Tagged: carryology

Carry

I’m kind of interested in this “new trend” in bags. The idea is that whatever the bag, whether it’s a messenger or a backpack or a satchel or a duffel, it must have space alloted for a laptop/iPad and a DSLR camera. It’s as if these are the only things anyone actually carries, and nothing else is worth mentioning.

I don’t own either, so a lot of this kind of thing is lost on me.

Here are some of my criteria. Can I put my lunch in it? When I get where I’m going, will I still be able to eat my lunch? Is it waterproof? How waterproof? Does it have stupid straps that will blow around in the wind and get caught in the spokes of my bike, or hit me in the eye while I’m standing on a cliff?

Can I put a book in it? I am currently reading Neal Stephenson’s The System of the World, which clocks* in around 900 pages. This sort of thing is not uncommon for me. If I put a book in it, will there be room for anything else? Like a thermos?

So, yeah, that classy little rucksack with the clever pockets looks nice. But to me? Useless.**

* Clocks. Get it? Ha ha.

** This is not entirely true. If I had to, I could fill it with clothes, or newspaper, or leaves, and use it as a pillow. I suppose I could fill it with rocks and fend off at least one zombie. But as far as it’s intended purpose? Useless.

Finally Fixing Something

A long time ago someone gave me this little “shower” bag from H&M. It has served me well for many years, but a few months ago the buckle broke. I won’t go into much detail, but a tiny spring broke off of a tab on the buckle, and the whole thing would not buckle anymore. Nobody wants their toiletries falling out when they travel. Most people would’ve tossed the whole thing and gone out and bought a new one. I was determined to fix it myself.

Eventually I decided to take drastic measures. I used a pair of pliers to break one half of the buckle off. I had to use a hacksaw to remove the other half. Then I went out and bought a pair of D rings. My thought was that I could feed them through the strap loop, and then weave the other end of the strap through the D rings. I’ve seen belts like this so I thought it ought to work.

Well. No, not really. I could not bend the D rings, and in all my efforts to bend them I realized two bad things: I was scraping the nickel plating off the rings, and even if I could bend them and put them on the loop I wouldn’t be able to bend them back.

So a change of plans. I put the D rings on the open end of the strap, folded it over, and sewed it down. I used a (book) binder’s needle and some binder’s thread. I felt pretty clever about this. I used what I had available. I used crap I had stuffed in boxes I’d forgotten all about. Then I took a piece of leather cord, cut it to size, fed it through the loop, and knotted it at one end. That weaves through the D rings really well.

End result here.

A Possible Ideal Nomad Pack List

I tried to put together a list of absolute essentials for getting around. This list would include things I need no matter where I go or what I’m doing. It doesn’t include clothing or money- those are obvious, as is something to carry all of this in. It’s meant to be a list of core items that I should have with me in order to be prepared for almost anything. In theory the list is the same for a trip to visit my parents and a trip to Argentina.

  • Camera.
  • A water/coffee bottle.
  • Utensils.
  • Sweater.
  • Flashlight.
  • Cell phone.

That’s a pretty minimal list, and I like that. Possibles and optionals include:

  • A knife.
  • Camera battery charger.
  • Gorillapod.
  • First aid kit.
  • Glasses.
  • Emergency snacks.

What (pleasantly) surprises me about this list is that I follow it fairly closely on a daily basis.

I wanted to include my passport but it seems unnecessary, and possibly dangerous, if I’m not actually leaving the country.

Suggestions? What’s on your list?

Could’ve Been Better, Could’ve Been Worse

For someone who’s interested in travel and carryology my trips this year have been pretty bad.

Things that did not go well:

  • No maps. I assumed I’d pick up a map of the city in the lobby. I did not actually do this. It made for an interesting evening. And then, when I got a map, I did not actually use it.
  • No idea where to eat. Specifically breakfast. Sometimes it can be find to wander around and find a place that looks good to eat. Sometimes it’s noon and you haven’t had anything to eat except a banana and you end up eating in what would otherwise be a nightclub.
  • No idea where to pee.
  • Navigation in general was a total fail. I did not bother to pay attention to landmarks, or the moon, or even attempt to ever get my bearings.
  • Didn’t take enough photos. And the photos I took were bad.
  • Didn’t bring certain things because I didn’t plan to need them, but that’s not the point.

On the other hand, things that went well:

  • I packed well. Everything fit in one bag. Which was nice because Kathleen packed a whole bag of cookbooks. If I pack light it means I am more able to carry something else.
  • Booking the hotel through kayak.com.
  • The directions to the hotel were spot on.
  • I wore good walking shoes and warm clothes.
  • We had fun.

I’ve had time to think about the trip. I can beat myself up about the things I didn’t do very well. I should know better. I certainly wasn’t giving the trip my best effort. That said, this is what I want to do, I’ll get better with practice, and practicing is the fun part.

Ditching the Camera

For a while I was really interested in photography. Not just other people’s, but in taking better photos myself. I didn’t want to be a photographer, I just wanted to straddle the fine line between point-and-shoot and really good photography. I was carrying my camera around with me everywhere. I shot pictures of myself riding home from work, stuff just lying around, food at restaurants, whatever. I thought I was bringing artistry into every day things.

Granted, I did get better at taking photos. But unless you’re willing to let go of the point-and-shoot and admit you’re a photographer, taking better photos is a very short path.

Then it started to rain and when it rains it’s difficult to haul a camera around. It’s awkward and impractical to take a lot of photos while riding your bike to work through the rain. So I started leaving my camera at home. You wouldn’t think it, but doing that made a bit of dent in the amount of stuff I had to carry around every day.

And then I finished the book I was reading. Instead of carrying the same book back and forth to work, I started a new book which I just left at work; I read a different book at home. Suddenly I wasn’t carrying a camera or a book. Suddenly I had no need to bring a shoulder bag. Suddenly I was carrying very little, and it was so much easier.

It’s been a few weeks. Rarely do I wish I had my camera on me. What’s more, it’s easier to enjoy myself. I don’t have to worry about embarrassing anyone with my camera. I don’t have to worry about whether or not a photo will come out well in this light. I don’t have to figure out how to bring my camera when I’m all dressed up for something fancy. I can just live my life without having to vainly try to take better photos. I can just enjoy my life without pretending I’m something I’m not.