How much crap??

[Orange65]

As I have mentioned before, I have moved from central Alabama to my new home elsewhere. I have to go back every weekend to my old house to continue getting it ready to sell. Anyway, the traffic to the Gulf must be at an all time high this year. I65 is packed with people going to and from it. It seems to me that people are taking more and more on vacation with them these days. It is not uncommon to see an SUV or minivan packed to the gills with stuff inside, stuff on the top, and a luggage rack inserted into the trailer hitch with crap on it or bicycles hanging off of it. This has to be unsafe! How much crap do you need to take on vacation with you???

I saw one SUV Saturday that had three half cases of Diet Coke on it (along with a BUNCH of other crap). Are people this desperate to save a buck on vacation????

[STINEY]

Maybe they are living in the cars?

[milner351]

Man I've done that weekend go back to the old house to maintain it deal - and it's NO fun - you just don't get a break.
Thankfully it only took me 3.5 hours to mow the lawn at the house I was trying to sell - every weekend until the first freeze then there was all the damned bugs to clean off the window sills, etc, etc, etc

It's a nightmare scenario - I hope your old place will sell quickly - in other words - I hope real estate in your area is nothing like around here!


I've seen some beverly hillbilly's crap on I94 too - crazy stuff - I just don't get it.
Hopefully you can get around them so you don't have to deal with any of their crap falling off and messing up the front end of your vehicle!

[Orange65]

Technically, I guess I am just ticked at them getting in my way. Too many people on the roads. But at the same time, do you need that much stuff for a hotel stay?

How much stuff do you take when you go on vacation?

[Huskinhano]

I feel your pain. I'm in the process of moving from NJ to PA. It's a 150 mile trip one way. Got the cargo carrier on top of the Freestar along with the trailer. Every Friday, we leave about 5PM and get back to NJ about 11PM on Sunday night. PA house is on 3 acres and takes about 3 hours a weekend to maintain about 2 acres of that. The other acre is over grown. Looking to buy a brush hog or something. The 8N with the cyclebar cutter doesn't cut it (pun intended) and almost got the damn tractor stuck in mud.

Oh yeah forgot the 2 dogs and cat that make the trip as well. We've done the trip soooo many times, I know where the traffic is and isn't. It's great to zoom by doing 55 on the side roads and watching the tail lights on the hiway from the people coming back from the Catskills Sunday night.

[milner351]

We just spent a week in a vacation cottage near lake michigan with the extended family - we have a toddler which requires a lot of stuff - it all fit quite nicely in "lee's limmo" our F350 crew cab 8ft box truck - but in all seriousness - it would have all fit in an explorer sized suv too, and we took everything.
Cooler (we only went out to eat once in a week) pack n play crib for Lee to sleep in, Lee's high chair, luggage for three for a week, beach chairs, beach towels, sand toys, life jackets.....

[STINEY]

John pegged it, kid stuff. Life is so much easier now that my boys are 6 & 8, MUCH less stuff to pack/haul. Now I am good with a pair of kids bikes and clothes......oh, and the family stuff (see above) if you look closely you will see a lawnmower, grill, paddleboat, pair of bicycles hanging in front of the paddle boat, and there is an air compressor in there too. The kids bikes were already offloaded when the picture was taken.

And that doesn't even show inside the van. Thank goodness we've broken ground finally, enough of the loading fiasco!

[SuperBuickGuy]

It's funny, for me I've gone full circle. I started by camping in tents, then a camper, then a small trailer, then a 5th wheel, then a class A.... now, I'm back to tents - however, as I joke with my friends - going to a State park or RV village would give me closer neighbors than I have now; now we head really into the hills either by foot or by mountain bike.... but I won't be throwing rocks at those who are on that continum that I was on before - plus, the ground is a lot harder now than when I was a kid.

[HillbillySailor2]

Funny you mention that. I saw a minivan on the interstate the other day pulling a trailer full of vacation goodies....for two people. I only need the back of my minivan to haul all of our stuff when we travel (me, wife, and two kids). I understand maybe needing some extra room for little tykes, but even then, I only needed the truck of my car to pack everything when they were little. I guess it all depends on where someone is going and what they think is "essential".

[Schtauffer]

Essentials: beach towel, beach chairs, beach umbrella, and a cooler.

[Monk]

We're in Orange Beach,AL this week.........Hwy 59 was wall to wall on Sunday getting down here.
I 10 was real heavy with traffic as well coming out of Mobil.

Thank goodness for Publix grocery........12 pack of Corona's reasonably priced........they get $4.50 a
bottle here at hotel bar.

[70chevyC-10]

Have a couple for me wouldja ?

[STINEY]

I guess it all depends on where someone is going and what THEIR WIFEY thinks is "essential".

There, fixed it for ya.

Remember, if Momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy. A wise man once told me the secret to a happy marriage was to always have the last words in any "discussion"...... Those words are to always be "Yes Dear".

[LORENSWIFE]

I bring weird crap when we go camping in the trailer, we don't generally have it all strapped to the outside though...

1) Tea Light candles- Tea Lights are totally safe I have them in hanging things that Loren made for me. A mason Jar with a wire coat hanger twisted around it for a hook. Because he is Loren he even made these so they unscrew off the mason jars...These Tea Lights keep us from running down the battery so that is good.

2) Brass Chandelier- yes you read it right, chandelier. I have an antique brass chandelier that I got from a yard sale for free, Loren cut the electronics out of it for me and I attached baby food jars (gotten from a friend with a baby) to hold the Tea Lights. I adorned it with multi color crystal beads. I hang it in a tree or under the awning. I love my sparkly stuff! It is weird but people always love it.

3) Solar Yard Lights- These are great, I love stuff that just recharges itself. you can put them anywhere, even in the bathroom for a night light, again not using the prescious batteries!

4) ALL of my painting stuff. Watercolor, Oil (or Acrylics) Oil pastels, colored pencils, pen and ink and all of the accompanying canvas and paper, easel etc.

5) Not weird but I always get TONS OF BEER, I don't know if I think there is no beer for sale out on the road or what but I always try to pack enough so it doesn't run out.

6) All my bohemian hippie clothes.

~Gail

[98ciHemi]

No matter where I go I usually pack my bike, toolbox, and my backpack. My backpack will carry my camera, clothes, a frying pan, hunting knife, and depending on where I am going, possibly my laptop and inverter. Without the laptop I can carry food and water that will last me a day or two without going back to the car.