Checklists

Enjoying the great outdoors inevitably means hopping into a vehicle. In addition to running into trouble on the way to or from the trailhead (flat tires, dead batteries, etc.) you may also find yourself in trouble due to exceptional circumstances or just plain ol' poor planning (running out of food or water, soaked to the bone, etc.). Over the years I've built up a vehicle preparedness kit to help alleviate some of these issues. Here's what's in it: Digital Tire Gauge A flat tire is obvious, a leaky or under-inflated tire less so. The first step towards diagnosing a tire [...]

Checklists are an easy way to prevent avoidable mistakes (read The Checklist Manifesto for a more in-depth explanation). What follows is my current checklist for preparing for outdoor trips. Like everything else on this site, the checklist and the gear lists it refers to are a work in progress. Packing 3 season gear list4 season gear listDay trip gear list Charging Power bankPhoneinReach MiniHeadlamp (lock afterwards)Camera Refill SmartWater bottlesPillsPepto BismolIbuprofenAspirinBenadrylToothpastePotable AquaBalms/creams (first aid, friction, etc.)Hand sanitizerSunscreenAlcohol bottle (squeeze out some air and tighten cap afterwards)Paper tapeLeukotape Navigation Send email/message with itinerary to Person B/family memberSend test message with inReach Mini [...]