In changing over to our new-to-us '89 Westy, I took
the time to assess each and every piece of camping
gear that we had accumulated throughout the last
several years of van camping. If we had not used the
item in the past year, it was left in the plastic bins
in the garage. Obviously, tools, spare belts and
emergency parts were put back in their place, ready
for side of the road repairs.
Particularly telling was my tendancy to put lots of
little items (ten feet of light braided line, pipe
cleaners, rubberbands, an extra cork screw, a space
blanket, that out-of-butane long stick lighter that
'still works for the stove', etc) in the various nooks
and cranies..."Be prepared". An outhouse reader that I
never cracked open in five years now graces the garage
bookshelf. Seven extra bungies await my next pickup
load tie-down adventure. That old EB Goretex parka
that has been a fixture on my last two Westies' closet
floor is now ready for duty at our creekside cabin.  I
have tried very hard to eliminate as much of this kind
of clutter in our new Westy.

However, I have to agree with the posts about carrying
bikes and their usefulness.  For long distance camping
trips the transportation and exercise they afford
makes them, for us, a practical addition to the
must-haves.  A fold down rack would  be an advantage
over lifting the rear hatch with bikes attached.

Finally a question about kayaks, as we are heading to
the North Country and a circumnavigation of Lake
Superior (Jeff Earl...where's your travel blog?).
A fellow Listee and I will be traveling with wives and
young sons(one each). And we are discussing how many
bikes and kayaks we should bring along.  The bikes are
easy enough to carry. The kayaks aren't.
Neither of us have mounts for the boats and aren't
particularly interested in drilling our pop tops for
racks. While I already have Yakima high towers that
will fit over the pop top, I don't relish having to
remove the boats and the rear cross bar at every
camping stop.  Alternatives?

Another question is has anybody used a reliable foam
and strap method of carrying smaller (Perception
Swifties) on their camper top?

Your experiences and thoughts are appreciated.
TIA
Stephen
Chillicothe Ohio

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