Gear Bags

So its been a while since I posted anything to this blog but I've been wanting for some time to do a "gadget bag" posting, originally, and more recently inspired by James Kendrick over at jkOnTheRun.com. For several years now I've found the podcasts James participates in (Mobile Tech Roundup - with Kevin C. Tofel and Matt Miller, and On The Run With Tablet PCs with Marc Orchant) to be quite interesting and through them I started reading the jkOnTheRun blog.

In addition to the 2 bags mentioned in detail below there are the things I carry with me all the time, a 2GB USB memory stick from MicroCenter, a 1GB SanDisk Ultra II USB/SD memory stick, and a Zebra F301 Compact pen. When in business dress I geek out and add a Foray .06mm ballpoint pen, a yellow highlighter, an Extend .5mm mechanical pencil and a Pentel Click eraser, along with a Moleskine
Cahier Pocket Ruled Journal for jotting down quick notes. My mainstay for personal Internet connectivity (at least in the continental US) is my Verizon XV6700 with an EVDO data plan. This keeps me connected to my e-mail and allows me to browse the web and IM when needed, in addition to making phone calls. When used with my tablet PC I can tether via USB cable or BlueTooth and get high speed Internet connectivity. For work related connectivity I carry the much less useful BlackBerry 8700C.

Basically I have 2 bags, my "Everyday" bag, and my "Take It All Because You Never Know What You'll Need" bag. Both bags are part of the backpack handed out at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I didn't attend CES but I'm partial to the color orange and these caught my attention when I was reading blog coverage of the show, so I bought one on eBay. The backpack is quite roomy and there is a small section that unzips from the main bag to become a shoulder bag with 3 compartments. The shoulder bag is my "Everyday" bag and zips back onto the main backpack to become part of my "Take It All" bag. In order to keep the "Take It All" bag organized I created a custom insert for it (more on that later).

My "Everyday" Bag

My Everyday bag is just that, the bag that goes with me (almost) everyday. It has the essentials to get me online and computing pretty much no matter where I am. In addition it carries some necessary paper based products, i.e. a Record book with 150 numbered pages (see my "Old School" post) and various papers I might need on any given night just to keep up on work related reading. In a pinch I can remove the Record book and work related papers and add the Ultrabase with DVD writer.

○ Lenovo X61 Tablet (MultiTouch)
○ X61 Power Adapter
○ Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 (Bluetooth)
○ Logitech Premium Notebook Headset
○ Seidio MICROPHONE/SPEAKER AUDIO ADAPTOR (allows me to use a PC headset such as the Logitech above as a phone headset. This combination works MUCH better than any of the other bundled or aftermarket headsets I've ever used.
○ 10 ft Ethernet cable
○ MarWare iPOD case
§ iPOD 60GB Photo and ear buds
§ iPOD wired remote
○ 3M Microfiber cloth
○ CaseLogic 6 Capacity USB Drive Shuttle holding
§ Safeword Platinum (for accessing work VPN and web portal)
§ Motorola M500 Bluetooth Headset
§ MediaGear XtraDrive SD adapter (also used to store a micro SD to SD adapter)
§ Extra Battery for my XV6700
§ MiniSD to SD adapter (the XV6700 uses MiniSD cards)
§ A 128MB BioStik (finger print protected USB drive for personal info)
§ A miniature yellow highlighter
§ Purple Post-It flages
§ Retractable USB - iPOD cable
§ Retractable USB - mini-USB cable (for Syncing/Charging XV6700 and BlackBerry)
§ Retractable Belkin iPOD audio cable (allows me to play my iPOD through a stereo or TV audio input)
○ CaseLogic 2 Capacity USB Drive Shuttle X 2
§ 1GB Ativa USB stick
§ 1GB SanDisk Cruzer mini USB stick (bootable XP image)
§ 2GB Sandisk Cruzer Micro USB stick

○ Personal Hygiene
§ Folding toothbrush
§ Dental Floss
§ Dental Pick/Brush
§ Motrin
§ Lip Balm
§ Kleenex pocket Pack

○ Misc
§ Passport
§ Cheque book
§ Moleskine Cahier Pocket Squared Journal
§ Sharpie mini Accent (Yellow)
§ Sharpie mini Accent (Pink)
§ Sharpie mini (Black)
§ Mini RSVP pen
§ Maglite Solitaire (single AAA battery)


Mounted on the shoulder strap for easy access are;

○ CaseLogic Camera Case
§ Kodak EasyShare C533 camera

○ CaseLogic Camera Case
§ Dentyne Ice gum
§ Dentyne Fire gum
§ Wet Ones Anti-Bacterial towelettes (singles)
§ Lubriderm Lotion
§ Chap Stick
§ Ear buds/microphone for XV6700