Site Carry: The Bag Of Wonders
It’s nearly Retail Peak, which for us in Amazon Robotics also means that it’s Beta season. This is the time of year we send all of our new products into the field to find out how they will perform under the most stressful conditions they’ll face in their lifecycles. While we have an AMAZING staff of dedicated Product Launch technical managers and specialists to shepherd them through onsite, our Product, Program, and Engineering teams also get onsite a lot to support and observe as well. That means travel, long hours, and physical work away from your usual support systems.
By popular request, and by “popular” I mean at least 3 people who were onsite with me last week, I’ll start going through what I carry on site and what I do to not be completely wrecked by it. I acquired all this stuff over the years on my own and use it actively in the field. If I ever get asked to do a sponsored review, you’ll know. Oh gods, you’ll know.
We’ll start with the flashiest and most commented piece, The Bag Of Wonders.
Just so you know: Any link headed to Amazon is an affiliate link that costs you nothing and throws a little beer money in my change jar. You can also check out the whole shebang at my Amazon Storefront.
One Bag Philosophy
I hate having to keep track of multiple bags. It’s a chore. So, I’ve spent an awful lot of time editing and thinking through what I want to bring with me and how so that when I’m on the go, I can just concentrate on what’s actually important (where’s my flight, where’s the SkyClub, where’s the rental car, and do I have the right playlists loaded?). I can travel for a week in a single bag that fits under an Economy seat in an Embraer because dammit, I’m worth it.
My checked luggage only comes out for traveling with my husband for longer than a weekender. And his job then is to remind me that we have checked a suitcase.
The Bag Of Wonders
I’m going to start with a big ol’ non-compensated plug for RELoad Bags. I’ve been a longtime RELoad Bags customer. Handmade by amazing folks in Philadelphia, these products are all designed to WORK and to LAST and I will accept no substitutes.
My first bag from them would correspond roughly to their Pro Messenger in a medium size, lasted me about a decade through all-season cycling in Upstate NY. Wind, sun, rain, sleet, snow, and ice pellets all did their darnedest but only succeeded in fading the pink Cordura slightly. I “wore it out” only by eventually destroying the truck tarp/Cordura area where the strap attached. Probably could have gotten it repaired but I was starting to travel for Amazon and wanted something a little bigger anyway. So I upsized to a XL Pro Messenger, which traveled the world with me 2014–2021 until I got too old to be hucking a heavy one-shoulder bag around.
(Side note: my husband and coworkers kept making fun of me for having a giant bag just to go to the office, so my “non-travel bag” is an all black RELoad Rucksack.)
Over Thanksgiving 2021 my mom helped me pick out the colors for what is the current Bag of Wonders, a hot pink Midpack EX with all the trimmings. I expect that it will last me at least a decade, probably more. Let’s take a look.
Look at that beefy construction! Sure, it’s a bit heavier when running empty than fancy “traveler-oriented” backpacks, but damn it’s bombproof and I have zero worries about throwing it around an airport, FC, or other miscellaneous steel and concrete hellscape. If I ever manage to damage it I’ll take photos and make myself a frickin’ medal.
So, let’s take a look inside.
Okay, a little much. Let’s break that down a little more, going by order of accessibility.
The Top Loop
The only thing my RELoad bag was really missing for me, because I have a weird use case, was a bunch of loops for clips, etc. Easy enough to fix with needle and thread and a bit of grosgrain ribbon.
Having a water bottle onsite is great. Having one that you cannot possibly forget to empty out before hitting the airport is even better. Having one that doesn’t take up a bunch of space is best. And dishwasher safe? Oh yes please. This Hydrapak Stash 750mL bottle has lasted me multiple years and multiple countries. It’s on a little novelty “Happy Father’s Day” carabiner I picked up at EWR7 in 2017, but any commodity carabiner will do.
For everyday carry purposes, my ID badge lives on a Keybak heavy duty retractable clip that I bought in 2013. The original clip died in early 2021 but the retractor still works fine, so I replaced the clippy bit with a Nite Ize G-Carabiner, in Size #2.
One thing I noticed when I first got the bag: it’s really dark in there, even with the orange liner! So I got this Nite Ize MoonLit LED lantern as kind of a ‘dome light’.
Finally, there’s nothing quite like Apple AirPods Pro out there. I have tinnitus, so noise cancellation on airplanes is particularly important to me, but I also have a lot of earrings so over-ear or on-ear headsets are painful. I had gotten into the habit of carrying regular AirPods for phone calls, as their microphone was the best in the business at the time, and Bose QuietComfort 20i’s for noise cancellation during flights. But when I lost those Bose QC 20i’s, I simplified my life and went straight for the AirPod Pro. I’ve taken phone calls underneath running conveyor belts where my conversation partner said they didn’t even realize there was MHE running in the background. Cannot say enough good things about this equipment.
The AirPods Pro are in a cute little silicone unicorn case, which I got mostly to put a lanyard loop on the AirPods case so I could clip it to my pocket. Using a commodity metal wire loop, this lets me put a Tile Pro and a little Nite Ize #0.5 S-biner on it.
The Front Pocket
Before we look inside, let’s take a look at the fasteners here. I love having attachment and strapping points because I never know what I’ll have to carry or clip to when I’m trundling about the world.
I’ve got two different load-rated carabiners: a Black Diamond D-shaped carabiner and a Black Diamond Magnetron Belay carabiner, which I believe is discontinued. The magnetic lock on it really cannot be half-ass opened, I find I need two hands to get it going, which in this case is good!
On the same straps as those carabiners are a couple more commodity metal wire loops to serve as clip points for… stuff.
Let’s look inside that pocket now.
Starting in the upper left, you see… yep, another Nite Ize product. I have a Nite Ize Keyrack bottle opener keychain that moves between the Bag Of Wonders and my Rucksack, with a couple of Goody Ouchless hair ties in its jaws. Using some more of those Nite Ize #0.5 S-biners, there’s a host of small but useful items here.
* Nite Ize Keychain light, in red. In case I need a tail light or not to damage my night vision.
* A corporate-supplied Yubikey. Mine looks a little different, as it’s from inside the house as it were, but I just want to encourage everyone to do multi-factor authentication with everything they can so I’m putting it here anyway.
* This is actually cool, a Peak Design wrist strap. I love these little connectors, you’ll see them on a bunch of my stuff. The wrist strap is useful for keeping ahold of my phone when I’m taking photos over large drops or big electronics-chewing equipment.
* A corporate-supplied commodity LED flashlight. You gotta be able to see stuff!
* Commodity ear plugs. These are branded Rooth C&P but just about any look-alike will do to take loud environments down a notch without feeling like you’re under water.
* A spare set of keys. Because sometimes I’m a derp.
Sometimes I need to cut things, but I don’t want to check a bag just to have a blade. Thus, the TSA-compliant Leatherman Raptor EMT shears. You do have to take these out of the bag, unfold them, and put them in a dog dish going through security, but oh baby are they worth it.
Cheap commodity polarized sunglasses are a must. I can throw them in my bag without a case or lose them and not be mad, but I’ll still be able to see when driving into morning glare.
Nite Ize (yes, you’re seeing a theme here, I love these guys) doesn’t make the CamJam with a bungee any more, but the cord in these CamJam Tie Downs is easily replaced with bungee of your preference.
Pocket Kleenex in case you get a nosebleed on the plane, and Purell hand sanitizing wipes for afterward so you don’t spread your icky warehouse germs around. I usually pick up the latter for free when I’m getting on the plane.
Chewing gum does wonders for dry mouth and coffee breath. Extra Spearmint is the second-best gum flavor, only to BubbleMint, but that one’s hard to find outside of bulk packs more suitable for office desks. So, with Spearmint we must suffer.
Sharpies make the world go round. You mark stuff with them, and they tolerate astounding abuse and cruel environments well. I’m a fan of the classic Sharpie fine point, though I’ve somehow acquired these other colors/versions somewhere along the way.
My Kindle is my safe space to wind down and drift off to sleep with. I splurged on myself and went with the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. I did put a Tile Sticker on this one, because I thought I was too cool and have now lost two previous Kindles in various hotels. I am not, in fact, too cool and need my mittens attached to my snow suit. These things are plenty tough and don’t need special handling or a case unless you really just like having such things.
Sometimes it gets gross in that mask. A taco burp in a KN95 can kill! Listerine mouth spray makes it a little more tolerable.
I have a little commodity USB-C to USB-A converter that lives in the solar panel, as I’m slowly transitioning to a modern cable connector. It’s solid and tiny. Check and check.
If I can at all — AT ALL — avoid it I never want to be without power to run one of my critical tools (that is, my pocket supercomputer). So I have a really fantastic Voltaic Systems 10W Solar Charger. Best used with the Voltaic-designed battery to mediate the variable current, you can still plug directly into its USB port and your phone will generally be able to handle life. Doesn’t even need full-blast high noon sun, a brightly-lit room will do the trick.
And, of course, food. You never know when your flight will be delayed after 9pm (or 7pm, wtf CVG!) and all the restaurants closed, or need to wait a couple hours to get food at site. The Tanka pemmican bars are the most bombproof and squish-resistant by far. Pure Protein bars are pretty good too, though even in this photo you can see they’re smashed right flat. I don’t purchase granola bars as a rule because they tend to break up on atmospheric entry, but if offered them as a flight snack or in a box lunch I’ll definitely stash them in my bag too (as seen here).
What’s Inside?
Cavernous. Let’s go with what’s in the pockets when we’re otherwise running “empty”.
The Inside Organizer
I have a whole dry bag just full of other dry bags. I love the things. I carry this Sea To Summit Ultrasil XS dry bag because sometimes, you just need a dry bag. I’ve used this one for carrying leaky bottles/cans or making an ice pack for a colleague.
The best, lightest sleep mask I’ve found, the Sea To Summit Sleep Mask doesn’t weigh down my head or cut off my breathing by restricting my high schnozz. It’s pricey for what it looks like because it is worth it.
A Matador Waterproof Pill Canister. I love these guys like I love Nite Ize. I needed something hardier than the plastic pill cases that kept opening up in my bag, and boy did these folks deliver.
My Global Entry ID card. You don’t need this to get through any of the Global Entry access points, but it still counts as a federal ID and is suitable for RealID purposes (unlike my driver’s license).
Octopus hair clips, for when you need to get long hair under control with absolutely no fuss. Especially if I’m going to be around rotating equipment a lot, I’ll triple bag the hair by braiding it into sections in a hair tie, putting it in a bun in this clip, then putting that Buff over all of it as a giant headband. I am not fucking around with that shit.
I may pin my hair up using the other bits in my bag, but sometimes I have flyaway strands that just don’t want to cooperate. Snap clips are useful because they just work with fine hair, but ALSO can snap to the inside of a pocket and stay put when you’re not using them.
A baggie of 3M 9502+ N95 respirators, because you people are gross (those who open mouth cough should be put outside until they can learn how to people). A lot of folks like the Aura or the duckbill respirators but this works well for my high schnozz and doesn’t touch my lips. I am seriously never flying on a plane without wearing one ever again. In this baggie are also 3M Cavilon barrier film sponges, because I am a delicate flower. Rosacea haaaaaates the dehydrating and frictionful nature of masks, and using this barrier film mitigates both. I can confirm that it holds all day through repeated on/off cycles on a 93°F humid af construction site in August in Cincinnati.
I keep a 3ft USB-to-Lightning Cable outside of my main electronics ditty bag specifically to use in rental cars and the like. I’ve only lost one so far, but I buy them in the most obnoxious color I can find to have a better chance of seeing them and taking them with. Sure, shilling or whatever, but the AmazonBasics cables are actually really reliable.
Some dipshits thought a breathable gaiter was the same as a face mask and gave these things an entirely bad rap. This Buff half-height neck gaiter is fantastic for wicking sweat off of your neck or from underneath a hard hat. You should just have one, so that you’re not a disgusting animal if you use it properly, but don’t be a disgusting animal by using it improperly.
More pens! While there’s a few models shown here, my beloved is the Uniball 207 medium point. Wide enough to not carve up the paper but narrow enough to not take forever to dry. Clicky, so I can’t lose the cap. Tough, so I can’t have an inksplosion if I drop my bag. Absolutely glorious. There are also, of course, more classic Sharpie fine points.
The Back Pocket
Finally, in the “laptop pocket” I also keep a couple of Snapfold bowls. I’ve got utensils coming up in another section of bag stuff. You’d be surprised how often you end up looking around for a plate, or a bowl, or just something to put food in.
Bonus: Rain Jacket!
I really hate having to sit for hours on a plane inside of a loud shell jacket. So I instead have a super packable 7Mesh Revelation jacket, which is discontinued, but you get the idea. I stuff it into a Matador 2L flat dry bag, which first off looks cool but also keeps the jacket from poofing into a little round rock so I can slide it into one of my bag’s external side pockets.
Wow, That’s A Lot.
Sure is, but dammit I’m going to be comfortable if I have to pull 12hr days onsite. Maybe we’ll take a look at my “base ditty” next.
