It’s in the Bag: The 2024 Mostly Everyday Carry Update

When we last spoke I was searching for a new bag (or everyday carry or EDC) to handle my commute to work. While I primarily drove to work back then I also needed a bag that would handle client trips. The bag that won was the Topo Designs Y-Pack – a very simple, not-too-large bag. The Y-Pack, at that time, cost me a whopping $57.00.

Coming up on eight years later – eight years! – things are a bit different. I never commute to an office; my home office is my office. And while as of the writing of the start of this post I still owned and used the Y-Pack, after this long a time its mild negative qualities have worn on me. Truth be told, eight years is a great run for anything of this nature – it was used full-time daily for four of those eight years – but my needs have now changed.

Let’s talk about the Y-Pack for a moment in this context. This is an OG Topo Y-Pack, with no external water bottle pockets. It’s a big flap pocket on top, and outside of a laptop area inside, just a big space in the main compartment. No comfy straps, no suspended laptop space, no organization, no frame, no frills. That’s it! Early on while using it I kept with the “bags in bags” model that works for so many people only to find that I really got tired of it.

The size of the bag is still pretty great. It’s not a monster and fits very easily under an airplane seat. (Getting it out from the seat is a little hard – the top handle often gets smooshed underneath, so it’s a tough stretch for me to access the bag during a flight without using my foot to slide the bag out first.)

One thing that is critical about this bag, and one major reason I’m looking for a replacement: the straps. They are very cool, in the style of old-fashioned seatbelt straps, but they offer no support at all. (The current Y-Pack does have padded straps.) I had moved to a backpack to help out my shoulders in the first place and while the form of a backpack is totally what I need to stick with, I need something that has a little more give and softness. The handle atop it is also pretty uncomfortable as it, too, is just a simple strap with no padding; when I have even a light load in this, that strap hurts my hand.

In my last update post, I had noted the professionalism factor. The Y-Pack is absolutely not a professional bag in the bright turquoise color I have; it is a casual one. I strutted in that post a bit with a “I can rock it” attitude and, listen, I certainly can – but I am wanting something that can go both ways. A solid color, but a unique one, that is a bit more muted is in my current style wheelhouse.

The overall state of the bag is good. It is showing wear in a few places, and a stitch in the bottom of the laptop compartment is coming undone. There are a few small stains on the outer fabric that haven’t come off with (basic) cleaning, and the fabric around the main cinch cord is looking a bit ratty. Still the value of this bag, especially at its purchase price, is ridiculous. It’s well-made and gives me confidence in Topo's stuff.

A couple of my prior bags – the Timbuk2 Eula and Blogger 2.0 – are still completely usable, but don’t align with what I need these days. The Eula is a purse, good for when I don’t need a computer and just want to have a notebook and a lunch, or random things. The Blogger is on reserve as a standby backpack but I haven’t used it in a decade now; it’s partially the form factor and partially the color/aesthetic. Kudos to Timbuk2 from the 2000s for making good stuff.

Fine Tuning the Needs

Nowadays I need a laptop bag primarily for airport and similar travel. I’m traveling more than I did in the past, so a bag needs to be comfortable and manageable for walking around the concourse and hopping through TSA & customs. When I am local and head out to work at a coffee shop or coworking space, the bag still needs to do its job – but utility will be more important there. And of course it needs a presence at client meetings and workshops as well.

My loadout is much smaller than it was back in 2016, accordingly. My typical carry includes my 14” MBP, headphones, notebook, a book or two, pens, sundries, power bricks & cables, and a slim Kleen Kanteen water bottle. I may toss in a knit cap or a scarf and some snacks but nothing physically large. I am not a terribly tall person so having a backpack that is large (either tall or deep or both) is not great for a lot of reasons. And, well, weight is important too. My shoulders should only get cooked when I’m lifting weights. A bag needs to go easy on me, and not be heavy or overwrought on its own.

I do want some structure and not a floppy thing. Organization is now important to me; I like a bag that has some spots for things. I definitely need exterior water bottle access or something similarly fast. I also want a minimum of fuss to get into the main area (especially the laptop area) of the bag. The cinch drawstring of the Y-Pack is certainly not bad, and it is fast, but it is not terribly elegant.

Lastly it’d be nice if a bag could go on top of a carry-on’s handles but I’m largely on Team Always Check a Bag these days so this is less of a concern.

As far as budget goes, I’m planning to stay well south of $300, but $200 is far more comfortable and anything less is a bonus. Price is a factor, obviously, but I will admit I mostly want to be *done* buying bags. If this thing lasts 20 years I’ll be thrilled.

Contenders: The Brands

First, yes, I looked at a mix of brands without trying to get too wild. Mystery Ranch was probably the name I saw the most whose bags just didn’t hit with me. Timbuk2’s quality, as I understand it, did not stay the same in the past decade or so. Peak Design has lovely stuff but universally people said their bags were heavy. There are others but, again, I wanted to dig into this but not spend months in analysis.

I had originally gravitated towards Tom Bihn due to their reputation for quality, thoughtful goods that last forever. Tom Bihn recently got an investment round (Tom retired) so I had a small concern that the quality and the like could take a hit; based on reviews it’s unclear if that’s the case. The aesthetic of Bihn is a little busy and doesn’t play to fashion at all, but they offer some great colorways and I’m certainly not mad about that. However, the Synik and Synapse models I looked at ranged from $250 to $350, and the requirement to buy a laptop holster for several models ($50, and out of stock lately) just wasn’t great to think about. I set aside Bihn for the time being.

Evergoods is a little shop out of Bozeman that I caught wind of on a Tom Bihn forum. They have a limited line of products but are well known in the nerdier portions of the EDC and bag communities. I like a lot of their things and like that they’re a small company, designing and making things very carefully. Their product line for backpacks is very limited so it’s a “love it or leave it” type of offering. Everything comes in black, with an occasional second color. Some of their collabs have beautiful waxed canvas fabrics and colorways but aren’t returnable, and run way more expensive than the standard options.

Aer is another brand clearly going for the post-hipster tech aesthetic – simple, clean, understated looks. They have a nice variety of bags that look very high-quality and completely professional. The company itself is small, so you can sense a theme here, but there are zero names on their About page (with only four peeps on LinkedIn) and that makes it feel like a plug-and-play startup that could be gone after a bad quarter or two. That gives me a little pause. Colorways are sad and depressing – I’d look for something that’s olive or grey versus black.

Lastly, Topo is still very much in the mix! They’re a local company and obviously I can check out their bags easily in person at their flagship. There’s a joy and spirit in their stuff that makes me happy and that’s not worth nothing. They have a couple of offerings that lean a bit more subtle.

Contender 1: Topo Rover Pack Tech (RPT)

So yes, I first went to Topo’s flagship and checked things out. Topo’s entry in this category is the Rover Pack Tech. Based on the Rover Pack, this includes a bit more cushioning for a laptop - and both an internal laptop spot as well as an externally-accessible sleeve. The build quality of the RPT is very good, and this is the most subtle Topo bag design yet – everything is monochrome, down to the zipper pulls and drawstring. The only exception is the liner, which remains a daylight florescent yellow. The design is definitely not minimalist; there are a lot of buckles and straps and loops on this thing and I felt decidedly mixed about that.

The bag is stiffer and more structured than my Y-Pack. The RPT is several inches taller than the Y-Pack but not wider – this is a big rectangle. There’s a flap (with a pocket) secured by two buckles, and the top is a drawstring cincher just like the Y-Pack. Straps are nice and thick. There’s an external water bottle spot on either side, and both fit my Kleen Kanteen (but it’s snug.) When wearing it, this bag feels fine. When loaded with my regular stuff it’s not terrible. It sits higher up on the shoulders for me than the Y-Pack does. Loosening a strap and sliding it around to my front is a no go here, so accessing things quickly really isn’t an option.

I struggled with the RPT. The buckle & drawstring keeps things much more secure, but the fabric itself that cinches is far more sturdy and thick than that of the Y-Pack. This makes loud and crinkly in a not-good way. Second, the RPT remains a “you’ve got a big space, have fun” type of bag, so it doesn’t quite provide enough organization. The height of the interior is also pretty tall, honestly, and accessing stuff in it – already a struggle in the Y-Pack – is worse in the RPT.

The overall feel and quality of the RPT is there, but for what I need it’s not quite a fit. At the time of writing, Topo Designs had a few colorways on a deep discount ($65), but even at that price, I feel I’d be compromising too much.

Contender 2: Evergoods Panel Loader Classic (PLC) 20L

I appreciate that Evergoods offers the PLC in sage green. It’s a really nice color – almost green-grey – and it stands out really nicely against the sea of boring bags out there. The overall look of the PLC is understated: just a big front pocket, a little easy-access top pocket, and the main clamshell area. There’s a laptop spot and a couple of interior pockets, for various & sundry. I really like the look of the PLC and the quality and handfeel of the whole thing is just exceptional.

My challenge with the PLC was, well, the fact that the Civic Half Zip exists. It’s been a minute since I had a full clamshell setup and I have to say that it’s not really my favorite. I really do love the organizational spots built in to the PLC – there’s a laptop sleeve, as noted, along with a spot for a notebook and a pen right in front of that. Unfortunately, and very very sadly, my Appointed notebook of choice is just too big for this spot! And no, this model of bag doesn’t have an exterior water bottle pocket. I lived without it for a long time and the PLC helped me verify that yes, I’m done with that and I definitely want a pocket.

Wearing the bag was good, but it was almost a touch too small looking on my frame (and I’m not a tall person) and it was ever so slightly less comfortable when compared to the CHZ. I would hazard to say that if the PLC was slightly larger and had an outer pocket I’d strongly consider it in part due to the color and versatility. But thankfully, Evergoods has another few options, and I came to really like one of them. The PLC is a charmer but not quite the answer for me.

Contender 3: Evergoods Civic Half Zip (CHZ) 22L

That leads me to the CHZ. This is a really lovely bag. I first tried it in black – yawn – but it nails the understated aesthetic that Evergoods clearly has locked up. As the name implies the main compartment of the CHZ zips, uh, halfway down the bag so the front just flaps open. And honestly? It’s a pretty great way to access things. The exterior has a top pocket (it’s bigger than on the PLC – this is where I’ll pop my pocket contents when going through security), and two water bottle pockets. That’s all she wrote. The main compartment has two more zipper pockets, along with the laptop spot. Pretty simple stuff, but there’s enough in terms of pockets to make me question my need for any separate little bags and that is a very good thing.

The size of the CHZ is noticeably “just a bit” more than the PLC which makes sense on paper, but I noticed it most when doing a trial loadout. The CHZ simply has a bit more room to tuck things in, and I can more easily see using the half-zip when keeping this under an airplane seat. Honestly, too, the water bottle holders are something I really missed. I can’t quite access them when wearing it – a trick I could pull off with my old Blogger and its single strap – but swiping the CHZ off to access it is pretty simple. The zippers, both interior & exterior, are of course top-notch; I felt like they were just a bit smoother on the CHZ versus the PLC out of the box. When wearing this bag it also feels a bit better on my shoulders than the PLC, as if things are better distributed. The handles atop this and the PLC are both beefy and very good.

The handfeel and quality of the CHZ are exceptional. This (along with the PLC) feels and looks like a really quality product. The CHZ isn’t soft but it sits in that “not rough but tough” spot. I would extend this to say that it felt like the PLC would need “breaking in”, and – for some reason – I don’t see that being the case with the CHZ. It feels like it’s just ready to go.

I’m honestly wondering if I could go with the limited edition Burnt Orange color, though. Orange is a real commitment, but it looks incredible in photos. Honestly though, when I’m already past “yeah, this is the bag” and just thinking colorways, I think I’ve got my new pick.

The CHZ22 in Action: Initial Thoughts

I went with Burnt Orange. Late in 2023 Evergoods had a closeout sale on this color so I had less to lose at a very reasonable $129. It’s an uncommon, great color. Shortly thereafter the bag came with me on a couple of work trips. Here are my observations.

  • The half-zip format is dope. I love it. When in a chair, the front flap can just kind of be open and it’s no big deal; things are highly accessible.

  • Fits under an airline seat no problem.

  • The top compartment is perfectly sized. It’s smaller than the Y-Pack’s, but – you know – less stuff is less clutter.

  • As noted by many, putting stuff in that top compartment does mean the laptop sits “under” what’s in there. That means a slight adjustment is needed to get a laptop in and out. This is not a big deal at the moment.

  • The inner mesh pocket is fucking tiny and shallow, but good for a power brick and a couple cables and no more. (I was able to get a MacBook Pro brick, a tiny Anker USB-C brick, and a couple cables in there.)

  • Water bottle pockets are excellent and make it easy to get a bottle in and out – one-handed, even for putting back in.

  • My standard move to get the bag off is to just loosen the shoulder strap ripcords. Easy and quick.

  • When the bag isn’t completely stuffed, the items in the top pockets can kinda hang out over what’s in the bottom, causing a “waist” in the middle. (You can see it in the photo up just a bit.) This isn’t a big deal to me, but it sure could be to some.

  • Great weight distribution with the straps and sternum strap. My shoulders felt fine after hours of use.

  • Two tiny QC concerns I’ll watch. First, the zipper for the top compartment looks like it’s “pulling” towards the zippers for the main compartment. This doesn’t affect usage, but it looks a little strained. Second, the main compartment zippers do stick just a bit. I’ll drop Evergoods a note on this if things go awry.

  • The color is fantastic and unique. Super glad I went with it over black.

All told, the CHZ is an amazing bag and I think it’s a fantastic travel companion. (As of this writing, the orange CHZ22 is still on sale for $129 – but I expect quantities to be limited.)

iPhone 6 Plus Review

I've owned my iPhone 6 Plus for three years, and I thought it would be time to do a review.

For reference, my phone prior to this was an iPhone 5; for a quite brief time before that I owned a generic Android phone, which was my first foray into smartphones. The 6 Plus has been my main sidekick through a lot, and it's well-deserving of an examination of how it fits in to my life.

Form Factor

Back when I was deciding which phone to get, I really was on the fence between the iPhone 6 (which my wife ended up getting) and the 6 Plus. I chose the latter in part because it really obviated the need for an iPad. My iPad mini was thus sold, and the 6 Plus was going to be my travel companion and general tablet-phone thing.

I somewhat regret this decision.

Listen, I love the big screen. I do. It's fantastic for reading (as fantastic as this type of screen can be) and watching movies. But for anything else, it's a giant pain in the ass. It's big and clunky and awkward. I always need two hands to operate it.

Without a case on it, it's slippery as fuck. I always need to use a case, because the texture of the phone is that of thin, aluminum ice. I've tried operating it without a case, but the likelihood of my dropping this already too-big phone goes way up. And that's not great.

Of note, the phone has been dropped at least a dozen times in the past three years. There are charming little pucks and dents on the bottom. The worst, though, was that last year in Seattle I dropped it face-down on a floor and the screen cracked. There's a hairline crack still there, and I simply haven't fixed it yet. Mind you, that was with an Apple case on. This phone is nice but fragile.

Battery Life

It's bad.

I replaced my battery last November with one from iFixit and, I'm sad to say, that one is starting to decline in life as well. But the original battery started getting to a point where I was getting maybe two hours of use – normal use, nothing silly – before I had to plug in. Random shutdowns were also happening; it was especially charming to witness during a phone call.

Most days, if I'm browsing the web or reading (primary activities), I'll get maybe four solid hours from the iFixit replacement battery. That's an improvement. But it's clear something is amiss with this and the prior battery as well.

Notably, when the shutdowns started happening I took my phone to the Apple Store fully willing to pay for a new battery. At the time I was told no – the battery wasn't broken *enough* for them to fix it. I said, "But I am a consumer and I have money." They said, "No." I was stunned. And pissed, because I had to do it myself.

Anyway. Battery life is not good.

Screen Quality

The screen is pleasant. It's a beautiful, rich color screen. I like it.

Camera

The rear-facing camera is nice. It's not perfect, and I wish it could handle more macro shots, but it does a pretty good job most of the time. The photos are good enough quality to blow up to 8x10 if one chooses to do so; anything more than that is pushing it. You can tell it's a smartphone camera.

The front-facing camera is garbage and might as well not be there. It can't handle low-light, it's fuzzy and low resolution, and it's only good for a pinch.

Software

Over the past three years, my iPhone 6 Plus's performance has significantly degraded. Switching apps, launching apps, even Touch ID responsiveness have all moved from "Damn, this is way faster than my 5!" to "Let me count to 3." Most interactions with the iPhone 6 Plus are punctuated by pauses. Open an app? Pause. Wait. Wait. Wait. There it is. Type in in Messages. Hit the text bubble. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Keyboard.

It, in other words, exhibits most behaviors one expects of a 3-year-old PC. Notably, my 2011 (!!) MacBook Air still feels more up-to-date and reasonable than this phone.

In addition, this phone occasionally refuses to recognize my touch. That was true before the screen crack: sometimes, and I don't know what causes this, the whole screen becomes non-responsive. Swipe, tap, zip, pinch, push, nothing. Only turning it off and turning it back on again works. This happens in any app, and at seemingly random times.

As a bonus, the Touch ID sometimes exhibits this as well. No response from the sensor so I need to press the button and enter my passcode.

But back to software: it's been depressing to see something so high-performing and top-of-the-line become bottom rung in such a short amount of time. iOS 10 and iOS 11 definitely sucked the life out of this thing, and I'm still truly sorry I upgraded to iOS 11.

One of my favorite bugs: if I play audio with an app, any app, sometimes that app's controls will be "stuck" on the home screen. Like right now, my home screen shows controls for a podcast I last listened to two days ago. I can't get rid of it. It may go away on its own. It may not.

Control Center remains a joke and is horrible. I hate it. It's bad. It makes me mad to use it, that people made this and then thought it was good. It is not. It is one of the least usable things Apple has made, and I used the round iMac mouse.

Safari will crash if I zoom in on a page with a lot of graphics on it. Safari can't render Uniqlo's mobile site without crashing, too. There are some things Safari just can't do well, and it's sad to report that modern websites are in that mix.

Other Apple apps are fine, but the ginormous headers in Apple's apps are useless, speaking to a visual hierarchy that isn't really there. (INBOX! ARCHIVE! SETTINGS!) It's a design language that I can appreciate for small screens, maybe, but not large ones. It's unfortunate.

On the plus side, some of my favorite apps are on iOS and that's mostly what keeps me here. Nike+ Running has been my companion for 8 years (and running with this phone is horrible!); Overcast is the best podcast player; Things is the best to-do organizer. WIthout those things I'd be lost.

Summary

The iPhone 6 Plus is big, not very fast, has a decent camera, and runs things I like. The "This is an amazing piece of technology" phase is gone. The "This has improved my life" phase is long gone. In the end, while my phone does what I need it to do, I doubt I'd get a phone this large again. I'm also not certain about my future phone being on iOS, because of how purely terrible iOS has gotten in significant areas.

One big plus: it has a headphone jack. Thank goodness for that small piece of sanity.

 

Person of Interest

In the not-too-distant past, my wife and I added Person of Interest to our roster of shows we watch. I know I had written it off when it was actually on the air, thinking it was a procedural and boring and whatever, even though Michael Emerson and Taraji P. Henson were in it, whatever, CBS.

But wow, I am beyond glad we gave this show a chance.

My interest started to come around when my good friend Pam Drouin spoke about the intersection of finding, algorithms, and POI in her 2016 Design & Content talk. Truth be told I thought, hey, if Pam likes this it must be good. So we stuck through the first season, which was mostly crime-of-the-week with a twist! stuff. It was good, but not amazing.

It reminded me exactly of Fringe, another show that we loved (and was similarly underrated).

POI gets progressively better towards season 3. We're just a few episodes away from finishing season 4 now and I can safely say it's one of my favorite shows ever. The reasons are many, but other people have done a better job of expressing why. This essay by Peter Watts (via MeFi) explains a lot of it. POI explores AI, religion, belief, technology, privacy, and so much more with a degree of wit and skill that I haven't seen elsewhere. And the women are actual characters, with actual agency. The Bechdel Test is clearly being considered and adhered to in a majority of cases.

As Peter Watts says, there are clunkers here and there. That's true of any show really. But POI is compelling, interesting, and just good. If you are at all interested in technology and AI, or even just like a good mystery, POI is the show for you. Watch it.

Topo Y-Pack: Several Months In

In July I shared with the WWW my decision to change out my daily messenger bag for a backpack and it blew up: at least 6 people read it. Given I chose the Topo Designs Y-Pack and it's been a few months, I thought an update would be in order.

In summary, I still love the bag – and other people do too. I've gotten more than a few compliments about the bag's style and color and, to be honest, I've seen perhaps one or two out there in the real world. Those are bonuses for me.

Daily use & organization

The Topo has just one big pocket on its top flap, so I had to switch over to a “bags within bags” approach to storing my things. This has worked out pretty well: on a regular basis I toss in my work laptop, my water bottle, and my lunch in the main compartment. In the event that I need to bring a sweater to the office, I can fold it and put it in the main compartment too.

I have three mini-bags in my Topo regularly. One is devoted to small toiletries, and the other is devoted to electronics (cables, headphones, Bluetooth presentation pointer, et al). Originally I kept both bags in the main compartment. Those bags both sank to the bottom of the bag and were never heard from again. But a rescue mission was undertaken and I put the bag for electronics in the main Topo pocket. Yep: a pocket in a pocket. It's like the opposite of any women's clothing ever.

The top flap pocket now has two purposes: holding the electronics, and holding my frequently-accessed stuff like pens and Field Notes. It works out well!

I've had no real problems nor qualms with the pullstring closure nor the small latchy/strap closure. Both are great and have held up perfectly.

And while I do take care of my bag, it's worth noting that the thing shows no signs of wear at all. Nice, quality material.

Travel use

The Topo has been with me on quite a few trips, and it is a great travel companion too. While my usage isn't all that different when I'm traveling, it's worth noting that it fits brilliantly under airplane seats and is portable and lightweight enough that it doesn't bother me at all as a backpack. Looking back on my original post, I feel the Timbuk2 – while a really lovely bag – would have been overkill for my real needs.

On professionalism

One of my friends on Twitter wondered if backpacks aren't “professional”. I get it. I've had this backpack in super-profesh client environments so far (where I was wearing a suit, for instance) and it hasn't truly bothered me. I think part of this depends on one's personality, to be honest. I feel I can pull it off, and wear this bag with confidence, so I do.

So far, so great

All told I really love this bag. It's something I don't have to think about much, but makes me happy when I use it. It's a very Colorado bag and, thankfully, it's a very me bag as well. Highly recommended.

A Brief History of Bags

I care more than a little about my daily bag.

While my commute has changed quite a bit over the past several years – I drive now, and have a very tiny walk to the office – I still rely on my bag to hold my essentials. Things like my work MacBook, my water bottle, a slew of notebooks and related designer-y stuff, my lunch, small toiletries... these are in my daily carry. The secondary purpose of my bag, outside of just carrying stuff, is to be my carry-on during business travel. It needs to be a trusted companion with enough storage for me to put all of my stuff in it, yet can't be ugly.  For years, through it all, I've stuck with messenger bags.

But the time has come for me to switch to a backpack. My back, legs, and shoulders are simply no longer interested in holding a messenger bag. I've narrowed down a few options for a new bag. For those interested in the past, though, I wanted to share a look back at where I've been.

It was a lovely Monday in October, 1977... hm. Wait. We don't need to get that detailed.

Bags of Paul Past

eBags backpack (~2007-2009): My first foray into the world of bags other than company-given ones (mostly), and no longer available, this was essentially a backpack with a single thick shoulder strap. Big features included a water bottle holder and a little spot for a CD player! And there wasn't an “official” place for my laptop. Black and white, which wasn't my style. Overall grade: C.

Timbuk2 Blogger 2.0 (2009-2011): The first bag I really loved. The Blogger 2.0 had a separate compartment for a laptop, in back, and was TSA-compliant – another bonus. Notably, this bag was capable of holding two computers: a 5-pound Mac at the time and a 5-pound PC. Did I do that? Yes. Did it hurt? A little. But, great shoulder strap padding on this one. Two side pockets, deep pockets in front. I went with a black and brown color combo. This bag is still functioning today, primarily as a clothing/toiletries day bag when my other ones don't fill the bill. I don't use it as my daily carry because it's not my style, and it's just too bulky. Overall grade: A.

Timbuk2 Eula (~2011): A downgrade from a giant bag, and reflecting my status as not needing to bring a laptop to and from work. The Eula was custom, so I went for a dapper waxed canvas (green and brown). The bag itself did a great job of holding my stuff, but really wasn't designed for laptops of any stripe. My MacBook Air just barely fit, and my MacBook Pro was truly straining it. I still use this bag, too, but more as a purse when needed. Overall grade: A.

Navali Mainstay (2015)So I thought, “Hey, I just need a bigger Eula!” Timbuk2 didn't sell it; I tried their Dashboard bag, but I really just didn't like its size, shape, and lack of compartments. So, I gave the Mainstay a try. It was not lovable. Fickle front snaps made every interaction with it a mess. The waxed canvas wasn't as high quality as the Eula's. There was padding on the shoulder strap that only went as high as my chest. A zipper pull broke. While mostly attractive, it just couldn't cut the mustard. I started to look for a new bag last year, a few months after I got this. I have this bag and no longer use it. I mostly don't like it. Overall grade: D.

Rickshaw Zero (2015-now)My employer provided us with these bags, the large version of the Rickshaw Zero. They are not your typical corporate boring bags; in fact, I generally think my bag is nice. It's unstructured, for better or worse. There are two large pockets up front, and I added Velcro closures so contents stayed secure. It... it is large. Rickshaw has a modular, Velcro (again) system for their bags, so I can swap smaller bags in and out as I please, which is lovely! And while I had no choice in the color, it's a great grey herringbone with an orange interior. But, there is no shoulder strap padding and it can be unwieldy... I need to hoist it over my head in order to get it cross-body. Not a great move. And there's no top handle, so a quick grab is tough. (The Mainstay didn't have one either.) It is pretty much the heir apparent to the Blogger 2.0, just sans structure and better-looking. Still... my shoulders... they hurt. Overall grade: A.

What I Carry

Contents. Not enough Field Notes, natch.

Contents. Not enough Field Notes, natch.

It had been about 7 years since I last inventoried what I carry in an orderly fashion, so here is what I usually have in there, sans any lunch or ephemeral stuff.

This, of course, was a nice excuse for me to determine what stuff I actually didn't need to have around. The answer: old business cards, stickers, an empty tiny case, and nearly-outmoded storage (USB sticks and SD cards). The small orange bag came with my Rickshaw; the grey one behind it was one I picked up at Rickshaw's shop in SF.

What do I really need my bag to do? Well, it has to carry my stuff, obviously, without strain nor stress on me. My bag also needs to look at least a little stylish. I can appreciate the aesthetic of a Tom Bihn Synapse but it's just outside of what I like. The bag also needs to be of good quality. Even my low-cost eBags backpack held up for multiple years. Outside of the Navali, each of the bags I've had has stood up to cross-country travel and daily usage. That's a requirement.

While I need some access to some items in my bag, I've grown accustom to having little access to things due to my Rickshaw's layout. So I don't mind taking a bag off to get a water bottle, for instance.

Within the it's stuff division, I also want using the bag to be pleasant. I don't want it to be a chore. I want it to just work for me.

 

Left: Topo Designs Y-Pack (named for its strap & closure, presumably) in turquoise. Right: Timbuk2 Walker, 2014 model, in midnight. (Photo color-corrected due to cold, poor lighting.)

Left: Topo Designs Y-Pack (named for its strap & closure, presumably) in turquoise. Right: Timbuk2 Walker, 2014 model, in midnight. (Photo color-corrected due to cold, poor lighting.)

Baglimination Round 1

After soliciting more opinions on Twitter, I narrowed down my search to a few brands I knew and loved (Tom Bihn, Timbuk2, Rickshaw) and found a few new ones too (Osprey, Topo Designs, amongst others). Friends recommended both brands and specific models I hadn't heard of, and some I had! I've decided to audition two bags for starters. I'll give these bags a go, and if they don't work out, they'll be ELIMINATED. Here are the first two contenders. DING DING.

Timbuk2 Walker (2014)A handsome bag without looking too masculine nor utilitarian, I've always liked this style and line from Timbuk2. And given I have a good track record with them outside of the Dashboard, I wanted to give them another go. This old model was on a fine deal at REI, so it was an easy choice. It appears the pockets are a little different on this year's model, but the storage is similar. The outer small pocket looks handy. A little concerned about ventilation. But basically, pockets.

Topo Designs Y-Pack: Topo is a local company (yay!) and they have a great shop not far from my office. I've been intrigued by their stuff and the Y-Pack in turquoise really put me over the line. It's a clean and simple design. I don't even mind the logo placement. I'm unsure if the lack of any apparent pockets will be a thing for me, but it might be. My gut feeling is that this one really won't work out, but I need to try it anyway. I do like that they're made here, too.

Detail of the Topo's latch and larger-than-I-thought logo patch. At least it's nicely done.

Detail of the Topo's latch and larger-than-I-thought logo patch. At least it's nicely done.

First Impressions: Topo Designs Y-Pack

The Y-Pack is definitely more along the lines of a one compartment, just put all your shit in it kind of bag. But I appreciate this simplicity. The main compartment is accessed by undoing the latch in front. It's not as simple as Velcro, but it gives about as easily and appears to be nowhere near as fussy as the Navali.

The top flap is also the sole outer pocket. It's deep with a chunky zipper and bright red pull; very satisfying. There's no liner so, for now, I can see my Field Notes and earbuds living here. (In these photos I put my toiletries and other items in here, but it was a little awkward and caused the top flap to slump down.)

Inside, there's a cheerful yellow separator that keeps the MacBook safe. The padding is modest but appears sufficient. The main compartment is deep, so again, this bag requires the use of smaller bags. Interestingly, my 27oz Klean Kanteen fits perfectly, horizontally, at the bottom of the bag. The MacBook's space is also just right for the 13". Oh, one thing that is interesting: the main compartment has a drawstring closure (also in red, nice). It's a curious detail, but I rather like it.

The Y-Pack is lightweight and feels so, when I have it on. It is noticeably easier for me to carry versus the Rickshaw, and the straps are on the far ends of my shoulders – a good, stable place.

Everything's in, and it looks nearly the same from front as when it's closed – nice.

Everything's in, and it looks nearly the same from front as when it's closed – nice.

First Impressions: Timbuk2 Walker (2014)

It's a Timbuk2 bag. What stood out immediately was the number of pockets: it's a lot! There are umpteen million interior pockets (science!), one exterior pocket with a nice fat zipper and the Timbuk2 signature key strap inside, and one more exterior pocket for, I imagine, a small umbrella or a water bottle smaller than mine.

This is a big bag. Size-wise, you can see above that it almost dwarves the Topo. I was surprised by this. My MacBook fits fine in the attractively-lined interior compartment, but it appears designed for a 15" or larger laptop – there's more than a small amount of wiggle room.

The main flap closes via snaps (two positions, very nice), and again, it's more picky than Velcro but far less than the Navali. I could see this being a tiny nuisance but not to the point of real annoyance. The main interior compartment is deep – deeper than the Topo, naturally, and it very nearly requires the use of bags as well. The pockets mostly save it, although one of the interior pockets – the one facing the main compartment – is shallow.

The Walker is a heavy bag, even when empty. It's nearly double the weight of the Topo. And I felt it when I had it on. The Walker is noticeable. Its straps are much thicker, padded, and slightly more comfortable than the Topo but they also crowded in closer to my neck. Not pleasant.

The quality and attractiveness of the bag isn't lost on me. This thing looks good. It also very much fits in a business aesthetic.

First Impressions: In Summary

I thought the Walker would be an easy winner here, but I'll be honest: I really like the Y-Pack. The Walker's size and weight puts it in a different class of bag and I'm not convinced I need all that space. The Walker reminds me of a well-updated version of the Blogger 2.0. But it also reminds me of why I didn't want to keep using the Blogger: it's bulky.

The materials and colors of these bags are also quite different. The Y-Pack is a Colorado bag, no doubt: functional, simple, no-nonsense, and the bright colors give it spirit. The Timbuk2 is a richer and higher-end set of materials right down to the leather zipper pulls. So the Timbuk2 will arguably fit in more places than the Topo. But for what I actually need, a vast majority of the time, the Topo will fill the bill.

I'm going to give the Topo a good workout this week but, I'll be honest with you: unless something goes horribly wrong, it's my pick for now.