Getting Ready for a BIG TRIP!

[Tony Buzolich]

I guess as we all get older we have a tendency to hang on to too much stuff. Bill knows this as he's been cleaning out his closet lately to.

When traveling to a new far off destination you're very likely to take a lot more than you'll actually ever need or use. This is what happened to me in January when we can back from Christmas Island. Seemed like the suitcase just kept growing larger. A couple of souvenirs here, a hunk of coral there, etc. etc. And I thought we ate all of snacks we brought? I know we left a lot of good stuff in the room upon departure.

But, sure enough back at Honolulu Airport I got nailed for over-weight luggage, and my carry-on was already stretched to the limits. Uugh.

So here I am again, getting ready for my first trip to Aitutaki in a couple of days. I keep telling myself, I don't need this, I don't need that. But it still keeps growing. Five rods, 8wt., 9wt.,10wt.,11wt., 12wt.. Now add five reels, all big and loaded with line. I already pulled the Tibor Pacific and put it back (gotta reduce weight some how)

Clothes are minimal this time, no long pants, just a couple of fishing shirts and shorts that I plan to travel in. Hooks and leader material cut to minimum. Four boxes of flies instead of ten.

What else can I cut back on ? Meds ? Maybe not as many bandages and first aide stuff like I took to Christmas Island, but you still have to have some of the basics. And I was told there is a "real" hospital back at Avarua if needed. Only an hour away by plane.

Surprisingly, I found that snacks are heavy. Maybe just a few granola bars and jerky for each day instead of the cases I brought before.

Well, that's about it. I think I'll go practice my casting a little bit at the park. What do you guys do to get ready,,,,,and cut weight?
See ya in a week or so, Tony

[mems]

Hey Tony, always fun and a hassle to pack and plan for a trip, but that is part of the fun. To get ready you should see if you can get someone with a old VW bug to let you tie your leader to it and put it in gear and see if you can turn the car. That would be great practice for a big GT. Have fun and take lots of pictures. Don.

[Darian]

I'm envious. Sure wish I could've made this trip.... I know what you mean about packing too much stuff. However, I did learn how to pack better/lighter on my trip to Christmas Island last March. On all of the trips I made to Baja, my checked luggage barely made it under the weight limit at the airport but made it under the limits easily to Christmas Island. I've paired down on the amount of clothing, rod and reels I take, now. One thing that stood out to me was that I carried about 150 bonefish flies to Christmas Isl., and lost about 10 of those. So, I should've taken maybe 30 Bonefish flies and a half dozen GT flies. Since we didn't chum, the GT's I had a chance to cast too weren't really interested. They were BIG, tho.

At any rate, I'm going to be very interested in your reports when you return. Good luck down there.

[Carl Blackledge]

I guess as we all get older we have a tendency to hang on to too much stuff. Bill knows this as he's been cleaning out his closet lately to.

When traveling to a new far off destination you're very likely to take a lot more than you'll actually ever need or use. This is what happened to me in January when we can back from Christmas Island. Seemed like the suitcase just kept growing larger. A couple of souvenirs here, a hunk of coral there, etc. etc. And I thought we ate all of snacks we brought? I know we left a lot of good stuff in the room upon departure.

But, sure enough back at Honolulu Airport I got nailed for over-weight luggage, and my carry-on was already stretched to the limits. Uugh.

So here I am again, getting ready for my first trip to Aitutaki in a couple of days. I keep telling myself, I don't need this, I don't need that. But it still keeps growing. Five rods, 8wt., 9wt.,10wt.,11wt., 12wt.. Now add five reels, all big and loaded with line. I already pulled the Tibor Pacific and put it back (gotta reduce weight some how)

Clothes are minimal this time, no long pants, just a couple of fishing shirts and shorts that I plan to travel in. Hooks and leader material cut to minimum. Four boxes of flies instead of ten.

What else can I cut back on ? Meds ? Maybe not as many bandages and first aide stuff like I took to Christmas Island, but you still have to have some of the basics. And I was told there is a "real" hospital back at Avarua if needed. Only an hour away by plane.

Surprisingly, I found that snacks are heavy. Maybe just a few granola bars and jerky for each day instead of the cases I brought before.

Well, that's about it. I think I'll go practice my casting a little bit at the park. What do you guys do to get ready,,,,,and cut weight?
See ya in a week or so, Tony

Tony,

Sometimes half the excitement is packing up and talking to your buddies back and fourth about the upcoming trip. Also going crazy and tying a lot more flies then you know you won't need. Doing lots of research on fly lines-leaders and the hot flies needed.

I just booked a trip to Guatemala for Sailfish and giant Dorado for the end of January with a few of my Loreto buddies, However for the flight down there we can pack our roller suitcases with 50 pounds and our carry on with 16 so the Abel's and Tibor's will be on the carry on's and my Sage rods will be inside the roller bag along with our snacks and extra clothes. We will probably stay one extra day and check out the sights. I love these trips and find them very exciting.

Carl

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Great info guys.....

Having the right stuff is so important.

I know that Tony, Don M, Darian and Carl have traveled for decades so I would never hesitate to ask questions about gear for particular trips on our message board.

This would be just one example of the value of our Forum.

Thanks guys......

.

[johnsquires]

One of my favorite things about fly fishing travel is making lists, packing, creating "the pile." The pile often seems to be a living organism, changing, morphing, evolving. Hell, I'm about ready to start the pile for a June trip.
People tease me about my list-making, pile-making. I always say, "When is the last time you saw me forget something?" The answer is always "Never."
I'm looking forward to your trip report, Tony. Safe travels to everyone.