I’ve been meaning to put together a tech bag/urban assault bag/art bag for awhile now, and I found the perfect bag for it: a Swiss Gear small messenger bag. I can’t seem to find any pictures on the web for it, so I suspect that it’s a discontinued model, which is fine because I got it at Meijer for about $25.
This bag has padding in both of its sections, and the main compartment is expandable with a zipper to accommodate the extra room. I can easily carry my netbook, a regular book or my Nook, my sketchbook, and other things.
So, let’s see what I might carry for what applications.
Always Carried:
- cell phone
- pen
- wallet
- misc. bag (contains some meds, tissues, my dues cards for OES and Nile, chapstick, etc)
- my version of the “hipster PDA”: a moleskine calendar and a moleskine small lined book, held together with the stretchy cord of the calendar
- Walkman MP3 player
- keys
- book I’m reading
Art Bag:
- sketchbook
- pencils
- pastel crayons
- drawing ink pen
- small canvases if they fit
Tech Bag:
- netbook
- usb key (holds some of my most important files)
- charger for my netbook (if I’m going to be out or travelling)
- Ubuntu LiveCD (for fixing other people’s computers; happens more than you think!)
- moleskine cashier for notes, even though I use Tomboy Notes for most everything
Other Applications:
- library bag, with Nook and library books
- bag to hold my stuff for Nile; actually this will work; as it holds everything but the charitable giving notebook, but I can carry that in my hands
I don’t know. This bag is very versatile, and I’m hoping to use it for one of these applications. I’m almost keen on replacing my purse with it, but I feel that it’d be too heavy for regular purse use. Also, I have a tendency to load up my bags with too much stuff; this is why I carry a relatively small purse. If I didn’t have a small purse, I’d probably load it up with everything but the kitchen sink and have major back pain as a result.
