What did I forget?

[Gunny]

I asked another user what he didn't pack that he needed and what he did pack that was unnecessary. 

I'm a grown man, traveled many places but always had access to items I forgot. Never forgot any of my Military gear but have made several trips to stores or commissaries for personal items. 

Toilet paper was #1, the rest is up for grabs.

Rob

 

[Queen]

Forgot my coffee maker on a long trip one time, ONE.

 

[DannyB1954]

That reminded me that I once forgot to take my military papers / orders from the house I grew up in while on vacation there. I had to ask the family to air freight them to the airport I was at. The value of the education is directly proportional to the price paid. That never happened again.

 

[DuneElliot]

Rarely anything, thankfully...I can't actually think of something...but then I always start packing for a long trip a month in advance.

My parents left their passports in the car once...and only realized when I was back home, 3 hours from the airport at 3am, with two hours to go before their flight. Needless to say they didn't make it but caught the next one and I was a very tired young person by the time I made it back home again.

 

[MrNoodly]

Once my wife was packing for a trip and I asked, "Why are you packing all this stuff?"

"I might need it."

"You know, if you end up needing any of this, you could buy it there. We're going to England, not the Sahara."

"I don't want to waste time shopping."

"I'll have to remember that. Shopping is wasting time."

It's one reason we're not married anymore.

 

[TrainChaser]

Like Dune, I start thinking about it months ahead, and I make lists. And I save those lists, marking off what I didn't need, and adding anything that I should have taken.

I can't think of anything very critical, except for the very first time I went tent camping at Shasta Lake, and I couldn't find my hammer. I was in a Corvair, so the places to look weren't excessive. When I got home, I asked my family about it, and my sister said she had taken it out of the car to do something, and forgot to put it back. I felt kind of stupid pounding in tent stakes with a rock.

But one thing that I learned to take with me were extra twist can openers. I would pick up a few cheap ones at thrift stores and carry them along, because several times people nearby in the campground had forgotten theirs, so I could give them one.

 

[DuneElliot]

That reminded me of the one thing we did forget camping the first time I took my parents...silverware. We ended up eating our spaghetti and noodles with the ladle and serving spoon. They drove to the nearest lodge the next day and procured some plastic knives, forks and spoons!

 

[Gary68]

if your using your black tanks,that best be the see through rv paper or you will end up will a problem i wont help you fix

 

[Gigi]

Forgot my coffee maker on a long trip one time, ONE.

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

 

[jimindenver]

The first trip with out vintage canned ham trailer I forgot the water and didn't think of it until half way there. We decided it was gong to be fine until we found the hand pumps red tagged. We boiled . and filtered that water and the dog wouldn't touch it. I was getting us ready to go back home when a nice lady gave us a gallon of water for the dog. After that the issue was always bringing too much

 

[Queen]

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

I know!!   Crappy gas station and restaurant coffee for the first few days, then I stopped at Wally World and bought a new one.

 

[rvpopeye]

Don't be embarrassed about pounding in tent stakes with a rock Gunny.
It's the only way a backpacker would consider.
But you can take that hammer for other things !

The true test of TP for holding tanks is put 2 or 3 squares in a jar of water and shake .
If it totally disintegrates in the first 10 shakes , it's is a good choice .
Don't waste your money on "RV paper" Regular Scott single ply is what most fulltime RVers I know use.

My addition to your list ,,, a can opener.

 

[Wandering i]

Went motorcycle camping on a Friday after work last summer up the coast in North California, a few hours later found campsite and started to setup and realized i left tent at home :huh:  Did have big tarp so just strung that out in a mskeshift shelter and slept under that, wasnt bad at all.

 

[jimindenver]

We bought RV TP when we got our trailer, it melts in your hand, not your tank. I always wanted to put in peoples houses as a April fools joke but the other half wouldn't let me. I finally tossed it right before I left home as I wouldn't want to even think it was a option or taking up space.

There have been several on RV.net that have done testing of various TP's with surprising results. One thing to consider is your black tank isn't a septic system and normally gets dumped before any of them really have a chance to do anything. Rinse it after dumping and add back in enough water to make sure stuff floats and you will be fine.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Went motorcycle camping on a Friday after work last summer up the coast in North California, a few hours later found campsite and started to setup and realized i left tent at home :huh:  Did have big tarp so just strung that out in a mskeshift shelter and slept under that, wasnt bad at all.

Clearly wasn't mosquito season.  I did a motorcycle trip along the Maine coast once where all I took was a tarp.  Damn mosquitos nearly ate me alive.

 

[Queen]

Went camping with my best friend after HS graduation, for food she brought a box of Wheaties, no milk, no other food. I thought for drinks a big hug of Tang and gin covered the bases... so we put gin and tang on the Wheaties, and had it to drink for three days.

Since then I've learned to pack a few more options in the food and bev category.

 

[GotSmart]

The cat, and a covered tub for a cat box.  

Cut a hole in one end at least 3 inch up.

 

[Gunny]

Queen, you would have made a good Marine, Adapt, Overcome and Improvise

Rob

 

[LeeRevell]

On a motorcycle trip from Florida to North Carolina in October, at an MC only campground on "Cold Mountain"...... it lived up to it's name. I failed to expect unusually cold temps. Gorgeous leaf peeping, then it got COLD that Saturday night! Insufficient rated sleeping bag, too light a coat, too light riding gloves. If some buddies hadn't offered me space in their MC trailer and a ride home - they were Tallahasseeans too! - I would have been very hard pressed to ride down off that damned mountain.
Since then I always equip for colder temps than expected. The bike is gone, but the experience translates over to van camping. Be prepared!

 

[TrainChaser]

GotSmart: "The cat, and a covered tub for a cat box."

You aren't the person who must have had the cat carrier on the roof going southbound on Interstate 5 somewhere north of Coalinga, CA, about 40 years ago, were you? I stopped at a rest area near there, and two women were in the restroom with a carrier they had found on it's side along the freeway, with a gray Persian cat in it. One of them said she was going to keep the cat, as she wouldn't give it back to someone that careless and stupid.