Chuck.

 

[JAYCEESFOLLY]

Laughing Cow cheese...........



Chuck:

I have to ask the obvious question... is it better than from cows that are sad?

Do they have fat cow, skinny cow or brown cow cheese?

How now brown cow......how is your cheese?


JC

Jim

 

[oldsparkey]

Laughing Cow cheese........

Jim

Nice small packages in the round , individual wrapped pieces and they don't need refergritation. Naturally everone knows that cheese from happy cows is a lot better then cheese from sad cows. :lol:

http://www.thelaughingcow.com/

Chuck.

 

[bearridge]

they don't need refergritation.

O Master of Flow Bizness,

This aint quite what the folks at the Laughin' Cow say. Here at the Bodine Vittle Test Facility Miz Bear jest dont buy it. They sell it here at the Kroger store. I wonder if they keep it in the cold air 'er jest on the shelf? Seems like it kin stay outta the icebox fer a while, but not in real hot weather.....ya know, like ya'll have down in the Sunshine State. :wink:

But leave yer happy cow cheese out on yer next expedishun 'n tell us if everthin' comes out okay. :mrgreen:

regards
bearridge

ps Yer heart doc gotta ta take anuther look at yer ticker before he turns ya loose on the swamps 'n skeeters?

He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River. Unknown high school student

 

[oldsparkey]

they don't need refergritation.

O Master of Flow Bizness,

Yer heart doc gotta ta take anuther look at yer ticker before he turns ya loose on the swamps 'n skeeters?

Yep , have two more appointments before I hopeful get the green light, May will be the month that tells the story. I told the doc that he was putting a hurting on me because I don't camp when it gets hot ....like the last part of May then June , July , August and start back at it late Sept.

Lost a whole season of camping and paddling. :evil:

Chuck.

 

[jimsong]

I am getting into this thread a little late, and I haven't been on an expedition in years, but this is what worked for me.
Don't ever be unpacked! The day you get back, pack for the next trip.
Wash off the crotch rot, catch up on family chores, and pack for the next trip!
What you have used, and what you needed, but didn;t have is fresh in your mind. You know what food you have used-replace it! Dehydrate whatever it is you dehydrate, buy whatever it is you can't make yourself, revise whatever it was that was unsatisfatory. And pack it!
Hang your tent, bivy, tarps over the clothesline and dry them out. And pack them!
Depending on the material of your sleeping bag, do whatever it takes to get it clean, and pack it!( I am kind of partial to quadrofil in a sleeping bag. It's not quite as good as down, but I can machine wash it, and run it through the dryer at the lowest heat.)
Replenish your water purification supplies, fishing equipment, first aid supplies, whisky. And pack 'em.
If you carry a stove (and I always have. There are many places that is sheer idiocy to build an open fire), fuel it up. and fill your fuel bottles as well. Wheather it's alcohol, kerosene, or white gas, it is just as easy when you get back, as it is when there are time restraints.
If where you normally go requires water purification, pack the nessissary supplies. (Iodine is the best, and tastes nasty, halazone is next and tastes even worse. Boiling your water is the only sure way of gananteeing pure water, but ti doesn't taste all that great, and involves more fuel.)
Wash your clothing. f you were to cold, pack more layers, if you were too hot, screw it, keep your clothing allowance on the generous side.
In short, be ready to go again within 48 hours of coming home.

 

[oldsparkey]

If you boil water to purify it , after it has cooled then aerate it and the taste will return to the water.

A easy way to aerate it is with a common kitchen tool .. The Metal Whisk.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I've discovered a new way here. When I get home, I unpack into the garage. I then migrate it all into separated - but somewhat related - piles in the living room. When getting ready for the next trip, I pack it in the comfort of my living room.

In the meantime, I have all those nostalgic reminders around to remind me of the good times. sigh

I have no copyright or patent on this method yet; one of you can hurry up and make a bundle.

 

[Too Busy]

I keep everything except food and clothes in my backpack. It stays there all the time. When I use a consumable supply like band aids, important papers, or matches from my emergency kit, it gets replaced when I get home before I put the pack away.
Tents, tarps, and sleeping bags get cleaned and dried when we get home from a trip.

The checklist stays in the outer flap pocket. It's laminated plastic. One side is warm weather, the other side cold weather.

I do it almost exactly the same way my parents did when I was a kid. Camping with Boy Scouts every month helped refine the routine.

 

[Manjimike]

This aint quite what the folks at the Laughin' Cow say. Here at the Bodine Vittle Test Facility Miz Bear jest dont buy it. They sell it here at the Kroger store. I wonder if they keep it in the cold air 'er jest on the shelf? Seems like it kin stay outta the icebox fer a while, but not in real hot weather.....ya know, like ya'll have down in the Sunshine State. :wink:

I used the Laughing Cow cheese when I did a 965km 27day hike in West Australia in May 2004 and had no problems at all. I also ate some left over rations about twelve months later and the only problem was that where the alfoil was damaged, the cheese went hard.

cheers Mike

 

[oldsparkey]

I keep mine in the pantry and it stays good , the grocery store has it in the cool air section (open shelving). Everyone knows that the inside of a grocery store is a few degrees above freezing or it sure feels that way.

Heck ... Bear is the one that introduced me to it on a St Mary's River trip and the river sure isn't air conditioned. I think we were on the Georgia side of the river and it is always cooler then the south or Florida side. :roll:

Chuck.

 

[coogzilla]

Beer, Ice. More beer and ice. Snacks. Canned chili and a canopener.
Some Fritos and someone that can make biscuits and gravy.
And bacon&eggs. Even I can cook that!

Coogs

 

[jdupre']

The Great Pirogue Expedition was really my first multiple day trip in my pirogue. Had to consider gear volume and weight. Used to camp out of a 14'x4' jon boat with plenty of space. Just throw any and everything in that you might use or want. Can't do that in a small paddle craft. Sleeping and shelter items were not much of a problem. Cooking kit , food and other small misc. things fit into my grub box. The thing I was most concerned about was the water for 5 days. The tried and true "one gallon per day" supply ( with an extra gallon thrown in for emergencies) is quite a substantial amount of weight and volume in a small open boat. That part worked out well despite a few anxious moments crossing between points on Lake Verret. :shock: I'm considering a water purifier. Could have reduced weght by about 50lbs and volume by about 2 cu ft. Pretty darned good savings.

I used some X large sized Ziplock bags to pack clothes and such. All the waterproof bags went into a large water resistant stuff sack. Many small bags works MUCH better than digging around in big bag full of loose items.

I now have a good idea on what to bring on a multiple day trip. Didn't really need anything I didn't bring and found a couple of items I could leave behind. One thing I plan on bringing on future trips is a thing called a "Piper". :wink: I honestly brought enough food to eat well for our trip, but Piper provided so many wonderfull meals that I brought a lot of it back. We ate as well on our trip as we did at the Rendezvous. Thanks, Keith.

Joey

 

[gbinga]

What about iodine tabs with a touch of powdered drink mix to help the taste? My wife and I have done that on long distance hikes. Of course that was mountain water, running pretty clear... I haven't tried it with water from a swamp. I guess you might end up with something that was safe to drink but funky tasting.

GBinGA

 

[jdupre']

Never tried iodine tablets. As for funky tasting, in my younger days I would find a place in the swamp with a lot of aquatic plant growth like water lillies and coontail grass. The water around that stuff seemed to be much clearer than the surounding areas and tasted like good, fresh rainwater. Probably not a good idea, but it never caused me any harm- at least I don't think it did. :?
Joey

 

[Manjimike]

I have been using this for 5 - 6 years -
http://giardiaclub.com/aqua-mira.html

I even used it where the smelly creek was running past the cows and cowpats.
I always look for life in the water - tadpoles or what ever
Cheers Mike