This little missive is more about people that try to take it all with them when they go camping, and less about that classic song with the same title.

Two weeks ago, a trailer came in for repairs to the brakes and new tires. This in itself wouldn’t normally trigger a blog entry, but the fact I had to go find a pallet and forklift to unload the camping gear out of the trailer before the trailer was light enough so the floor jack would pick it up would. The highlights of the cargo included 6 complete sets of china dishes, and three boxes of utensils. The trailer also sported 4 cases of RV antifreeze at 6 gallons per case, and eight 70 quart totes full of towels, sheets, and blankets. The bed was groaning under the weight of 3 televisions resting on no less than 16 pillows.

After I spent an hour unloading all this treasure, I found the jack still struggling to lift the trailer, and took a look in a couple of cabinets. The galley cabinets were crammed top to bottom with canned goods, and the ones under the kitchen sink had hundreds of pounds or pots and pans. After another trip to find another pallet,  I finally off-loaded enough stuff I was able to get the trailer off the ground and perform the work it came in for. New brakes and new tires all the way around. While I was finishing up the trailer, Pop came wandering out to see what I was voicing my opinions about so loudly. He asked what the problem was, and I told him. “There can’t be that much stuff in that trailer! You’re exaggerating!” he opined. No, far be it for me to bother exaggerating. Look at that stuff you’re sitting on, Pop. Now look behind you. Now look at that pallet next to you. That all came out of this trailer. “!”, he said. Actually, he said more than that, but I try to hold my blogs to a PG rating…

So, we got all the stuff loaded back in the trailer, and the late-middle-aged couple came by later that day to pick up their trailer. It turned out they don’t travel with anybody,  and that load of anvils was for them, in case they needed it one weekend. I guess if they came across a lost Army platoon at a campground, they would be able to provide provisions for a week or two.

It’s good to be prepared, but sometimes you can be over prepared.