Slashdot Mirror
Recommend a Tech Toys Bag?
SuperMallen asks: "With the recent purchase of an iPod and iPod-capable car radio, I am realizing that I have reached maximum capacity in terms of what can go in my pants pockets. Given that I want to take both the iPod and my radio face with me wherever I go (along with my cellphone, Bluetooth headset, wallet, keys, and possibly a laptop with mouse, power supply, and whatever reading material I'm carting around), I'm thinking that what I need is a medium sized bag or backpack with pockets dedicated for this sort thing. What does the Slashdot community do for things like this? Any brands or models you have found work for you?"
Find someone with a vagina. It won't hold your geek crap, but suddenly you will notice you won't have such geek-ass problems. Short of that, try a big paper sack.
Check out the whatsinmybag tag on Flickr. Lots of ideas for different bags there. Even though the focus is more on the contents, people do talk about and show their bags there as well.
Also there's the whatsinyourbag tag, but it's pretty much the same thing.
"I am realizing that I have reached maximum capacity in terms of what can go in my pants pockets."
sound like a personal problem to me.
Does that car stereo faceplate really need to go everywhere with you? Why not keep it in your glove compartment or your trunk?
Same for the iPod - do you _really_ need to take it everywhere? It's a music player, not a binkie.
The Bluetooth headset can definitely stay in the car. That or just leave it on your ear rather than trying to find pocket space. If you're going to try to walk around like a wannabe Borg, you might as well look the part.
You do _not_ need to bring the mouse everywhere. $5 says your computer has a touchpad or one of those nipple things.
Not saying you have to get rid of all of this stuff, just saying it sounds like you're carrying around more crap than you actually need.
Anyway, if you are going to carry that much weight, I would strongly push you toward getting a small padded case for your laptop and then throw it into a backpack designed for backpacking. Most of the laptop and courier bags out there weren't designed with your body in mind. I switched to an innerframe day pack from REI for days when I'm schlepping myself around the city on my feet or my bike, and my back and shoulders have thanked me a thousand times over.
My first recommendation is to only carry small and where possibile, hybrid gear.
Secondly purge your bag weekly.
Thirdly, a small bag with a well padded single shoulder strap seems to put less pressure on joints, nerves, etc. The older you get the more you will appreciate this. It is counter-intuitive but backpacks easily cause me more discomfort, even with a good belt.
I am currently carrying an Eagle Creek Travel Gear shoulder bag. In it I carry:
Sony Clie UX40 in an aluminum case
crap Cell phone (if work didn't pay for this it would be a Treo 650)
Bandana (almost as good as a towel)
2 pens
business cards
Mini flash light
usb ROM stick
mini tape measure
Leatherman Squirt mini-multi-tool
spare stylus
A small Moleskin notebook
earplugs
Sony noise reducing earbuds(passive)
Motorola HS820 BT headset (crap)
2.5 lb convertible Fujitsu Lappy w/extended battery(I fuckin dig this thing!)
Caselogic neoprene DVD Player Case for the laptop.
On the laptop there is easily 500 ebooks including textbooks for school, reference books for work and fiction for downtime. The whole enchilada weighs only 5.5 lbs!
And as soon as I figure out how to get Outlook to wake my laptop out of standby I'll ebay the PDA.
My sister carries a "healthy back bag" from LL Bean that is even more comfortable. I'll try that next.
Take care of your body before it turns on you!
BillyBob
bamph