gear

In spent the day doing a dress rehearsal going through my gear and then testing Manny's endurance. Here is a pic showing all my stuff:

I also did a video but it seems I need to work on my production skills. 

I am still waiting for my sleeping mat which will take up more space.

Overall everything fit nicely, but I am going to pair down some more. I want everything to have its place and everything in its place so that when I'm on my walk across America, things don't get discombobulated. I've decided the big Rubbermaid bin is going to be replaced with two smaller ones. And as most or all my gear is to be stored in them, I don't need to worry about the compactor bags to waterproof them.

I tested out the solar charger and after 45 minutes in the sun, it charged my phone from 43% to full charge. I will continue to test it, as amazon shows mixed reviews. But so far so good. 

 I am golden with regards to everything, and ready to go. But two things are bugging me, but that just may be my perfectionist nature coming out. I still haven't found a way to attach the umbrella to the cart. And even if I did, its not tall enough, so I may just end up using it less and wearing my old man hat instead. 

 My other pet peeve is the tent. The tent is cheap but should do the trick. Its a stand alone tent and fairly easy to setup. It will keep out the bugs and snakes, but it isn't water proof and requires a tarp if its raining. The tarp is unwieldy and troublesome, and I fully expect that I will be going to battle with it soon. 

Now I just need to do some grocery shopping. From what I've read, the goal is to pack 2-3 days worth of food. And for that food to contain as much calories in as small of a space as possible. I normally eat one meal a day and snack the rest of it. But I think I will upgrade that to two meals per day and add a snack or two. Thus far my list is:

• Poptarts
• Bagels
• Cans of Beans, Soups, and Pastas
• Protein bars
• Cheese Whiz
• Peanut Butter

Starting out I will be doing about 10 miles per day and over the course of a few months should work may way up to an average of 25. I do want to eat healthy, and will try; but will need the calories I can fit into my cart.