It’s cold here in the Rockies and you may be preparing for a trip somewhere warm and tropical. Perhaps, your travels are only to the nearest tailwater where you’ll brave the cold in search of trout. In this article, I’ll take you through my general packing list and process to ensure I have everything I need for a successful trip.
Check the Weather
Every trip starts with seeing what the weather forecast looks like. The weather can help me determine what I’ll need to bring from clothes to fishing gear. It’ll also help plan your travel, especially if you’re driving to your destination.
As I’m writing this, it’s a cold January morning here in Grand Junction, CO. We’re definitely in winter and if I’m driving anywhere, I need to know what the forecast is for the route along my way. Here’s what I’m doing to prepare for that:
- I’m going to visit weather.gov and find the location I’m traveling to. I’ll take note of what the weather will be doing once I arrive and for the duration of my stay.
- I’m going to find a few spots in between where I start and my final destination and check to see what the weather is doing there.
- I’ll plug these waypoints into my phone weather app so I can check them as I travel.
- I’ll utilize radar to help see approaching weather patterns and ensure my timing makes sense.
Weather Check Video Coming Soon!
Lodging / Camping / Accommodations
This is a critical one as well. My packing is going to look a lot different if I’m planning on camping or grabbing a hotel room. Similarly, if I’m flying, I’ll have to pick and choose what gear to bring and what gear to leave behind.
Lodging
If I’m planning on staying at a hotel, I’m going to make sure I have reservations. I’m going to know what time I can check in and plan to arrive accordingly. This is certainly one of the simpler ways to ensure you know where to stay but also the costliest, potentially. Here’s a couple of things I like to think about when choosing / staying at a hotel:
- Location
- How far is it from where I need to be?
- Does it have breakfast?
- Cost / Value
Couch Surfing
If I have friends in the area and they’re willing to let me stay with them, I’ll most likely take advantage of that. Ideally, these friends would be joining you on the trip but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. I’ve stayed with friends all over this great country and if they’re good friends, they’ll be happy to see you.
A lot of times all they ask for, in terms of payment, is just telling them some of your crazy stories. Although, I always try to give them some other form of payment (i.e. cash, fishing trip, backcountry ski day, etc.)
Camping
If I’m full-on dirtbagging it, camping is the way to go. It’s the cheapest but sometimes the most frustrating. Depending on where you’re going, finding a safe and close campsite can be the ultimate challenge. As more and more people are choosing to car camp, places can get full. Even worse, some of the dispersed camping options are now off limits.
It’s critical to do your research and plan ahead to find a good spot to camp. Be mindful that you may not be able to camp as close as you’d like, requiring a drive to the fishing spot in the morning.
My typical way of camping is in my truck. I have a GoFast Camper shell over the bed and that provides me with a sleeping platform in a rooftop tent style, which leaves the truck bed free to store all my gear.
Truck Camper Video Coming Soon!
Checklists
Usually, a week or so before I am scheduled to leave, I’ll start putting together a list of gear and things I’ll need for the trip. This is important to start several days before you leave. If it’s a bigger trip, I’d probably start planning weeks ahead of time. You might need to purchase an item or two online and you want time for it to arrive before you leave.
Packing Your Gear
Not only is making sure all your gear gets packed but how you pack your gear is important too. A great example of this is you leave a warm destination and arrive at a cold one, but your jacket is at the bottom of your suitcase, leaving you the only one in shorts and t-shirt at a very chilly destination. We’ve all it before but a little forethought can prevent this from happening.
The Gear
Alright, now we’re getting to the fun stuff. What gear will you actually need for the fishing aspect of the trip? If you’re going with an outfitter, reach out to them ahead of time and see what you might need. If you’re a trout bum on a budget, you’ll be on your own to make sure that you have all you need.
Questions to Ask
- Will I be fishing from a boat or walk / wading?
- What species will I be targeting?
- What type of flies and leader material will I need?
- What rods will I need to bring?
- Sinking Lines or Floating Lines?
Obviously, if you’re flying, weight is going to be an important consideration. You may want to give yourself some time to really dial in what you’ll need and leave the non-necessities at the house.
Other Notables
Fishing License
You’re most likely going to need one of these. I’d recommend getting it before you leave your house. That way it’s done, and you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Screenshot that bad boy and it’s done.
Cash
It’s always a good idea to bring a little cash with you on your travels. If something happens to your credit cards, it’ll be nice to be able to pay for stuff. Cash is certainly preferred for tipping your guides, if you’re doing a guided trip.
Satellite Phone
If your trip is going to take you off grid, consider having a way to reach out to somebody in case there is an emergency or to just check in with loved ones. I utilize the Spot devices and subscription and have for years. I can text from anywhere. Thankfully, I’ve never had to hit the SOS button, but it’d be right there if I needed it. Hit that link below if you’d like to check it out.
Trip Insurance
I go back and forth on this one. I don’t think this is mandatory but worth a consideration on the bigger, more expensive trips.
Phone Charger / Batter Chargers
I think we’ve all been guilty of leaving our phone chargers at home. This isn’t the end of the world, as you can usually pick one up on your way, no matter what mode of travel. However, chargers these days are pretty pricey, and it always hurts to buy something you know you have several of at home. So, keep this one at the top of your checklist.
Personal Items
In this category, I like to think about things that would be difficult to replace if I left them at home. Things like prescription medications would be tricky to get replacements for. Doable, but tricky. Other items I want to make sure comes with me are:
- Medications / Prescriptions
- Driver License / Passport (if travelling abroad)
- Credit Cards / Wallet
- Laptop / Briefcase
Organization is critical when travelling. Being organized will take some of the stress out and give you peace of mind that you have everything you need. They say prevention is the best cure and I’d have to whole-heartedly agree with that sentiment.
I hope this article helps you out. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. My email is [email protected]. I’m happy to help out with gear purchases or share my experience / knowledge on fishing adventures.
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