The Column
It’s been a while since I talked about EDC1 directly, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever directly covered one bag travel. Let’s rectify that.
Also - I felt like drawings lots of things in Excalidraw, so get ready for that too.
I’ve got Baggage
Remember Column 345 about the Backpack? I love bags. I have too many of them, but I primarily use these.
Timbuk2 Never Check Expandable Backpack
Already extensively covered in Column 345.
Osprey Daylite Plus
My black Timbuk2 bag is great, but also more than I need for most things. Often I only need to hold my iPad, a water bottle, and a protein bar. Enter the Osprey Daylite Plus. It’s awesome. In fact, when you stack it side-by-side with my other backpack, the Timbuk2 does not look good:
| Timbuk2 Never Check Expandable Backpack | Osprey Daylite Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 21 liter to 25 liter | 20 liter |
| Water bottle holder | 1 small one | 2 huge ones |
| Luggage pass thru | No | Yes |
| Reservoir compatible | No | Yes |
| Slip pocket | Technically, yes | Yes & it’s better |
| Bag name | Stupid | Less stupid |
| Weight | 2.6 lbs | 1.3 lbs |
| Build quality | Great | Also great |
| Price | $230 | $75 |
The difference between 2.6 pounds and 1.3 pounds is really noticeable when you’re walking around with a bag on your back all day. Also the bag takes up so much less space when it’s empty. This much less fancy, much less expensive bag has nearly entirely replaced my “nicer” one. This fits in with a recurring theme/principle2 in my life: Less, but Better.
A Duffle (or) Rolling Carry On
Sometimes you need to bring more stuff. These are my volume options. I like the one with wheels when I’m going on plane trips and the soft-sided one for when I’m going on car trips. They’re both capable of holding around ~40 liters. They get the clothes, often segmented into packing cubes.
I find lots of write-ups like these focus heavily on the clothes themselves. I’m a weirdly-sized individual and don’t think that my clothes recommendations would really apply to anyone under 6’4”.3 I don’t have a “standard” set of travel clothes. They’re always picked and packed uniquely for whatever the trip needs.
Modules
I used to be the kind of organized person who wanted a 1000 little pockets for each of the 1000 little things. Now I’m much more a fan of the “bag in a bag” approach. Something my wife has advocated forever.
Actual Everyday Carry
I don’t carry anything that doesn’t comfortably fit in my pockets. Thus, my actual EDC is:
- An aging iPhone
- An aging Apple Watch
- A thin no-name wallet
- AirPods Pro
- Occasionally: multitool or pocket knife
Water Bottle
My water bottle isn’t on me 24/7 like the above, but it’s pretty darn close. I definitely have a water bottle on me more often than the multitool/pocket knife. It ends up in every bag I have, or just generally sitting nearby. I bring it with me into places like Jimmy Johns, rather than produce the waste of getting a cup for water.
My water bottle of choice is still the 40oz Ice Shaker which I covered in Column 440.
Evergoods Civic Access Pouch
The most interesting part of this Column, I’d guess, is my Evergoods Civic Access Pouch. This is the bag that is my “bag in a bag”. It goes into whatever backpack I’m using. It goes on my desktop at work and at home. This holds my daily-but-not-quite-EDC stuff. It is lightweight, firm enough to retain its shape but not rigid, and segmented enough to stay organized without forcing the use of its various pockets. Its killer feature, though, is the way that it opens up to a wedge shape, providing stability while displaying its contents for easy access. This functions like a desk drawer that’s always at whatever table I’m working from.
In this case is:
- General self-care things (travel toothbrush, lotion, lip balm, & some painkillers for errant headaches or whatever)
- Post-its (for a Daily Post-It)
- Writing implements (sharpie & pen)
- Protein bar and/or drink mix packets
- This awesome all-in-one travel charger (THANKS ED & MICHELE)
- A very small leatherman (not included on airplane loadouts)
- Empty space enough for other ad hoc uses (e.g. sunglasses)
This organizer is awesome.4
Lunchbox
The humble lunchbox gets not the appreciation it deserves. Our family is very much into the concept of “Meal Prep”, and a decent lunchbox & bento boxes enable that habit. My lunchbox is its own ice pack. It lives neatly tucked into the bottom shelf of the freezer door. When I pull it out each morning it’s cold and good to go.
Charger & Cables Bag
My chargers & cables bag is the result of a bad itch I needed scratched nearly a decade ago. Its contents have evolved some, but still it basically just holds chargers & cables. Everything in this bag lives in it permanently - it is not emptied between trips. It’s a grab-and-go “I’ve got all the chargers & cables we’ll need” solution.
- USB-C to USB-C x2 (one long, one short)
- USB-C to lightning5
- USB to lightning5
- Lightning to 3mm headphone adapter5
- Apple watch OG Charger
- Travel Apple Watch USB dongle
- A high-powered multi-USB wall adapter for simultaneous charging overnight
- A small portable power bank
- A pen
- Some Tylenol / ibuprofen
Dopp Kit
There’s no picture here, because I’ve not found a Dopp Kit6 setup that I like. Some day I’ll get a bug in me and need to flex my consumerist muscles to get some “perfect dopp kit setup” that achieves the same job as my charger & cables bag. Until then, this is the weakest area of my packing game. I like to use mouthwash, and despite using travel-sized mouthwashes and travel-sized hair products, it just doesn’t quite fit everything I’d want it to. So I end up with another bag that routinely gets forgotten in the bathroom at my in-laws’.
Top 5: Typical Travel Scenario Packing Jobs
You’ll have to imagine the numbers 1 through 5 in this image.
Quote:
He said we have to do something creative to get $1, and if we don’t Watch watch TV we get $5, so I don’t want $5.
- My 6 Year Old
Footnotes
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I now find this term a little cringey, but also it’s exactly the stuff I’m talking about here. ↩
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Recurring themes & principles might end up getting their own page on this blog. ↩
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This is the threshold for being tall, Nick. ↩
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This is not a sponsored post or anything, I just really enjoy the product. ↩
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Until we get new phones and never need to use anything but USB-C ever again ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Dopp Kits are just toiletry bags. I think the name “toiletry” evokes the toilet, so people have taken to calling them Dopp Kits for whatever reason. ↩