What’s in our slut bags?
Field Guide No. 01 · Trail Essentials · Opinionated
Field Guide No. 01 · Trail Essentials
Every serious cruiser knows the slut bag is non-negotiable. A crossbody in nylon, a pair of shorts with zip pockets, some variant of a pouch that keeps both hands available and your essentials close. The vessel matters less than what’s in it.
We asked around. We tested things. We formed opinions that we are now prepared to defend. A few items go without saying. We won’t list them. You know the ones. Pack them first.
“A few smart essentials can change everything. Consider packing your bag part of the pre-cruising ritual.”
D.C. Andrews
The Bag Itself
The foundation. Get this right first.
A crossbody in nylon or ripstop, nothing precious. Two exterior pockets minimum: one for what you reach for often, one for what you’d rather not explain. Unbranded is best. This is field attire, not a fashion moment.
Avoid anything with logos, anything that rattles, and anything you’d be genuinely upset to lose.
The L.L.Bean Stowaway Waist Pack. Affordable, discreet, and the key ring is a genuinely useful touch. Multiple zippered pockets keep your essentials sorted, and the small interior pocket is ideal for anything that needs to disappear quietly after its moment of service.
“That little interior pocket? Discreet, spacious, and very good at making things vanish. You’ll know it when you need it.”
D.C. Andrews, Editor
Wet Wipes
Non-negotiable. Single use. No excuses.
Cleanup is part of preparation, not an afterthought. A small travel pack belongs in the outer pocket, accessible without rummaging. Sometimes you need to wipe the slate clean. The prepared cruiser handles it without fanfare.
Burt’s Bees Cucumber Mint Towelettes. Fresh scent, cleans well, and the light moisturizing formula means you don’t leave the trail feeling like a science experiment.
“I lift them from business class kits whenever possible. If you catch a whisper of Diptyque on the trail, that is not your imagination.”
Jeremy, North Carolina
Insect Repellent
The trail doesn’t care what you’re doing. Neither do mosquitoes.
Non-negotiable at wooded destinations, and an oversight at sandy ones. The problem with most repellents is that they smell like a chemical weapons test and leave a film on everything. The problem with essential oil sprays is that they don’t work.
After enough trail time across Rooster Rock, Little Beach, and points in between, one product has distinguished itself on both counts.
Proven Insect Repellent. Odorless, lower toxicity than DEET, and more effective than anything in the natural category. It is called Proven because it is. Apply before the trail begins, not after the first bite.
Headlamp
Sunset arrives faster than expected. The walk back does not get shorter in the dark.
A headlamp leaves both hands free. A phone flashlight does not. The case is that simple, and it has been made conclusively across enough unlit scrambles back to the car to constitute settled fact.
It is especially useful at Playa del Amor in Zipolite, where the walk back from the beach is unlit and the path is narrow. At Rooster Rock, the later trails thin out at dusk and the return is not marked.
A small camping headlamp weighs almost nothing and takes up no meaningful space in the bag. There is no reason not to have one.
Black Diamond Spot 400. Compact, reliable, and bright enough to actually see where you’re going. Replace the batteries before the season. The moment you need it is not the moment to discover they are dead.
“I did not survive forty years of early morning vespers in the dark just to stumble down a trail without proper lighting. And she found hers on clearance. The Lord provides, sugar — but He expects you to shop smart.”
John, Portland
Portable Charger
12% battery on a remote trail is not a personality. It is a problem.
Maps, communication, and the basic dignity of knowing where you parked all depend on a functioning phone. The trail is not the place to discover you have been managing your battery poorly since the hotel.
A small charger in the outer pocket is invisible until it is essential, at which point it becomes the most important thing in the bag. Keep it charged. Keep the cable with it. Do not put it somewhere clever and forget where that is.
Anker 321 Mini or equivalent small-format charger. The goal is one full charge, reliably delivered. Anything more is extra weight with diminishing returns on a trail day.
Walkie Talkies
We’ll admit we made this one up. We stand by it.
Sometimes you lose touch with your gays back on the beach while you’re off exploring the trails. Reception is spotty and you’re, well, preoccupied. A live field report delivered via walkie talkie back to basecamp has a certain appeal that no amount of group chat can replicate.
Imagine the thrill of the call: the group is packing up, the sun is going down, and you need to return stat. Or better, you have intelligence to share and a duty to share it immediately.
We believe this is the next significant development in trail cruising. We are not joking. We are a little joking.