Epic Summer Road Trip 2019: Planning (What to Pack)

Once I figured out where we were going and how long we were going to be gone, the details need to flushed out.  What the heck do I pack on this adventure?  I have a pick-up truck with a 5 foot bed complete with canopy and a camper trailer with oodles of storage.  I pride myself in my ability to hope for the best, but plan for the worst.  Sometimes to the detriment of over packing.  We'll have dry, hot weather, cold, wet weather and everything in between.  There will be places where I'll need to entertain the kids and other places where I'll just need to find a spot where I can be alone while the kids entertain themselves.

I decided to break down the packing into 5 categories for convenient's sake:

1. Food
2. Clothing
3. Shelter
4. Emergency/Misc
5. Entertainment

I know of some extreme packers.  One of my Facebook friends, Perry Clawson, likes to do ultra hiking excursions such as the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) or the Appalachian Trail (AT), which he is currently hiking.  These types of adventures require maximum efficiency of minimal weight vs. maximum usage.  Translated, this means that you only bring things that you know you'll have to carry over thousands of miles.  He showed a picture of his back pack and I could not, for the life of me, pick out which item was his actual tent!  The ability to reduce your carrying weight down to the gram can be as extreme as being a competitor in the Tour de France or as lax as filling a 50' RV for retirement.  It all comes down to what you're willing to put up with and what you're willing to leave behind.  Since I know that I can't take my wonderfully, comfortable bed, I know that I have a baseline, at least.  

Let's start with the storage that I know I can use (I'm eliminating the cab at this point since I hate having a cluttered cab and try to keep it as tidy as possible):

Right/Front corner of camper

5' truck bed w/ canopy

Interior back of camper underneath the bed

Left/Front corner of trailer

1.  Food:  Food is actually pretty easy.  I'll have smallish cooler which I'll store in the cab to carry a bag of ice, drinks, and a daily lunch.  The camper has a refrigerator and plenty of storage for dry food.  I definitely won't have to dip into my storage containers above.  

2.  Clothing:  For the most part, I was planning on 7 days of clothing to minimize washing time while not taking up too much room.  Each person will be allotted a duffel bag and we'll either keep them in the bed of the truck of just tuck them into the main cabin of the Aliner.  I may have a couple of bags of clothing stowed away for extreme weather (i.e. heavy coats, boots, thongs, sombreros, ass-less chaps, etc.).

3.  Shelter:  For the most part, shelter is taken care of.  The Aliner does a great job of keeping us out of the elements (wind, cold, heat, drunken camp neighbors).  The only thing I'm a bit concerned about is having to hang out at a campground, we're all sick of sitting in the Aliner, and there is a "insert extreme weather here" going on.  I think I'm going to include a cheap canopy so we can be outside and, at least, try to enjoy what's going on in nature (minus the drunken camp neighbors - where's the camp host when I need them?).  

4. Emergency/Misc:  Fortunately, I always carry a Med kit in the truck behind the back seat.  Oddly enough, I have the same Tupperware container that my parents used as a Med kit when I was a kid.  Fortunately, I removed all of the 25 year old aspirins and bandages that had probably been pulled out from a cold war-era bunker underneath their church's basement (most definitely this is true).  I also bought some road flares after a friend of ours stopped by and said matter-of-factly, "You have road flares don't you?"  In all honesty, I most likely won't need road flares since the advanced evolution of today's ability to illuminate in the dark, but better to be safe than sorry!  Think:  Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Beyond that, I'll have plenty of water, new tires on the truck, extra wheels for both the truck & camper, an ax, and my carefully crafted, finely honed wits. What could possibly go wrong?

5.  Entertainment.  Ahh... the key to the kids reminiscing about this adventure as the life-changing, fantastic adventure that I hope to instill or the plot to National Lampoon's Vacation.  "Olivia, what did you say when I asked you where you wanted to go this summer?  Do you know what you said?"  Olivia pauses for a moment to think and responds, "Hawaii?"  It seriously could go either way...

So - What to pack away in those potential situations where you say to yourself in the moment, "This would be so great if I had _____ right now!"  Many days we'll be with friends/family so the entertainment speaks for itself, right?  The reality is, when the I get jibber-jabbering away with long, lost acquaintances, the kids may get a little bored.  What do I have planned for such an occurrence beyond their stupid screens?  

• Portable badminton net
• Size 5 soccer ball
• small, collapsible board games
• samurai swords - in case they want to duel and I'm OK with letting one go
• Frisbee
• Football
• TBD - suggestions are always welcome!

Beyond the day-to-day monotony of traveling, there will be some really cool areas where something will potentially make the reality of the moment just a little more special.  Mosquito nets to make that beautiful sunset memorable, a mountain bike to ride trails through Canyon Lands in Utah, a skim board to do some body surfing on Myrtle Beach, A bottle of glitter to throw at Mitch McConnell outside of the US Senate.  Each item will have a specific purpose whether it gets used or not.  The key is to minimize the weight, but maximize the usefulness.