The Things I'll Carry

I haven't even left home yet and I'm learning things by the bushel basket. Here's a picture of what I'm packing:

Food, tent, clothing of various specialty fabrics, water carriers, electronics and ways of gathering power for those electronics, special plastic sleeves to keep the electronics dry. And I hate to say it, but this is only most of it.

In response to a picture of way less of this stuff that I shared last week, the inestimable @Dale Loberger shared this picture on Twitter, which he's kindly given me permission to share with you, and he said this: "I saw your preparations for the trek on Instagram. Here would be my initial suggestions..."

@huler I saw your preparations for the trek on Instagram. Here would be my initial suggestions... pic.twitter.com/fpk0ahECcm

— Dale Loberger (@DaleLoberger) October 9, 2014

When I asked if I could share that picture, he said, "You certainly may. I imagine everything there is correct for Lawson. Items for protection, sustenance, amusement, mending garments.." Which in the first place reminded me I'd better make sure I included a sewing kit besides the high-tech taping kit for malfunctions of tent or rain jacket. But in the second place how could I fail to make the comparison, by which I lose rather significantly? Mind you, I'm not apologizing. I'm glad I have bags full of dehydrated crap and energy bars to eat and won't have to shoot possums or munch on beat little pieces of hardtack. And like Lawson I'm bringing a bag, ways to carry water (and other beverages), knives, and notebooks. So we're not so different. But who am I kidding? We're plenty different.

When I'm back I'll talk with Dale and other sources to compare my equipment to what someone like Lawson, traveling at the beginning of the eighteenth century, would have carried. That's assuming I get back.