Packing Up

There is an art to packing a travel trailer It involves thoughtful planning and good counting skills. I am happy to admit that I was a Girl Scout so “Be Prepared” is part of my vocabulary. My husband prepares, as well, for almost any and all situations. At any given time, he will have at least 3 coats in the car - one for wearing day to day, one for rain, and his under the car coat. If you read my earlier entry, you’ll remember that I said I was pretty sure he’d never been under a car. But, in any case, he is prepared.

This is how we prepared our little travel trailer to carry all our stuff, and still leave room for us...
We bought some little DVD crates that just fit above the front window on a ledge that was perfectly proportioned for them. Tied with orange ribbons woven through the holes in them and outfitted with shipping tags, they made a perfect and secure holding space for vitamins, bread, cookies and toiletries, each group in their own small crate. Two crates are dedicated to toilet paper. Remember, Shawn likes to be prepared and if I could deviate from the story just a bit...with toilet paper being a major player. He talked me into picking up a few extra rolls at our first Wal Mart overnight stop. Just in case.
The other set of bins that we purchased to hold our stuff, included some good sized bins that fit on a shelf over our bed. I think it was supposed to be an extra bunk, but even our little monkey grandson Robbie, had trouble being convinced that it was a bed. So, we made it into a shelf with a lip and a padded fabric edge that holds the bins in nicely. Our folded clothes, towels etc. are stored up there. Each of us could have two bins, leaving one for towels and one for sweaters and sheets. Shawn had his filled to the brim and was worried that he wouldn’t be able to fit all of his clothes. This bins were in addition to the hanging clothes area which was pretty ample. I pointed out to him that we would be stopping to do laundry at several intervals during our trip but he was still looking worried. Being the good wife and knowing that men don’t always make the best choices when it comes to packing clothes for a trip which includes functions, I offered to assist. He was grateful.
We counted through the t-shirts - an important clothing element, the jeans, the dress pants, the dress shirts, the under things and then we came to socks. Not wanting to discriminate, and aware that he needed some dress socks as well as sneaker socks, he had filled a bin with socks. I wanted to smile and be sweet and just tell him he might not need that many considering we would be doing some laundry but I laughed so hard tears rolled down my face as he counted out the 37 pairs that he had packed. We share the same sense of humor so he soon joined me in laughing.

Just before we left, a package arrived containing a trailer warming gift from our dear friends. It included an RV touring handbook with bookmarks in place as suggestions of interesting stops and a big notebook entitled “Robin and Shawn’s Excellent Adventure”. It couldn’t have been a more perfect gift! Car packed with show stock and trailer packed with provisions and clothes we set off for our “excellent adventure”.