Getting My Sh*t TogetherDuring a truly warm day this past week, I got all my stuff out of the car and the garage and put it all out on the driveway. This was it. This was to be the date noted in world history as the day I got it together. My mission: organize my stuff into an easy-to-find-anything arrangement (I chose this to do as it was easier than figuring out the meaning of life...but I digress). Lots of luck.

How in blazes can anyone organize kayaking gear, especially the clothing? Come to think about it, it is mostly (so I thought at first) about the clothing stuff since it is fairly easy to keep track of a boat and a paddle and a pfd.

Do I put gloves in one bin, head gear in another and foot wear in another? Do I keep a pile of base layers and one of fleece tops? Where does long under wear go? Paddle tops? Shorties and Farmer Johns? Or do I make up bins by weather? Warm air/warm water. Cold air/cold water. cold air/warm waater. Cold water/tornadoe warnings.

Then there are the gazillion little bits of stuff. The two-part epoxy syringe, for instance. Does it go with the duct tape (of which I now have a dozen rolls...I need a support group...but I digress, again). All repair stuff together? But some has to be in the boat, some available on a day paddle and some to go along for a longer outing. There are bungees and rolls of various sizes of string. 707 protective spray and my Fabreeze bottle have to be in there, don't they?

By now I have stuff everywhere, just like in George Carlon's famous bit on travel. You see, my basic problem is that if I can't see it, I can't find it. So I have all those different shaped plastic bins that I had imagined (while buying them at the hardware store) would dovetail nicely into the back of the Blazer. I have filled them all and with all combinations: Tops in one v. one with warm water gear and one with cold. But wait, I need that warm top for today's warm water but cold air day.

Anyway, it is all in bins and bags, and most of it is in the car. I have risen to the cause and found a solution that uniquely suits my method of thinking. It is called the rummage-around-until-you-find-it method of kayak gear storage, and I honestly believe it is my invention. So start sending me your royalty checks people.

Paddle safe...
DS