(18 August 2018, 20:21)Pete Grey Wrote: I think we are all the same, we keep a lot of gear in our vehicles on an every day basis, but if we are planning a longer trip we tend to have a clear out.
Unfortunately this could be the time we need the extra gear, when our routine is different and we are further from home.
Usually I add to the vehicle gear before a long trip. Many of my camping /hunting/fishing trips are 1000 miles round trip. Often the route passes through more than one major urban area, and all of our major urban areas have become danger zones for any form of traveler.
Even the pen road has pearls, with long delays due to road conditions or accidents or road blocks with the added thought that if some disaster were to happen the highway system might be commandeered for military use. We often forget that our highway system over here in the States has an unusual history and purpose. It is actually a military highway network that civilians are "allowed" to use.
When you start talking about "getting home" from a destination 300-500 miles from the house you find out what your real thoughts on survival are. The food load of the vehicle has become standard, as well as the seasonal clothing and one of the two sleep systems. I carry a firearm on those trips, which is legal over here, and each time I am forced to consider what the geographic, environmental, social, and political factors are n regard to the decision. What firearm, how much ammo to add to the load,,,
This particular trip was different. I was taking the Ford to my son, who suddenly found himself without transportation. The whole rig had to be cleaned out and I found out just how much "gear" I normally keep in the rig. I had chem-lights and Lifestraws in every built in storage compartment and more in the big plastic box I spoke of! And no one really needs two pair of Wellingtons in the same rig.