checklist

[carmen]

Before you head out do you set a checklist? I was fed up one year and swore to make one the next trip we took out, now I print one off before we head out the door to make sure nothing is missed.

[Grandpa]

My "checklist" varies with each trip I take. Depending on where I am going, for how long, and for what. The slot canyons take entirely different gear than the mountains. When "basecamping" I take different gear than "treking". And of course the season plays a big part in what I take.

[oldmangunner]

We have a checklist. When we start to get ready to go we just print one up and go through it. We have most things pre packed so it is pretty easy to get everything together.

[IndianaHiker]

I don't have a check list. I do like to lay my gear out on the floor when getting ready so I can see it all and then load my pack. A lot of my gear stays packed so this is mainly to prevent me from forgetteing something.

[hippieP]

I need a checklist for all sorts of things, my husband swears that I am losing my memory as each day passes. Sometimes I can ask him something in the morning and forget by noon.

[Tubby]

I go through things step by step to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. I'm not much of a "list" type of guy. If I've forgotten anything, I just do without it until I get back.

[Michelle]

Now that we have a camper we just keep it stocked all summer. Half the time we have to go out to the driveway and get things OUT of it to use in the house.

[Lamebeaver]

I have multiple checklists, and sub-checklists.

My list also includes a menu for each day of the trip.

A sub-checklist would be say kitchen items

One checklist is a packing list, another is a car list

check tire inflation, oil, washer fluid
clean windows
etc.

[DThewanderer]

I used to have a check list that I printed out. Anymore it is all second nature to me. I have a mental check list that I run through that rarely lets me down.

[ghostdog]

I keep a current checklist in my field notebook and that is always on my body. That is where both ephemeral notes and more permanent memories make their first appearance on paper. When that particular notebook becomes full, another is immediately started and the current checklist goes right back on the inside of the front cover. That list is a partial list, the things I need to remember, not everything I'm taking. It is everything from the items one does not store in the pack like a sleeping bag and fuel to GPS maps and paper maps that will change with every trip.

Notebooks and the more finished photo-journals are things that are always in use and production so it makes sense to keep lists and the like right there. I can look back at specific details years later when I need them. I just have to find the right one on the shelf as they have sort of piled up over the decades.