5 Cruising Toys

Carol and I were always gear hounds and our love of toys and gadgets did not die when we started cruising.

I’m starting a series of posts on my current favorite cruising toys*. In this post I focus on the eating/drinking/cleaning side of things.

1. 2 liter Nalgene bottles – We have 3 that fit in our fridge under the tiny freezer unit. One is water only (so it doesn’t retain any taste) and the other two are often filled with ice tea and gatorade.
2. Super soaker buckets – What don’t we use these for? Soaking things in fresh water, dishes, collecting water from a waterfall, cleaning scuba gear, killing fish (yes, we put them in the bucket and then bonk their wee skulls) and then when we are done they clean up completely and stow away neatly.
3. Plates with tall sides (Sea to Summit X-Plates) – We have two plates with collapsible sides that we use while underway or while eating outside. They have enough of a side to keep things likes chips or trailmix or crackers from sliding off. The plate can be used as a cutting board as well so we can cut the lunch in the plates and avoid another thing to wash.
4. Camelbak bottles with neoprene sleeves –  I have the pirate themed “Hydrate or Die” version (thanks Mom & Dad!). The downside is that you have to clean the mouthpieces so they don’t get too grungy. The upside is you don’t spill on yourself while drinking underway AND with the sleeves you can hook the bottles on your lifelines or bimini and the neoprene helps keep things cold.
5. Spatula with built in stand – I don’t know why I love this so much but I do. It’s sanitary. It stops us from having to clean saucy messes off the counter. I love it.
6. Bonus item: Inspired by Zero to Cruising I will admit that we have a Magic Bullet aboard that we love as well. We grind our coffee beans each morning with it, make smoothies, use cold pineapple and blend in rum and coconut cream, blend olives with chilis to make fish sauce, you name it.

*I call them toys because they are fun, cool pieces of kit that we enjoy, but none of them are necessary and many could be fabricated yourself for a lot less money. I use the word cruising because most of the toys are related to life aboard or travel rather than sailing.