I'm always down for an adventure. Sure when you know ahead of time, you can pack what you need for that particular excursion. But that's a lot of packing, unpacking, loading, and unloading. It just doesn't make sense to me so I made it so I'm always ready for whatever adventure comes. Sure some things may get swapped or added, I have a few different boards I throw on top my rack for that particular type of paddling I want to do but in this photo is what I normally have with me on any given day. Hope it inspires you to gear out your vehicle and adventure more this summer. You never know where the day will lead or when the opportunity for an adventure will come up!
1. Vehicle- I drive a 2011 Subaru forester and absolutely love it. I have about 70k miles on it and have had to do nothing to it but routine maintenance. It's a very reliable vehicle with all wheel drive so I can take it anywhere in any kind of weather or terrain. I decided to build out a 2 part shelf for the back end to better organize my gear and easier storage.
2. BICSUP 2015 c-tec tracer 12'6 board. This board is very light and fast so when I want to go paddle my local lake or do any flatwater, this is the board I use. Great touring board or for some light racing.
3. BICSUP 11ft inflatable touring board. I've been keeping this board in my car for anyone who wants to meet up and join me since its a great all around board for lakes or rivers. I also use this for any kind of whitewater sprint type of training or race. Ive also done several overnight trips with it fully strapped down with camping gear
4. BICSUP inflatable 9'2 River board. Probably the board I've been on the most lately. Great for running whitewater and river surfing. Very stable and solid board. I'm always squeezing in quick solo river surf sessions so this board remains inflated at 15psi and rarely have to add air. I try not leave it on my car during hot sunny days though.
5. Sector 9 longboard. Never know when you want to skate around so I always leave it in my car. I also carry the kahuna stick if the desire for land paddling comes up.
6. Kokatat Icon drysuit. I want to paddle year round and Ohio's weather can change drastically so this keeps me warm and dry in the colder months. I can throw the drysuit over whatever clothes I'm wearing which is great not having to deal with changing into different clothes afterwards.
7. Teton Sports Oasis 1200 day pack. This is my pack I take with me everywhere all day, from work, climbing, paddling, volleyball etc. I carry my laptop with me to work in it and then I take it out when I get home and usually throw a change of clothes, my gopro, nalgene, clif bars, snacks, pretty much anything I could ever need throughout the day. Honestly, I'm never without this pack.
8. Black Diamond rope bag- This holds my climbing rope, climbing shoes, chalk bag, harness, carabiners and belay device. So if I want to hit the climbing gym, I can go and don't have to worry about finding my gear. It's always there ready to go.
9. One Wheel - This is literally my 2nd vehicle. It's so much fun to ride and it's got a 6-8 mile radius so the battery lasts quite awhile. I've used it do errands around town, carving up and down bike paths, killing time while waiting for friends. It never gets old so if you see me out and about, ask to try it out! You'll be addicted quick.
10. Yakima roof rack - Every car needs a roof rack and I just traded in my old for this new yakima rack with 78 inch wide bars. (widest on the market I believe) So I can now carry boards, kayaks and both side. Im working on getting a yakima cargo carrier so I can store gear in that and still have plenty of room on the other side to stack boards.
11. BICSUP paddles - I usually keep 2 paddles, 1 of is a wider blade with gopro mount on back side I use for whitewater and river surfing because it will take more abuse. I then use a narrower blade paddle for racing or flatwater paddling so it's easier on my shoulders with less resistance, less fatigue, and able to get more strokes in per minute.
12. Trekultra Tour Camp chair- It's compact since its breaks down into a small carry case. You never know when you get invited over to a bonfire or just want to sit and relax so since I bought this a few months ago, I just leave in my car for when I could use it.