Enough “Stuff”

How much “stuff” is enough? A seemingly simple question that historically has never been easy to answer. If you look back through the entire expanse of human history, this same question rears its homely countenance time and time again. Take the Romans for instance, they never seemed to have enough “stuff.” They were constantly grabbing more “stuff” everywhere they went. Some bronze here, an urn there, a couple of temples and 6000 square miles over there. It was never enough. Ultimately, their empire collapsed into ruin because they couldn’t manage all their “stuff.” “So what’s the point?” you ask. “Did I accidentally pick up a copy of Anthropology Today?” No, this is still VRJ. The point is that a recent race event has forced me to reevaluate the “stuff” that I bring racing. And the underlying question that I’ve had to ask myself is, “How much stuff do I really need to bring to the track?”

When I started vintage racing, my m.o. was pretty clear – “Real racers bring everything that they can.” Who knows what I might need or have to fix? Like an octane-addled Boy Scout, I wanted to be prepared. As far as tools went, I brought out the big guns. I brought my entire hernia-making, hemorrhoid-popping toolbox (top box and bottom box) filled with every screwdriver, wrench and socket ever conceived of by mankind. I mean, I brought everything from microsurgical scissors used for repairing severed cranial nerves, all the way up to crescent wrenches and sockets, large enough to remove the propeller off the H.M.S. Titanic. Christ, I even brought Whitworth wrenches, and I don’t own a single Whitworth nut or bolt! I was leaving nothing to chance. But it didn’t stop there… not by a long shot. I had several other crates and chests filled with my more “esoteric tools.” You know – funky mirrors on 12-foot telescoping handles, ridge reamers, ring pliers, gas-welding equipment, drills, grinders, plasma torch, plumber’s wrenches, coping saws, a biscuit-joiner, wait a minute… how’d that get in there? And that was just the tools! I still needed all the spare parts (more crates), awnings, chairs, tables, coolers, imitation grass carpeting. The list was seemingly endless. I simply couldn’t bring all the “stuff” I needed – both figuratively and literally.