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  • Road Trips

    Day trips, week trips, here, there and everywhere. Posts from our travels. More

  • The Ural

    In October of 2012, I bought myself a Ural Patrol sidecar rig. These are my adventures in learning the ways of this funky machine. More

  • 2013 Equinox to Equinox Rally

    Ride, take pictures, earn points. Piece o' cake! Posts about the rally... More

Ziploc Upgrade – Small Watertight Box

I’m probably a little more excited than I should be about my small watertight box. (Sounds weird, I know.)

I usually carry my wallet and or phone in a Ziploc baggie and shove it in my pocket or in my tankbag when I’m on my dirtbike. A top notch waterproofing system for electronics, my bankcard and license, right?

I just happened to see this Outdoor Recreation box while I was looking for something else. With the Big Berkshire Aventure 2-day ride coming up, I thought – for less than $10 bucks, what the hell? It might be better than the baggie-method. Especially when the opportunity exists to fall over in things like:

and

IMPORTANT:
Product not intended to be submerged. Product is not intended for microwave or freezer use. Not for storing food or water.

I don’t know if I should worry about the fact that the label on the box says not to submerge it. Or microwave it. (Um, okay?) I’m just going to throw caution to the wind and hope for the best. Hopefully, having my wallet in the box will have the same voodoo as having all the correct tools or rain gear on the bike – I won’t need it.

You can pick up the box at Walmart (which I hate) for around $6 -or-  the cost of a box of Ziploc gallon sized bags.

Cross your fingers for me!

Snapshot: My Navigation System

While we are on the road, my habit of waking up at 0′dark-thirty doesn’t take a vacation. Instead it is during those quiet hours when I am the only one who is awake that I spend time figuring out where the heck we’ll be going for the day. I think it’s a pretty nice service. I hope Kenny knows how lucky he is ;)

While I usually don’t leave the house with a hard route or plan in place, I do keep a list of possible ideas.

This was a typical scene during our trip through the south:

By the light of the bathroom I looked through my maps, brochures and scraps of paper I’d stuffed in my map baggie. I also checked the computer for possible pit stops like parks, attractions, giant fiberglass people – and would then then jot down a list of roads for the day.

This process has served me well over the years.

How About You?

When you head out on a trip do you leave armed with a set plan or do you travel more loosely and figure it out as you go?