Two bags and a lifehack

I’m in the middle of my mid-life crisis and it’s not the one that was advertised. I don’t have a red Corvette or a new Triumph motorcycle (yet). I don’t have a crazy new hairstyle and I’m not trying to dress like I did in high school. My crisis comes in the form of feeling like I’m just a little too old to be using a backpack now. When I was driving to work I never thought twice about it, but now I’ve been commuting more using public transportation and my backpack makes me feel like I’m going to school instead of an office. Especially when it’s packed to the breaking point and looks more like a turtle shell than an efficient way to carry my lunch and gym clothes. I’ve been experimenting with all kinds of canvas totes but nothing beats the practicality of a solid backpack, so I’m sticking with it for now. Still, that isn’t going to stop me from looking for a more “adult” way of carrying gear. 

in this issue

👜 DSPTCH - Cinch tote

🎒 Mission Workshop - Hauser Hydration pack

📝 Pixel Journal app

DSPTCH Cinch tote

DSPTCH was one of the first brands I found where I wanted everything they made. My first ever big boy bag purchase was the DSPTCH Daypack. It was a treat to myself when I got my first real job even though I was still in school. I’ve since given that bag away to a friend but I always check what DSPTCH is up to and their latest Cinch tote has me hooked. When it was first announced I scanned it over and thought meh. It’s just a tote. But the more I look into it the more I think that they might have nailed it. This might be the tote.

It’s made of X-PACK Cotton Duck X10 material which is a lot of words that mean nothing to most people, but just means that it’s more than capable of handling my multi-part commute. It has padded handles, a seatbelt style shoulder strap , and a luggage strap for when it needs to play the role of carry-on. There are two external pockets for water bottles (or my coffee mug) which my regular canvas totes have taught me is an absolute must-have. But my favorite part about the Cinch tote is that you can also get tote inserts which adds extra storage and a padded laptop sleeve. All of this is ludicrously expensive, so for now I’ll settle for trying to recreate everything this bag has to offer with my simple cotton totes.

Mission Workshop - Hauser Hydration pack

Mission Workshop is another crazy expensive bag company based in San Francisco, and you’ve probably seen your local bike guy using one of these bags. They’re made for hardcore cyclists and are so trusted that I’ve even seen delivery people using these backpacks. They offer bags of all shapes and sizes but the Hauser hydration bag is one that I’ve always loved. Unfortunately, it is still technically a backpack so it doesn’t solve my issue of feeling like a child on my way to work but it has such a slim profile that it would at least solve my turtle shell problem.

It’s made entirely of waterproof X-Pac material and has super breathable shoulder straps. It also has bike-specific features that make it great for EDC like a waist strap and multiple pockets scattered throughout. It even has a back pocket designed for a hydration bladder and is super lightweight at only 2.1lbs (0.95kg). Plot twist: I used to own this bag. I was working from home at the time and only ever pulled it out a few times a year to go hiking so I ended up gifting it to a cyclist friend during one of my moves. I’m sure he’s getting way more use out of it than I ever did, but now that I could actually make use of its slim design and durable materials I can’t help but daydream about picking one up again.

Pixel Journal app

Back when I was about 10 or 11, I had an orange Mickey Mouse spiral notebook that I journaled in for about a week. That was when I realized I just don’t get journaling. As much as I want to be that guy who sits down every day and writes about his feelings, I can never shake the feeling that I’m just wasting time. Despite the numerous benefits of mindfulness journaling I have come to realize it just isn’t for me. UnTiL NoW ThAnKs To GoOgLE! Just kidding. I still suck at journaling. But I have been using the new Pixel Journal app to do something called highlight journaling. The gist of it is that instead of doing a stream of consciousness or writing about every little thing that happened to you, just pick one thing that was the highlight of your day and you write one sentence about it.

That was still too much for me so I made it even stupider. Every day I start a new entry in the Journal app and attach one picture. Not only does this serve the same purpose of forcing me to reflect on my day but it also means that I need to be better at taking more pictures and document my day which is something I’m always trying to get better at. I also have a terrible memory so this has the added benefit of being a searchable database of fun or important things that I have done. Of course, you don’t have to use the Pixel Journal app. There is no shortage of ways you can do this. Apple has its own journaling app too, but you can also use a cross-platform app like Day One. Or just use your notes app or an Obsidian database if you want to keep it all local on your device. I would love to be able to take candid polaroids of my life and tape them into my daily journal entries like people used to in the past, but I find that to be too time consuming. This is my own little mindful life hack that works and keeps me consistent.

Special thanks to Cool Supply members:

Abstronautica

Taylor Cash

Ben Sorensen

Daniel Hernandez

Becca Farsace

❤️