Thursday, April 11, 2013

Packing


It's been packing time, getting ready to leave on our Alaska trip. Every corner of the trailer is dedicated to specific stuff. We even found BJ's Mountainsmith Basic Cubes that she normally uses for her SAR gear fit well under the dinette. They're home to some cold weather clothes.

The pickup got more attention than normal. I decided that I should sort out what was in the tool bag. I hate finding stuff in the bag but it can contain lots of tools in a compact space.

Took out a handful of duplicates and switched out the short combination wrenches for the long ones.
Wanted a classic NATO style jerry can, but wasn't willing to pay the collector price they demand. With a couple places stretching our standard capacity to the limit (Coldfoot for instance), I'm going to haul a little insurance.
The truck is sporting new rubber floor mats. We're anticipating several hundred miles of gravel (why take the main route when you can experience the back roads?) and there may be some mud in our future.
The GPS has found a new home on top of an aerosol can in the forward cup holder. This gets it off the windshield. Apparently some states frown on extra stuff mounted to the windshield. The GPS is loaded with lots of extra waypoints for Walmarts, rest stops, camp spots, wireless access points, etc. I usually ignore it but it is fun to play with it.
With a fresh oil change, we're just about ready to go.

6 comments:

  1. Your sorting tools brings back memories of our trip. I took socket set, air compressor, battery jump, generator, tire repair kit, spare parts including bearing, spare gas and various other items just in case. I used one screw driver in 10K miles! Take your time, take lots of pictures and post often, we will follow along for the ride.

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    1. I'm hoping our toolbox experience matches yours - it has certainly been unnecessary the past two years but I'm not going to tempt fate. I'm looking forward to keeping the blog as current as practical.

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  2. Those cubes fit perfect!

    Like the aerosol mount for GPS. Can't help but wonder what must-have spray is under that cap.

    Love seeing a tug with 200k miles heading confidently off to the Arctic. They do build 'em like they used to.

    Rock on!

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    1. The nearly empty can of Locktite spray adhesive was selected because it is a bit taller than normal spray cans. I didn't even think about double duty but should have - maybe a can of Slime magic tire fixer stuff - that would really make any tire dealer happy ;-)

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  3. Great post...very helpful on reminding us to pack a gas container and look into the windshield laws on the gps.

    Also noticed the miles on the oil change.... encouraging as we're driving a 2002 Tacoma with way over 100,000 miles.

    Thks.

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    1. I assume the Taco is just broken in. It has served us well since it was new.

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