G'day Fellow Road Tripper,

Deciding what to take and, just as importantly, what NOT to take can be a struggle in the preparation for any road trip.

Whether it’s a weekend away . . . or a full 12 month Big Lap of Australia.

At home you have everything you need in easy reach.

And if you run out of anything you can just shoot down to the shop and buy some more.

But heading out on a camping road trip is a different story.

You need to be prepared for any situation because you definitely don’t want to be ‘that guy’ stranded on the side of the road hoping someone is going to stop and help.

But let’s face it, if you take everything you’ll be so loaded up that you’ll spend your whole time ‘managing stuff’ – packing and unpacking and rearranging.

I’ve been there!

When we did our Big Lap around Australia we had this idea that we were heading into the wilderness and needed everything we’d need to last us the 16 months of the trip!

We had too many clothes, spare linen for the bed, books, shoes and so on and so on.

Way too much stuff!

We soon realised that by loading our 4WD and camper trailer to 100% capacity we were spending a big chunk of time just packing, unpacking and trying to fit everything back in.

Our first camp pack up took 4 Hours!!

Considering we had over 120 camps ahead of us on our 16 month Big Lap we didn’t want to be doing this every few days.

So what’s the solution?

So . . . over the first few months we reduced what we were carrying by A LOT!

We gave stuff away, threw stuff away and sent stuff to friends and family back home.

We trimmed our load down to just the things we really needed and essential tools and spares in case things went wrong (which they did several times).

The result was that by the half way mark of our Big Lap we could setup camp in 20 to 30 minutes and pack up our camp in less than an hour.

The secret is to take everything you need and nothing that you don’t.

Which is why we created The Ultimate Road Trip Packing List . . .

Start your planning with the Ultimate Road Trip Packing List

I recently emailed everyone in the Expedition Australia community and asked them to download the DRAFT of the Ultimate Road Trip Packing List that I had been working on for a while.

I had about 300 items on the list already but I wanted to get other peoples ideas as well.

The response was awesome.

The result was that the list grew to 500+ items that you should consider taking.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The Ultimate Road Trip Packing List is not a list of everything you SHOULD take.

It is a list of the things you need to CONSIDER taking.

You can make a decision based on your own circumstances about what items you end up taking.

The Ultimate Road Trip Packing List is your starting point.

Add your own items and delete the ones you don't want and you will end up with your own personalised list.

What do you get with this download?

You’ll be downloading two files . . .

1. An Excel spreadsheet with built in cost and weight calculator. Add and delete items to the list until it is your own ultimate packing list. Note - The spreadsheet should pen in virtually any spreadsheet program.
2. A PDF file made from the spreadsheet which you can print our and use if you don't have Excel or another spreadsheet program.

Happy Trip Planning
Steve Baile, Expedition Australia