I’ve come to a point in my life where I just can’t fit anything else on my desk. (See this post for my present system) Action is required! I’ve spent some of the day clearing up, some of it writing for Sunday and the rest looking at Life Hacker’s feature ‘Show us you bags’. I was looking for some tips on getting organised but this was much more entertaining! It’s interesting to see just what people end up carrying about. Some obviously think the world will end while they are on the bus to work so their bags are full of waterproof matches, fishing line and breath mints. Others have a more expected approach to their assault on urban life with PDAs, laptops and the now obligitary moleskine notebook.
So, what’s in my bag? Well I have 2 bags that I use regularly. One is a Gap rucksack that has loads of pockets and compartments, great for a conference or meetings. It cost £10 in a sale. This is my laptop bag, a Jansport messenger style bag with nice pockets for files.
Here’s what I carry:
My HP laptop – I take it for a day out quite often although less than I used to.
Power brick for laptop – the battery is almost dead (must get a new one!)
Cables – ethernet, USB for iPAQ, printer cable (not sure whyI have a printer cable)
iPAQ – serves as MP3/video player with a 4gb SD card and has all my contacts, diary, email and files I need for meetings. It has wi-fi so I can get my email on the move if I need to.
Sony noise cancelling earphones
Mobile Phone – Nokia N73 smart phone. Works most of the time and the camera is great for everyday random photos for blogging.
Sandisk Cruzer Titanium 1gb memory stick
A5 notebook – got a new one yesterday, nice black leather one.
Pens – bullet tip permanent markers, various white board pens, gel pens and a new Parker pen.
Tissues
Business card holder & cards
Leatherman & bits – this only comes to events. I don’t like carrying it about as the two knives on it are very sharp! (and I’m fairly sure it’s illegal to carry a knife about here in Scotland – note: it’s illegal only if it is over 3inches ,which my leatherman isn’t, and you don’t have any real reason for needing one, which most of the time I don’t!)
And that’s about it I think. Add a book and perhaps a DVD for an overnight stay and my wallet and sunglasses and sometimes a bottle of water and that’s my life in a bag.
So, what’s in your bag?
You and the rest og blog-land really don’t want to know!! May just have to do a blog entry on it though, if only to get a reason to empty out the junk!
I was surprised how little I have in my bag. Most of my stuff seems to live on my desk! If I’m away I take chargers for my iPAQ and phone but that’s about all. I also usually have some ibuprofen in my bag because I’m prone to tension headaches. I think I’m getting better at not taking loads of stuff I don’t need, especially on planes!
And to think men used to rib women about their handbags! If I don’t have a bottle of water I feel I’m dying of thirst; I would also always have some paracetamol, allergy eye drops, specs and the small shoulder bag that holds cash and credit cards. And maybe a mini umbrella. And my phone. but the bottle of water is the sine qua non.
Contents of my bag? Well I guess that kinda depends on the bag we’re talking about really because I use two bags on a regular basis. I have a smaller bag that comes out at weekends (to match my weekend wardrobe of course! lol) and it’s very minimal and organised – purse, lipstick and/or lipbalm, specs, car keys. Absolutely no clutter.
The other, a big bag I use during the week for college, is by far more intersting on this occasion. It just seems to collect stuff and at the end of every day there’s just MORE stuff being added to the collection from the day before making it more and more difficult to get what I really need in!
Like pmk I’m up for the challenge. Wonder what’s lurking at the bottom and in the wee side pockets!?
What type bag do you favour? I bought a leather ‘man-bag’ from a charity shop the other day (I don’t particularly like dell laptop bags, it looks too much like you are carrying a laptop) but I get ribbed by the kids who call it my handbag….
to be honest I like my gap rucksack best. My laptop fits in it but it doesn’t look like I’m carrying a laptop. I tend to use the jansport bag for meetings and stuff as it a great pocket for files.
I’m not quite ready to take the plunge and get a man bag yet though!
If you get a man bag, you do know who will never, ever let you live it down? You need to ask yourself, “Is it worth it?” 🙂
I know that the person you are talking about has a very dubious laptop bag!!! On a more serious note, isn’t it interesting how a bag insipres such interest or debate! I wonder what that says about us as a society that we associate particular bags with femininity or worse some homophobic response! (not that I’m for a minute suggesting that of anyone here)
Aye, well. Crumplers are for wannabe arty types, fashion victims or trendy students.
I may be a student but I’d never claim to be trendy so I have a nice sensible Eastpak rucksack with a laptop compartment. The downside of it is that it can carry so much that when I’ve raided the library, I’m sure it contravenes manual handling legislation guidelines.
Well I wouldn’t desribe myself as any of the types you mention but I do quite like my new ‘crumpler’. I do have a rucksack for cycling to work with my laptop and stuff, very practical kimmsack, can use it when running as well. I guess it’s horses for courses you’ve just got to avoid judging a carrier by their bag!
bclc,
I forgot to add appropriate smilies. It was a bit of an ‘in joke’, as it were. I guess they don’t come across so well in public blogs.
I do actually like some of the crumpler range. Just a bit beyond my wallet generally. But then I’d only buy one if it actually did what I needed. I’m a ‘function over form’ person generally (unless I can combine both).
So, no offence intended to crumpler users.
And Stewart, yes it does seem odd how something so ‘trivial’ can produce more debate than a serious topic. Perhaps it’s simply because we can hold a more informed opinion on it – we all need/use bags. But we’re all too aware (well, mostly) of our true ignorance when it come to expressing opinions/thoughts on the big issues.
No offence taken.
Just as well it was only something as trivial as my bag you were insulting…….
Do I get the impression I’m digging a deeper hole for myself? 😉
well stop digging then! 😉
I have a bit of a bag fetish. I like them. I’d buy loads of them if I was allowed. I have 4 rucksacks, one for work, one for climbing hills, one for more than a day and one that has random stuff in it. When I’m ever in a gear shop I’m drawn to the bags. What’s that all about???
Maybe it’s a bloke thing. I went through a phase of buying luggage on wheels – just because.
That said, I’ve got 3 rucksacks – 1 for uni, a 20l daysack for walking and a 30l rucksack for weekends. My holiday luggage is generally a big tote bag with everything crammed in – no space to bring pressies back either.
I guess my biggest ‘confession’ would be to using a bum-bag when I don’t have a jacket with me (unless I’m wearing trousers/shorts with lots of pockets). At Crossover it turns into a ‘techno-toolbelt’ laden down with radio, camera, phone and (when I still used it) digital recorder.
I guess if we were women, it’d be shoes (ducks and runs for cover).