When in doubt.. pack everything.
A glance at our credit card statements might make you think we’re buying a house, but nope.. we’re preparing for 2 months of Tent Life™ on the road. Lexi, our dear hybrid car, can’t hold it all, so we’ve gotten a trailer hitch to attach to the back and we’re trying to figure out an organizational system.
I once looked up my organizational archetype (because apparently that’s a thing) and there’s a fancier name for the “system” I gravitate to, but I’m essentially just a Bag Lady. That’s it. I put things in bags so that I don’t have to look at the clutter. This causes a problem wherein I forget which bag holds what, so I am forever in a state of searching for and then replacing what I lost. While I am working to correct this tendency, it is very inconvenient, and causes Luke to flinch at the sight of even an innocuous fanny pack. (Sorry, love.)
Today, though, we’re trading my endless Russian nesting bags for boxes — specifically, clear containers with snap-lock lids. Each box, Luke says, will have a singular purpose. I like to think of them as Deconstructed Rooms.
What actually goes into these rooms has been a source of debate. I suppose if I was to frame it in horoscope terminology, I’m more of a Maximalist sun (Hoarder Rising, Chaotic Moon)… while Luke is a Minimalist Sun (Everything-in-its-place Rising, Organized Moon). This has led to many attempts for me to convince Luke as to why things were actually necessary, such as this duck night light.
We didn’t need most things I suggested, but this duck night light was definitely a non-negotiable for our trip.
Together, we have merged our Zodiac chaos and harmony into a sort of nebula of preparedness, an Orion's Belt of gear, snacks, and other essentials for Tent Life™.
I’m sure I’ve overdone some of the planning (more on that to come).. but my hope is that our camping sitch will take care of our basic needs (and yes, some of the bougie ones as well), so that we can spend our time more fully being present in nature. Maybe Luke will one day appreciate the foldable Squatty Potty we got, and hopefully I’ll figure out how to make my packing system less hectic along the way. Regardless, together we're setting off into the wilderness tomorrow, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us, our pooch, and our many boxes.
