Tips for getting out the door fast

[Dan_Millsip]

When you get ready for a trip (overnight or longer), how long does it take you to pack? How long in advance do you get your gear ready? Or do you have your gear all set and ready to go at the drop of a hat?

Do you have any helpful tips for making a quick getaway?

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[Dave_Barrie]

I've got most of my gear in one room so it makes grabbing stuff pretty quick and easy. But the biggest help is an electronic gear list. I've set it up for longer trips, but it's easy to customize for a short trip and it's great for doing a quick check just to make sure I have everything I need.

If I'm going for a day trip I can be out the door in about 5 mins as I have a large rubbermaid tote will all the essentials (PFD, skirt, pump, float, throw line, booties and GPS) ready to go any time.

An overnight trip take a few minuntes longer but with the checklist I can be sure I have everything I need. I find deciding on food usually takes the longest.

Next I'm actually thinking of creating a packing diagram as I've pretty much figured out how I like to trim my boat and what goes best in each hatch. It would make it a lot easier when figuring out how to get it all back in at the end of a trip

 

[Mark_Schilling]

Food always takes me the longest to prepare. I store all my gear in rubbermaid totes - one for paddling essentials (PFD, spray deck, wet suit, pump, paddle float, throw line etc.) and one for overnight stuff (cookware and stove, take-down-buck-saw , etc.). After a trip, I clean and dry all my gear immediately, then pack it (except sleeping bag and thermarest) so it's ready to go. So all I have to do is stuff some clothes in a dry bag, food in another, pack the sleeping bag and thermarest in their stuff sacks, and I'm out the door.

 

[Mark_Schilling]

...the biggest help is an electronic gear list...

Yup, I do that too. It lives on my PDA and although I've now done enough trips that it's basically instinctive as to what I need (and it helps that everything is together in one place!), I still check it before I head out the door, just to be sure.

Next I'm actually thinking of creating a packing diagram...

I found that after about 4 or 5 overnight trips, I had packing the boat down to an art, and now I know where everything goes. It helps when you're on the water too, as you know exactly where each piece of equipment is, all the time. If you get to camp late, it's so much faster when you know what you need ASAP out of each hatch.

Packing the boat the same for every trip also has the added benefit of having a balanced boat. It makes a big difference to control weathercocking if the boat is loaded with equal weight in the front and rear - poor weight balancing and I find the boat much more difficult to control when the weather picks up - skeg or no skeg! If it's perfectly balanced, my boat will track straight even in the toughest winds with no skeg required. It really is a nice feeling. 8)

 

[Astoriadave]

Half an hour from decision to driveaway for a day trip. Like others, I keep all my paddlegear in one place (a mesh duffle hanging from a pair of hooks -- so it can finish drying after the previous trip), except for my emergency bag, paddle, and boat.

And, food prep takes the longest, although loading the boat is second. My rig always has racks on it, which saves time, too.

For an overnighter, takes a couple hours. A two-weeker, maybe eight, depending.