To Go (Where?) Bag
My go-to, to-go bag for 2020.
Seems a little absurd to be posting about my every day carry, when in reality, I really haven’t left the house in a really long time. With the exception of going to/from work, and occasionally going to the grocery store, if there wasn’t a pandemic going on I would probably meet the clinical definition of a recluse months ago.
THE BAG
The Medium Muzetto Leather Bag from Waterfield Designs has been my goto togo bag for the majority of this horribly strange year.
Muzetto Leather Bag from Waterfield Designs
I’ve been a fan of Waterfield Designs for nearly a decade & have purchased several bags and accessories from them over the years. Their products are highly durable, functional, and all their products are manufactured right in the United States. I am currently using their Medium Muzetto Leather Bag, which comfortably accommodates everything you’ll see listed below (and more). The inside consists of a protective laptop slip; a main compartment for storing magazines, notebooks, and/or a water bottle; a zippered section with three smaller pockets for organization; and an outer pocket under the leather flap with an additional padded cellphone pocket. The outside of the bag is made of beautiful grizzly leather that scuffs and develops a lovely patina over time.
I love this bag: compact, highly functional, and made with incredible materials and craftsmanship; all designed around carrying and protecting your tech.
Link: Muzetto Leather Bag
The Tech
The iPad 12.9” inside the Magic Keyboard.
iPad Pro 12.9” W. MAGIC KEYBOARD
Slotted inside the built-in tech sleeve of the Muzetto bag is my 12.9” iPad Pro & Magic Keyboard. Except for any remote work and the occasional use of design apps requiring a laptop, the iPad has shifted to becoming my default computing device ever since the first iPad Pro with ProMotion was released in 2017. And this trend has only accelerated with each successive release of iPadOS over the past two years. The iPad features stunning industrial design, incredible performance, and modularity to suit my needs at any given moment. It’s my favourite & most frequently used computing device.
Link: iPad Pro
The Magic Keyboard released earlier this year is literally one of the few bright spots in the first half of 2020. The Magic Keyboard is a dream to type on, and the reimagined cursor support has only elevated the joy and productivity of using the iPad.
Link: Magic Keyboard
The Tchotchke
Most of this stuff (except for the AirPods case, Apple pin, and pen) resides in that pencil case I’m using as a portable tech pouch.
STYLUS PENCIL CASE
Even around town, I like the option of carrying around just a few cables. It’s rare that I ever really use them, so I wanted to be very selective in what cables I take to make sure it remains as small and compact as possible. This pencil case is from Waterfield Designs (I told you I love their stuff), and is sized to fit ‘the essentials’ on a day out.
Link: Stylus Pencil Case
Sandisk 500GB Portable SSD
I carry around this compact & durable SSD with some encrypted files, documents, and backups I occasionally want to have on hand, with USB-C making for fast data transfer (550MB/s) and compatibility with my iPad. While it is rugged (including being water, dust, and shock resistant), I couldn’t help tucking it inside an old iPod Sock I had lying around.
Link: SanDisk Portable External SSD
Apple Park PIN
With the formal opening of Apple Park back in 2019, Apple decorated their new campus, held a performance by Lady Gaga, and gave employees a pin with the message: “thank you for being part of what makes Apple, Apple.” Shortly after that event, I stumbled across a listing for one of the pins on eBay and couldn’t resist. Someone out their earned a pretty penny off me, and I got a memorable token of Apple’s history.
Cactuar + SIM Ejection Tool
I carry around an iPhone SIM ejection tool attached to a little Cactuar figurine (a character from the Final Fantasy universe).
St. Christopher Keychain
This keychain is a family heirloom passed down from my grandfather to my mom, and then passed down to me. It was very important to my mom that I carry this token, given that Saint Christopher is designated as the patron saint of safe travels.
Whoosh! Screen Cleaner & Cloth
While travelling, I carry around a small 0.3 fl oz. bottle of Whoosh screen cleaner for my glasses and devices. There are few things worse than sitting down and having the sunlight bounce off your tablet, showcasing the 30,000 specs of dust and hundreds of finger smudges you’ve accumulated.
Link: WHOOSH! Screen Cleaner Kit
Apple Retro 1951 Tornado Ballpoint Pen
At Apple’s retail stores at 1 Infinite Loop & the Apple Park Visitor Center, they sell a collection of branded merchandise - t-shirts, water bottles, cards, pens, etc. - exclusive to these two campuses. One of the items for purchase is a Retro 1951 Tornado Series ball-point pen available in Silver, Space Grey, Gold, & Rose Gold. I had planned to visit the campuses this summer on a week-long trip to San Francisco, but then COVID happened, and well… you know… travel didn’t. In yet another eBay find, I managed to find someone online more than happy to up-charge the heck out of these pens, and purchased one to carry around should the need arise to jot something down.
Apple AirPods
By far, the most used pair of headphones I own. Even if I am travelling with another set, I always have my original pair of AirPods on me. It's hard to believe these were announced back in 2016 and how ubiquitous they've become since. On my last trip to NYC in 2018, I don't recall seeing a person that didn't have a pair of these iconic buds sticking out of their ears.
The AirPods Max has big shoes to fill, as these tiny buds have been my go-to headphones while talking calls, working out, going for walks, and listening to music while outside the house.
Link: Apple AirPods
Twelve South AirSnap FOR AirPods
Clipped to the outside of my bag is the AirSnap AirPods case by Twelve South. The AirSnap case is available in a number of different colours and materials (twill or leather), is compatible for wireless charging while inside the case, or it can be charged by plugging in a lightning cable through a cutout on the bottom. This case features a sturdy hook that has stood the test of time for durability after being bumped and swung around for the past 1.5 years on the outside of my bag.
Link: AirSnap for AirPods
CABLES, CABLES, & MORE CABLES
The various cables that I lug around include a 29W Apple USB-C Charger, a 0.3m USB-C Apple Watch charging puck, a 1.0m USB-C to Lightning cable, and a 1.0m USB-C to USB-C cable.
Prescription sunglasses, hundreds of books in a 6.4 oz package, and… sigh… a mask. Not that it really matters, but at least it’s a cool looking mask.
Ray-Ban New Wayfarer
For the past 15 years, I was between owning a nice pair of sunglasses and my prescription eyeglasses, occasionally putting my sunglasses over my eyeglasses (sexy, right?) if it was bright but I still needed the crispest vision, like while driving. Finally, after 15 years, I decided to have my cake and eat it too and bought myself a nice pair of prescription sunglasses. No more glasses-on-glasses dorkiness for this guy!
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Earlier this year, I moved from the iPad mini to the Amazon Kindle. I’ve used a Kindle over a decade ago and have always preferred the reading experience on an eInk display vs. an LCD/OLED panel. It’s a great little device with weeks of battery life, and it served me well during the summer months when I was outside at any opportunity I could find, with the no-glare screen being an absolute godsent for reading outdoors. My partner also loves that this latest Kindle is waterproof, letting her use it in the tub as well. She also saw that I was using Obama’s latest book in my photo and thought it was a bit of a pretentious flex, so I’ll add that the last book I finished on the Kindle was Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half.
Link: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Link: Kindle Paperwhite Leather Cover
Mask (BEcause pandemic & secret snack storage)
Every day I hope that this will be the first item I can get rid of, but for the past ten months, this mask has been a mainstay anywhere I go, and it will likely remain in my to-go bag for the majority of 2021 as well.
