I am pretty lucky where I live. I was born down near Carmel / Big Sur, and was out in Colorado for school and start of hotel career, but now, I am just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in a small town called Tiburon. We are perched on a hill over the bay, it feels like permanent vacation. I am such the "California boy" that I am legitimately confused when people live elsewhere. I know that is some privileged elitism, but I am wholly joking. Sort of.

I only bring this up because a friend from New York was complaining about the weather dipping under 50, and I quipped back that we barricade our doors and sound alarms when it's under 65. I am only half joking.

Our Norcal summer can be "June gloom" through "Fogust", but when mid September rolls around, in comes our late summer that has no drawbacks other than earlier sunsets, and raging forest fires that dump ash on almost everything. This fire season has been pretty okay, actually, so you also celebrate rare treats. This "Indian Summer" (which I am completely aware is now a totally inappropriate concept, like sitting "Indian Style" became "criss cross apple sauce"... I am down for not marginalizing people or being unnecessarily offensive, so whatever the new concept is, let me have it) can last well into December. It's remarkable and I never take it for granted.

One of the ways to celebrate all of this is to take some bizarre, odd calendar gimmick-holiday (there seems to be a surprising amount of "it's official [insert concept] day" in the last few years, and most are absurdly laughable. HOWEVER.... last Friday was "Official Champagne Day", and I don't even need an arbitrary reason to drink bubbles. And as much as I adore and collect the proper region's vintages, I am not opposed to what tantamounts to a 35 minute drive into Sonoma and Napa Valley, to arbitrarily support local businesses that have been fairly decimated by last year's fires, and an earthquake a few years earlier. If *ANY* of you are proximity to the Napa Valley, please support it. I know it sounds all posh and high falutin', but frankly tourism is severely soft due to bad press, and there's a complex moment of overdevelopment, which is both taxing the area's ability to find enough staff, and creating so many options it's creating option overload for guests, which is thinning out the guests due to too many options. Hit me up if you need a room anywhere in the region.

I am getting to the subject line, I promise.

So, Sunday wifey and I tooled up to a wonderful little spot that is both pretty, but more importantly producing competent bubbles. Taittinger did a lovely job, and hooked me enough to sign up for their wine club just to have decent sparkling in the cellar for any odd occasion. We people in hospitality and food/bev will usually have only three things in our fridge... something moldy, a jar of olives, and a bottle of sparkling. Or 12. But their club area is this comfy spot that was about 75 degrees on Sunday in late October, enjoying each other and the scene. When my friend suggested NY was near 40, it hadn't even crossed my mind that people could be in weather that was less than ideal. LOL!

The drive from our home is too short, but life is busy enough I missed a bunch of wine club shipments, and had a bunch of stuff to pick up. Knowing the holiday season is approaching, we then bought a number of lesser vintages to share with those who enjoy booze but not complexity (or just wouldn't care to tell the difference between a $30 bottle or $100 bottle). And it was at this moment I wondered aloud to my wife, "I wonder what else people have in their trunks", and she suggested I ask. We had been walking back to the car with our bounty.... not some ungainly "case" of champagne, but 4 flat packs of 3 bottles each, and then carried out our few bottles of La Reve and our magnum in bags, PANICKING that there would be no way to fit all this in the car... because of what was in my trunk. So what was in the trunk?

A basketball, endless water bottles from different excursions, my climbing gear, a blanket for our spontaneous picnics, a few towels for our beach days and the dog. A jump rope, my run flat stuff (which, truth be told, I would have no idea how to use at all). My tow hook. Random stuff from dealer, receipts of my broken car being fixed under warranty, and endless tech accessories from an overpriced dashcam, and a few hatscaps for when the sun beats down but we fight putting the top up.

So that's what is in my trunk. And in this case, we added 14 bottles of sparkling wine and one magnum. If we got the methuselah or jeroboam, it would be a different story. LOL

And **yes**, my wife is out on the town watching "two dope queens" live with a friend, or I would be occupied and not posting rambling nonsense during an evening, post some of this bubbly, which may be causing the maximum verbosity.

So as dumb as this is, here's the catch:

I bet you can tell so much about a human and what is in their trunk. The fact I had a basketball, beach and dog stuff, climbing gear, and alcohol in my trunk is a window to my soul that is both brutal and satisfying. It made me realize you could tell so much about another human, as if wading through their trash, as to their habits and proclivities. Are you fastidious and OCD, such that there is not only nothing, but less than that? Is the trunk only used functionally as necessary? Are there stylistic differences? Regional differences? Cultural differences? My trunk has become a clearinghouse of potential needs, and it seems like it's becoming an inspector gadget magic show, where I am able to pull relevance out of what seems to be the size of a hat.

I know we are all F-Type owners, but what this message board has taught me is that the owner of this car is as diverse, varied, different, and opinionated as if we all owned different vehicles and were from different walks of life. So I hope all this was not completely a TL;DR, and we can get to a simple question (that does not require photographic proof)......

The only way this can go south is if I am legitimately insane and you all keep it wholly empty all the time. =)

SOoooooo... What, praytell, is in your trunk or boot (depending on regional expectations)? If you care to share, I bet we find a window into what makes all of us different. =)

 

Nice.

It's rare my boot has anything but a jacket. My briefcase goes on the passenger to/from the office, and that's about it.

 

I daily my F-Type and never have anything in the trunk. On trips we usually do the same - fill it with wine or some other libation from one of our local CA distilleries/breweries. We have even gone so far as to label that little indentation in the trunk the "wine hole", as it seems to fit a case of wine almost as if by design at times. Though, it really should be called the 3rd wine hole as the first two are on our faces in the front seats.

Other than that we just fill it with duffle bags/soft shell coolers (or chilly bins as they are called in other precincts) on our longer trips. Been very happy to get multiple week long road trips around the bay and other parts of Cali in the jag with my wife who is a pack rat on a good day - the car has really exceeded my expectations there.

 

A Jaguar baseball cap, a tire repair kit, a tow hook, and a wench to remove the locking lug nuts.

 

Not many of us who keep a wench in the trunk/boot!
How often do you let her out?

 

So that's why Jaguar fitted that internal emergency release!

 

I am not disappointed; I knew someone would latch onto the wench misspelling! I hope the wench in the boot has a nice booty.
Unfortunately there is no wench in my boot, only a large Harley Davidson beach towel as a cushion for when I do actually haul something and a regular size bath towel which I use to cover the driver's seat when I forget to take a towel to the gym.
Was it here that I realized I was so OCD that I needed to put the letters in alphabetical order: CDO?

 

whether autocorrect or voice-to-text, reading the word "wenchwench" me laugh out loud this morning. I was thinking this thread was a bit ridiculous after posting it last night.... But that surely made up for it.

 

As of this moment, a gymbag, the windshield shade, my snowboarding jacket and the basics that came with the car that others have mentioned. In the cubby between the headrests I keep a microfiber towel, a pen and a moleskin in which I write down miles/gallons/price at each fill up. The center compartment has my work badge, a usb/usb c cord, gum and a $20 bill.

..I forgot the high quality jumper cables that my Dad bought for me for my first car. All these years and I've used them about 30 times for other people and only once for myself.

 

Is she cute? The winch that is.

She must be a small wench to fit in the trunk.

 

I keep my dead hookers in the trunk.

 

You kill rugby players? (UK joke)

 

A fine topic, Fishbits, originated it seems with excessive time on your hands. In the last fortnight, we too made a trip to pick up our allotment and 2 additional cases of wine = 27 bottles, for which I prepared, adding towels and cooler bags for protection against breakage and control of temperatures. The flat tire kit is long removed into garage storage, as, like you, I would not know how or want to use it. I have not needed to, nor changed a flat for decades, plus I have road-coverage insurance. My quick-shine spray lives in the boot, along with a microfiber towel, ballcap, and a Jaguar road kit which rotates to whichever car we are using. It contains essentials like the picnic blanket, two plastic wine glasses, corkscrew, perhaps some other items long forgotten. In the days after the wine pickup, the boot was essentially available for new thrills, so yesterday I went to the grocery for 3 bags of soup-stuff. (Have you seen the Top Gear road test of the early FT, where his grocery stop picks up a very tiny handful of 3 items for the boot?)
Last night I loaded my Golf Clubs in the only way feasible for FT's, I suspect all forum members know that method. This morning after golf, I stopped at BevMo and the local lottery source. (Used the quick shine to remove bird evidence) And when I win the lottery, I'll invite all forum members to a fine party in the aforementioned Napa Valley!
Impressed with the basketball BTW!

 

In adition to the basic equipment, I have a towel, a microfiber cloth, Gtechniq car wash soap, a sponge, a first aid kit and one litre engine oil. And it all goes in the small covered compartment in the bottom of the trunk.

In the glove compartment I have the users manual, tire pressure gauge, sunglasses, a pen and a small LED flashlight.

In the center console I have a USB memory stick with my favorite music.

Thats it - I think.

 

1 or 2 bottles of Prep ‘N Polish
1 or 2 short shifters ready for shipment
A stack of micro fiber cloths
A California duster
An official jag warning triangle
A backpack full of softball gear and bats (10 games scheduled this week)

 

No detailing stuff for me. I don't bother with that when I'm on the road.

I have worked with CERT for a number of their drills (operating local radio) and live in earthquake/fire country, so keep an emergency kit. Like most emergency kits, there's always more that could go in, but first aid kit, rope, collapsible cones, flares (hot and cold), glass breaker/seat belt cutter, orange vest, etc. Also, a shooting mat that makes a decent (but not especially big) picnic blanket or for lying on the ground to peek under the car, and a moving blanket. Probably 40 pounds of stuff. If I got rid of it my car would be teh faster. Soooooo much teh faster.

 

My only excuse is that it was 1:30 in the morning. I have to start proof reading.

 

I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about it, as I would think it would be better to be known for having a wench in the trunk!

That said nothing that exotic or fun in my trunk/boot:
4 Microfibre rags
2 bottles of the Unhingd prep and polish
1 small bottle of Rainex +
A small charger kit
The jag pump/goo package
extra pair of sun glasses
umbrella (as I DO drive the car in the rain)

 

Very good, very good. =) Factually, it was a rare moment of time to be irreverent and social on this forum. Glad no one made fun, because I would have to take the energy to ignore it.

 

Are you going to the JCNA event in Sna Barbara, this week? I'll be there, arriving Thursday.