Organizing Belongings for the Back-and-Forth
Travel to and from your upland home should be as stress-free as possible. More so if toting children and pets along for the ride. Investing in the proper gear to make the hampster-wheel of weekend commuting easier will help you stay organized and allow you to more thoroughly enjoy every get-away.
I’ve been doing this for so long now that it has become second nature and I have a handful of tips and products I believe help tremendously.
Invest in toiletries, brushes, hairdryer, etc. for your upland home and leave them there. And learn to share, especially if you have fewer, less spacious bathrooms at your disposal.
Nothing Beats a Great Bag
I reserve suitcases for air travel and rely almost exclusively on tote bags for weekend commutes. I find them far simpler to pack and unpack. Each family member owns one large and one small tote as well as one “carry-on”. All bags are monogrammed and color-coded by individual. This may sound silly, but it makes loading and unloading the car a breeze!
Scout Bags are fabulously easy to pack and unpack. Just stack everything inside while the bag stays open on its own. They are super lightweight, and you can hose them off if they get dirty. They come in a selection of fabulous colors and designs and some styles can even be monogrammed. If you can swing it? Buy two with your upland house or family name on it? Use one to haul “house items’ back and forth. And keep one at your upland house to use for picnics and other weekend adventures! I prefer the extra large and large sizes, but you do you!
Hulken produces stylish totes on wheels for those needing to navigate longer distances (or city blocks) to load the car for your weekend commute. They are water resistant, easy to wipe clean, and the wheels swivel. What’s not to love.
You will likely want to bring groceries or wine from home. In fact, count on it. A well-designed trunk organizer will help keep groceries from rolling all over the car and wine from clanking around on bumpy dirt roads. Amazing Garden has designed an absolutely brilliant, collapsable trunk organizer that comes with 3 compartments and a cooler. Just shop—or raid the pantry—and load. Not bringing much this trip? Simply collapse any compartments you’re not using and save space.
Roof Racks Keep the Drive Clean and Comfortable
Consider investing in a roof storage container for your car. Upland life is good and dirty and you’ll want a place to toss muddy-caked boots, sports equipment, etc. Fishing rods are long and fragile and safe inside. Skis fit in these units as well. They are a bit awkward to access—a small step ladder helps although we usually just perch in the car doors—but they are worth their weight in gold. Speaking of weight? They are remarkably light and easy to remove when necessary. I have no problem as long assuming there’s one other person to assist (simply because they’re awkward to maneuver alone, not heavy).
Thule designed a unit that fits universally to most factory roof racks and we’ve had ours for years. With my husband to assist, we are easily able to lift in onto the roof of our SUV. It is waterproof, roomy, and creates minimal cabin noise, which is a plus.
SportRack offers a less expensive model and while I can’t attest to its quality, it receives tremendous ratings.