Gearing Update: A Kit Retrospective

As many of you know, I'm a bit of a gear fiend. I tend to carry around more stuff than I strictly need, on the grounds that at some point it might come in handy. This has the power to amaze, as I whip out that elusive item at just the right time (that sounds rather too much like a euphemism, in retrospect), and to frustrate, as someone rolls their eyes at me while I throw a messenger bag over my shoulder for a simple trip to the corner shop.

Last year, I wrote a post on some of the more useful day-to-day gear I had accrued. At the time, I had been using it for just a few weeks. Now, just over a year on, I thought I'd give my thoughts on those same tools after carting them round for a longer period of time. This is a two-part post. Here, I'll talk about the products I mentioned last year. In the next part, I'll give you a look at what I currently have in my bag.

Speaking of bags, let's start with that.


Bag of Holding - ThinkGeek (49.99 USD)

The Bag of Holding is a geek classic, made by ThinkGeek in homage to the iconic Dungeons and Dragons Bag of Holding. This has been my primary bag for the past year. I carry it almost every day, and it has largely replaced my beloved Oakley Kitchen Sink backpack (though I still bring that out on occasion).

A year on, I've just reached the point where I'm starting to consider a new bag. The Bag of Holding is still fantastic, but it definitely has some downsides. It can hold a truly impressive amount of stuff and has a good number of pouches and compartments. But I can help but feel that a few things are traded off for the 'geek caché'.

The durability is okay. The shoulder strap supplied broke pretty quickly and I'm starting to see some wear and holes around some of the fasteners (but for a year of near-daily use, that's not so bad for a bag of that price). The inherent problem in the design is that, while it can hold a lot of stuff, if you really load it up, it tends to bulge out like it's recovering from an epic curry and when you pick it up by the strap the flap tends to pop open, like, well, like my trousers after an epic curry. The other issue with this is, since it's a messenger bag (though they do sell it as a rucksack), when it's fully loaded it's heavy and uncomfortable to carry. That's the time when I really miss using the Kitchen Sink.

I love the bag, but I'm starting to cast my eyes lasciviously at other ones (gear hound that I am) which offer similar dimensions, but that hold themselves together better and are easier to carry without developing back problems. Watch this space.


Telepen - True Utility (6.50 GBP)

Boy, I loved this pen when I got it. I still do, in principle at least anyway, but it's much harder to judge as it escaped from me about six months ago. It was great having a tiny-but-highly-functional pen on my keys, but because of the way I carry and treat my keys the fastening of the pen wasn't sufficient to keep it in. After a few close calls, it finally went missing, leaving me with just the stylish shiny topper on my keyring.

I love the gadget itself, but I've not felt compelled to replace it. I have a pen permanently wedged in one pocket anyway, and carry several more in my bag, so it felt a bit redundant. For anyone who needs a discrete or convenient way to carry a pen, it's a great tool, but its role is easily filled in other ways.


Microfleece Hoody - ScotteVest (75 USD)

If there's one thing I wish I had more of, more of the time, it's pockets (I long for the day when things like this aren't highly unfashionable). The Microfleece hoody gives me more pockets than a mutant kangaroo, and for that, I love it. The one problem with it is that for half the year, it's far too hot to wear. I haven't taken the time to check out any of ScotteVest's other products, but I might be interested in investing in something more lightweight that offers similar storage (and space for internal wiring).

(Editing this blog post actually prompted me to go back to the ScotteVest site for the first time in a while. It's my sort of site - they have a ticker that shows 'total pockets sold'.)


Grid-It - Cocoon (varies by size; should be sub 20 GBP)

Ahhhh, I've been saving this one until last, and with good reason. It's one thing that I am still unequivocally delighted with. I will continue to enthusiastically rave about these - I recommend them to anyone who carries any but the most spartan of bags on a regular basis. It does everything I need it to - it keeps my small items organised (also allowing a quick visual check to see if anything is missing); it allows for easy swapping of key items between bags; it lets you carry lots of smalls bits and cables without losing them in the crevices of your bag or turning them into a rats' nest. It fits whatever you need it to.

My current configuration

Seriously, if nothing else, get one of these. They come in lots of different sizes, so you can find one to fit a massive bag like mine or a much smaller handbag. You can even get them as part of a laptop or tablet sleeve. Scroll through threads of people's 'Everyday Carry gear' (for those who are as obsessive about their stuff as I am), this is the one item I see again and again.

Alright, that wraps it up for now. Come back on Monday, when I'll be showing you what I carry right now.