Appalachian Trail Luxury Items
On the AT, a “luxury item” takes on a different conotation than in day to day life. Instead of a diamond ring or sports car, a luxury item out here could be something like a small pillow or frisbee; basically anything that isn’t essential for survival.
Well I decided to bring a license plate as my item. That’s right, instead of a book, charging block, or a deck of cards, I brought a license plate. Naturally, this helped to solidify my trail name early on. I am now El Auto, which is Spanish for car.
So why did I bring a license plate with me? Probably because I was dropped on my head too much as a child, but also because I sold my car right before I left and figured it would be funny to do so.
I soon discovered, however, that the plate was not merely a bag ornament, but an extremely useful tool. For example, I’ve used it as a wind blocker for my stove.
And the award for most seemingly useless gear goes to…
But that’s not all! Its also been used as a:
- Seat when its wet
- Tray for food
- Dustpan for the tent
- Yard sign
- Frisbee (this one hurts)
We always decorate our campsite with the plate. A little “welcome home” sign.
The uses are never ending, I was even thinking of getting a dry erase marker to write town names on it for hitchhiking.
Call me silly for bringing such an item with me, but I’m attached to it now. The plate is going the whole way, even if I have to get rid of other gear to make it happen.
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!
To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.