In the hiking world there is a saying, that we always pack our fears. This means that if you are afraid of being cold, you will overpack clothes; if you are afraid of running out of food, you will overpack food. My brother carries a lot of (too much?) water; my Dad carries a large first aid kit; my hiking buddy Bugsy carries a lot of bug repellent (hence the trail name). Here are a few things that I carry too much of and how these translate to my fears.
Food. I am afraid of being hungry. Actually, I am not afraid of being hungry, but am afraid of not having food when I am hungry. I am also a bit of a food hoarder, and will stock up if I am in a town or if something is on sale. Obviously this works a lot better when you are living in a house with a fridge and cupboards, but I still justify it and will carry a lot of bars "just in case." I am a lot better at this when backpacking, as I will pack exactly for the number of days that I will be hiking +1 for emergencies. When cycling you are going through towns every few days and it is a nice treat to go to the grocery store, and so I treat myself by overbuying food.
Food haul!
The cookies on the bottom right are so, SO good.
Water. I am afraid that the next stream will be dry. I usually carry two liters at all times. However, I dislike filtering and I guess I would rather carry more weight than waste more time filtering over and over and over, so if I am in a town with potable water, I might "camel up" as they say (drink as much as possible then fill all of your bottles for the journey). However, I am sure someone has done a study about the efficiency of time comparing the extra time it takes when you are carrying more weight vs. the extra time it takes to filter.
Filtering water (PC: Broksi)
Chapstick. I am addicted to Chapstick. I brought two on this trip: one main one and one spare, and then my friend K handed me one in Oregon and I decided to keep it, because you know, they might not have Chapstick in Canada, or Montana... not! I have heard stories about how the menthol is actually addicting; I don't know if that is true. I do know that I do not love most brands. I don't want spicy or fruity Chapstick. I want the Chapstick brand, the black one, or the blue in a pinch. You may think I am cheap and gift me with a nice tube of Burt's Bees. I don't want it. I am not cheap. I am particular about my Chapstick, so I carry extra.
Sunglasses. I am blonde and blue eyed, and even on a cloudy day, I need to wear sunglasses. Luckily, my eye scan has been good over the years, probably because when I am outside, I am wearing sunglasses 98% of the time. For this reason I did bring an extra pair with me. However, the first pair was getting all scratched up and I finally ditched it, so now I only have one. Eeeek. What if I lose the second pair, now my only pair? It will be a rough day, but I will probably live. The next town is only a few days away, hopefully. Luckily I do not mind looking like a dork, and will wear whatever glasses are available (gas station, here I come!)
Same shirt; different glasses. (+Emi the dog)
Navigation. I guess I am afraid of getting lost (although I don't THINK I am!) as I have maps on my phone, a Garmin navigator and a Garmin satellite messenger/tracker. It kind of makes me laugh how many electronics I have; however, Navigation is number one on the Ten Essentials list Ten Essentials list of things that you should always bring hiking with you (even on day hikes!), so I just consider this good practices. Actually food and water are also on that list, so maybe I am just following the rules!
As a P.S. here are a few things I do NOT bring a lot of. Underwear (I am happy to bring two and wash the one I am not wearing each day, or go commando), socks (same story), bras (same story), multiples of clothes (currently one have one of each layer, and one dry emergency outfit), first aid (if it's not something that duct tape/Lukotape and a bit of gauze can fix, I am probably screwed anyway).
What do you overpack when you travel? And does this translate to a fear that you have?