The glovebox list

The best packing list is the one short enough to use again. This is a starting point for an easy day trip on maintained public roads, not an expedition checklist. Adapt it to the season, your vehicle and the people coming along.

Before the keys

Check the weather and road status. Check fuel, tire pressure and the spare. Download your map, choose a turnaround time and share your route with someone. Put a paper note with useful numbers somewhere you can reach without a signal.

Within arm’s reach

Drinking water for everyone, snacks, prescribed medication, sun protection, a warm layer, a rain layer and a small first-aid kit. A charged phone, a power bank and the right cable. Keep a headlamp where you can find it in the dark, not underneath everything else.

For the good part

One mug each. Coffee or tea already made, or a safe way to prepare it where local rules allow. Something to sit on. A tote for the market stop. A container for leftovers and a bag for every bit of rubbish. You can leave the complicated breakfast at home.

When you get back

Refill the water. Recharge the light and power bank. Dry anything damp. Replace what you used from the first-aid kit. Write down the one thing you missed; cross out the thing you carried for the third time without touching. The list should get more yours, not longer.