THE List

“ He’s making a list, And checking it twice”

A few days ago I had to pack for my lovely wife’s Vikingshølm crossing in Tahoe, and I realized that, despite that not being my first Rodeo, I still did not have a proper checklist to reuse.

I am now packing up for my next Adventure and I decided to jot down a basic list of must haves for my marathon swimming.

In another post I will go through my actual basics, explaining why I chose what and giving a bit more of context, here I’ll just list the items themselves with a (proposed) quantity (which I rarely follow)

I hope this will, first and foremost, help me to pack up, and secondly, offer a blueprint for other people to use.

• Goggles (4X: 2 dark+2 clear)
• Antifog spray+rag (in case they get dirty during the swim)
• Earplugs (4 pairs)
• Caps (3 or more, depending on how much you believe in Karma)
• Bag Balm (or Vaseline)
• Sunscreen (at least 2 tubes) + Desitin if it’s a long swim
• Gloves (to apply grease and sunscreen
• Suit(s) (I usually pack at least 3, which is totally an overkill…)
• Powder Feeds (Carbo Pro + Perpetuem): At least a bucket of each (you never know how long it’s gonna be)
• Water (at least 2 Gallons) to brew the feeds.
• Gel Feeds (a lot of them and different flavor in case you get tired)
• Solid Feeds (e.g. waffles, bars, etc.. in abundance for the same reason above)
• Bottles (I bring at least 3 metal thermos and 3 plastic ones filled up already, but consider bringing one for clean water)
• Rope (length can vary depending on boat type)
• Carabiner(s) (optional: depending on the rope)
• Blinkies (at least 4)
• Glow-sticks (optional, required by some swims, redundant for others)
• Zip-ties (usually for the glow-sticks, but you never know…)
• Rubber bands and/or duct tape (for combining gels and water bottles)
• Warm clothes & Towel
• Advil (and/or whatever meds you might need)
• Mouthwash and/or Electrolytes (depending on Salt/Fresh Water)
• Anti-acids (if your stomach overreacts)