Papa Needs A Brand New Bag

Times change and sometimes, even the most traditional of us, have to consider changing with them.  No, I'm not going on Fakebook, and I'm not getting a smart phone.

My favorite "weekender" bag ever was a little faux leather duffel or gym bag with pockets on the ends.  I carried that thing all over the country for years.  It's retired to the attic; I can't bring myself to burn it, although it is beyond all hope.  I currently have three or more duffels, none of which I really like -- too big, too small, too floppy, not enough compartments, etc.

I do like my laptop bag.  I still have to have a laptop for work, and this bag, though limited in capacity, is great to carry.  It holds my laptop, power cord, charger cords, and various miscellaneous electronic necessities along with pens, pencils, notebooks and even my tablet.  That's it, though, there's not much room for other gear. This laptop bag has a single strap for carry over the shoulder.  I like that, too.

I mentioned on the other blog that I have been thrown out of sync this week by the necessity of searching for a missing family member over the weekend.  It turned out to be no big deal, but it did start me to thinking -- often an expensive activity.

I thought, when I left the house, I might wind up staying away for an extended time, overnight at the very least.  I usually keep some basic travel gear in one of my duffel bags -- a small Dopp kit with toiletries, a couple of changes of underwear and socks, t-shirt, shorts -- enough to sleep and take a shower and brush my teeth the next day.  So I grabbed that bag, threw in a firearm, ammo, a serious blade, a couple of tools, water bottle, protein bar, that sort of stuff.  Then I grabbed my laptop bag and loaded it for work.  All I would need, if I were still away on Monday, would be a WiFi connection. 

Once I got everything in the truck and was rolling down the road, I became slightly annoyed that it had taken me so long to get out of the house and the fact that I had to bring two bags.  It seemed to me that I should have been able to have one bag to rule them all to haul everything.  I didn't have that much stuff.  And, I ought be able to keep it sufficiently stocked with "spare" gear (e.g., one or even two of my forty-seven knives) that I would not have to think too much about what I might need.  Undock the laptop, shove it in the bag, pick up the .40, shove it in the bag, and go.  Maximum five minutes.

So, why don't I have a bag like that?  

I looked at messenger bags.  Even if I could find one with sufficient capacity, they look like purses.  I know the man-bag/murse is now acceptable, but it's not for me.  I guess I could wrap it in buckskin and call it a possibles bag.  Probably because of my age and the time I went to college, despite having read The Complete Walker and the Outdoor Life camping column every month throughout my formative years, I have always associated backpacks with hitchhikers and hippies.  I never saw a hillbilly with a backpack. 

Still, that's what I'm considering -- a backpack that will protect my laptop, hold my electronic odds and occasional end with additional space for gear sufficient to get me comfortably through a night or two away from home and help me deal with most contingencies that might arise. 

I am open to suggestions and will report here on whatever I might eventually obtain.