What to Pack...just in case

By the time I was old enough to recognize the wisdom of packing on a just-in-case basis, I was well into “taking stuff” with me when we went on vacation, on a picnic, and yes, even when we’re just gone to the market. In fact, it’s quite obvious now that packing consists of the one overnight bag that contains what we’re actually going to use and three canvas bags and a carryall full of “stuff.” My husband made it very plain, a long time ago, that he will happily carry out the overnight bag (or even the big suitcase used for trips that last more than three days---that’s his cut-off; if we are going overnight or only two days, then I am relegated to packing the overnight bag). Anything more than that, I have to load into the truck, and then upload it when we get home. And of course…I do.

I’ll have to blame my mother for my penchant for taking stuff. How well I remember the maternal order: Better take a sweater with you…just in case (sensible, it could conceivably be cooler than you think when you get there or there could be a draft wherever it is you are sitting). Be sure to pack your boots…just in case (doesn’t it always rain when you go on vacation?). Pack the big jar of peanut butter and an extra box of crackers…just in case (never know when you’re going to get stranded in the car).

My mom is the Queen of Just In Case. When you go somewhere with Mom, just ask for something. She’ll have exactly what you need, or she’ll fashion some reasonable substitute out of something she does have (you’d be amazed at what she carries in the satchel she calls her purse).

I grew up as a tail-end Baby Boomer, and when I was a kid I never worried about what would happen after the Russkies dropped the bomb on New Jersey. We could have easily lived through a four-decade-long nuclear winter on just what Mom had stashed in the cellar. Mom shopped the “dented cans and lost labels” aisle in the market, and she’d come home with 13 cans of baby asparagus tips and a case of what was either cat food or tuna (we didn’t have a cat, but just in case it was cat food, she could give the cans to our neighbor who did). If she could buy it 10 for $1.00, she’d buy it. Her theory was that even if it wasn’t something that would make it to the table as a main course, it was something that could be added to Kitchen Sink Soup.

Thus, I learned how to pack---just in case. And if I do say so myself, I think I’ve not only perfected the art, but I’ve also taken it to the next level. Luckily, we drive a pick-up truck that has a weather-proof utility cap over the truck bed. My husband even volunteered to build and install a shelf that is half the length of the truck bed. The shelf is accessible through the slider windows in both the truck cab and the truck cap---just in case we need something that I stored back there while we are enroute. I now have contiguous space like Alaska in which I can pack stuff.

He won’t want to admit it, but he has often asked the question, “Hey hon, do you have a XXX?” (insert just about anything on any given day). You’ll get better than even money if you bet on the fact that I have it. Dental floss---that’s a no-brainer. Needle and thread (and safety pins and a button)---of course. A hat to take the place of the hat that was left at home---yep. Big hunk of plastic to spread out on the ground, just in case of a flat tire---absolutely. Plastic plates, napkins, and a couple of plastic forks for the impromptu picnic---you bet, and I also have a couple of beach towels we can use as tablecloth and clean sit-upons because the picnic table is likely to be pretty grungy.

Just-in-case packing comes naturally to me, because I grew up with the idea and saw the concept applied on a regular basis. However, I appreciate the fact that just-in-case packing might be not as instinctual for everyone. In order to pass along the benefit of all that I learned at my mother’s knee, and then from my several decades of perfecting the art, I have devised a list of just-in-case stuff that you might want to consider taking along with you the next time you go---or stuff that you want to immediately stow in the trunk of your car or in a crate in the bed of your truck. I don’t have enough room to create an exhaustive list of everything that you should pack, so I suggest that you alter or add to this list in order to satisfy the just-in-case situations that you and your family are likely to encounter.

• Beach Towels: an absolute must. They can be used as tablecloths, sit-upons, pillows, blankets, shawls, or even just, well, you know, towels
• Comb, dental floss, nail clipper, nail file, scissors, etc.: Take a stroll through your bathroom shelves, vanity drawers, and countertop and think about the things that you are most likely to grab at some point during the day for whatever purpose. Fill a small cosmetics bag with a few essential items. (Ladies, here’s your chance to buy new tweezers, nail scissors, or whatever, and put the old items in your just-in-case bag.)
• Roll of paper towels: Who can deny how many times you’ve wished you had something to wipe up a spill, wipe off dirty hands (or faces), or clean the windshield. (And while you’re at it, get a small spray bottle [you can buy cheap plastic spritzer bottles in the Health & Beauty department at your local Wal*Mart or Target] and fill it with water so that you can use it for dirty hands and a dirty windshield.)
• Plastic cups, paper plates, plastic utensils, can opener, bottle opener: If you picnic, or have ever had an impromptu meal while out on the road, these items will come in handy. (Nope, don’t bother packing napkins---you’ve got a roll of paper towels and beach towels---remember?)
• Windbreaker-type jackets: Fold ‘em, roll ‘em up, and stow ‘em. Next time you stay out later than you’d planned and the evening air turns cool, you’ll have something to put on. Won’t be stylish, but wearing a wrinkled jacket is better than being cold. And if you have to fix a flat tire, you can pull on that jacket to keep your clothes clean.
• Cheap plastic rain ponchos: These are pretty cheap, sometimes just a buck at Wal*Mart, and take up very little room. Get one for each family member. (And then remember to think outside the box---those plastic ponchos can be used for just about a million things other than being a rain poncho.)
• Plastic grocery bags: Put trash in them, put wet bathing suits in them, use them for shells that the kids pick up along the beach, or be kind to the environment and pick up trash the next time you decide to go out for a walk along a local hiking/biking trail. (I keep a handful of wooden clothes pins as well, can’t tell you how many times I’ve clipped the bags to handle of our cooler so that the trash bag wouldn’t blow away in the wind.)
• A gallon of water: You’ve got plastic cups, so next time you need to take your pills and you aren’t near an exit where there’s a McDonalds, you can get a drink of water. (Just remember to cycle that gallon of water once a month so that you always have a fresh gallon.)
• Paper and pencil: You name it. (Oh, and when you are looking for something that you don’t have, make a note of it and when you get home, you’ll have a note to remind you to put an X in the car.)

This list could be 17 pages long, and I still wouldn’t have listed everything that is stowed in the bed of our truck. However, this list is enough to get you started. If you’d like just the list itself, click here for a printable version: http://www.jansfreecontent.com/printables/What_to_Pack.doc

For even more ideas of things to pack---and some great tips for inexpensive family adventures---read Shoestring Adventures: http://www.jansfreecontent.com/publish/general/Shoestring_Adventure.shtml.

Once you get the hang of packing just-in-case, you’ll never look back…you won’t have to, there won’t be anything that you forgot to pack…