Contingency Planning

The first road camping trip I ever took (first road trip, really) was in 2000 with Sonntag, a trip that was featured in two cover stories of The National Geographic magazine (January 2002 and the May 2010 special issue of Cats and Dogs).  I reasoned that, unless you are foolish, you do not take a 12,500-road camping trip without doing some serious contingency planning, so, I sat down at my desk weeks before I left for that trip and wrote down a list of 100 possible things that could go wrong with me, my dog, the Defender, my other stuff, and at home.  I then went down each of the items on the list and did one or more of the following four measures for each:

(1) I did something to minimize or reduce the risk (e.g., change the iteinerary, create a checklist for preparing theDefender, create a checklist for on the road activities and write down Rules of the Road that I would follow on the trip);

(2) I loaded up with gear or supplies to deal with those risk on the road;

(3) I rehearsed what I would do if the contingency arose;

(4) I recognized that that risk existed and agreed to accept them as cost of taking this kind of a trip. 

I even considered the ultimate contingency event (click here)  and redid my will before I left on every trip.

For this current (2016) trip, a number of changes were made to my preparations, which showed up in extra items I brought with me or additions to the Defender (e.g., new roof and heated driver’s seat, a front differential lock, etc.).  But the three biggest changes were these.

First, I rescheduled all my post-trip appointments to late November just in case I experienced delays on my trip for the first time ever.

Second, I moved $20,000 into my checking account just in case something happened to the Defender. 

Third, because Donner was not exactly (and my never be) the most obedient dog in the world, I invested in a radio collar for him so I could track him within ten miles if he ever go lost and created a web site in case he got lost just to have it ready to go.  (I also made up 50 Lost Dog signs, but I always did that, except for Sonntag, since it would not be needed for a dog in a wheelchair.

Fortunately, I did not have to execute the third, but I did the first two.  I was prepared.

I now take about 1000 pounds of gear and supplies with me on my trips, 500 pounds on the roof rack and another 500 pounds elsewhere in and on the Defender.  My guess is that 800 pounds of that total is for contingencies and rarely used, if ever. I always take 5-10 days of extra food and water for me and my dogs just in case we get stranded in some emote location. 

I also rent a satellite phone for about $500 each trip, and only had to use it two times. But just having it with me allows me to go places I would not dare to go without it. 

I do not take extra stuff that I believe I will not need in an emergency and I know I will be able to get it somewhere down the line.  And I never complained after a trip that I brought too much stuff. Indeed, it’s just the reverse.  I cannot tell you how many times on my trips I said to myself, thank God I brought this or that.  Likewise, I cannot recall a single instance where I needed something in an emergency and didn’t have it or prepare for it.