People often ask us what we carried with us on our overland trip. We take a minimalist approach to packing for a trip. We modify our basic list for when we’re in a motor home, tent camping, or it’s a hotel trip. Using that experience we created a list of what we wanted to bring along for the TAT trip. I don’t pay much attention to the “bring everything but the kitchen sink” lists of gear you see in all the forums. We buy top of the line for some things while for other items the generic brand is fine.
Clothing
Most of our clothing was packed into cloth EXcubes, two for Rusty and three for Libby. Items we wore around camp got stuffed under a back seat. Bulky items went into the Trasharoo on the back of the Jeep.
| Shirt – short sleeve | 3 | 2 | EZCube |
| Shirt – long sleeve | 1 | 1 | EZCube |
| Shirt – long sleeve compression | 1 | 1 | EZCube |
| Shirt – button light weight coverup | 1 | 1 | EZCube |
| Shorts | 3 | 2 | EZCube |
| Shorts/Skirts | – | 2 | EZCube |
| Jeans | 1 | 1 | EZCube |
| Sundress | – | 2 | EZCube |
| Hiking Pants – quick dry | 1 | 1 | EZCube |
| Sandals | 1 | 1 | Trasharoo |
| Water Shoes | 1 | 1 | Trasharoo |
| Hiking Boots | 1 | 1 | Trasharoo |
| Socks | 3 | 3 | EZCube |
| Underwear | 5 | 5 | EZCube |
| Bras | – | 1 | EZCube |
| Winter coat | 1 | 1 | Trasharoo |
| Sweatshirt | 1 | 1 | Under Backseat |
| Fleece | 1 | 1 | Under Backseat |
| Swim suit | 1 | 1 | EZCube |
| Sleeping shorts/shirt | 1 | 1 | EZCube |
| Sneakers | 1 | 1 | Trasharoo |
| Hats | 1 | 1 | Trasharoo |
| Gloves | 1 | 1 | Under Backseat |
| Sweatpants | 1 | 1 | Under Backseat |
| Shower shoes | 1 | 1 | Under Backseat |
Kitchen Gear:
| Aluminum foil | Oil, Vegatable |
| Bottle opener | Paper plates |
| Bread Tote | Paper towel |
| Can opener | Pot holders |
| Cast Iron Pan | Propane spares |
| Cast Iron pan with lid | Salt & Pepper |
| Coffee pot | Serving spoon |
| Cook Stove, Propane | Silverware – plastic |
| Cooking spices | Silverware – real forks & knives |
| Cooking Spray | Small Frying Pan |
| Dish pan | Spatula |
| Dish soap, biodegradable | Storage bags |
| French Press | Tongs |
| Knife, large | Trash Bags, Medium |
| Knife, Paring | Travel mugs |
| Large Pot with lid | Water Jug |
| Matches |
Food Items
Everyone has different taste in food, this list is more or less what we started out with. We bought fresh or local every few days as we traveled so it changed often.
| Beef Stew | Miracle Whip |
| Canned Foods | Mustard |
| Coffee | Onions |
| Creamora | Peanut Butter |
| Deli Salad | Peppers |
| Dressing | Potatoes |
| Elbow Macaroni | Relish |
| Hash Browns | Salty snacks |
| Hot Sauce | Spaghetti Sauce |
| Ketchup | Water |
| Lunchmeat |
Bed and Bath
| Body Wash | Toilet Paper |
| Body Wipes | Tooth Paste |
| Deodorant | Toothbrush charger |
| Hair towel | Toothbrushes |
| Hand soap | Towels |
| Laundry Bag | Pillows |
| Razor | Sleeping Bags |
| Shampoo |
Camping Gear and Electronics
| 2×2 Aluminum Folding Table | Reading Glasses |
| 2×4 Folding Table | Scissors |
| Backpack | Sewing Kit |
| Entrenching Shovel | Spare glasses |
| Extension cord | Sunglasses |
| Fan 12 volt | Camera Chargers |
| Flashlights, Large and 2-Small | Cameras |
| Outside Chairs-2 | Cell Phone Cables |
| Rain Ponchos | Cell Phones |
| Umbrella | Computer Laptop |
| Binoculars | Computer Power Cord – 110V |
| Bug Spray | Earphones |
| Butane Lighter | Extra AA Cell Batteries |
| Clothes Pin | GPS |
| Flyswatter | Inverter |
| Maps | iPad |
| Mechanix Gloves | Mouse |
| Pens and Pencils | Tripod |
Everything Else
In addition to everything above we had a small first aid kit attached just inside the rear door by velcro. This is one area I feel we could have beefed up some. Make sure to have plenty of tylenol, ibuprofen, immodium, tums, band aids and all those normal things you’d take on any road trip.
Tools were the last thing we packed but I’ll make a separate post for them.