July 20th, 2005
getting ready for back to school
One good thing about my new commute is that I am getting used to carrying my new bookbag around. I’ve been bringing my laptop with me, since my transfer stop is Wireless Mecca. I can get online while I wait for the bus.
So I’ve noticed two things about my bag—one, it’s not too bad to carry, even full of stuff (computer, current big fat novel, lots of cables and cords, camera, wallet, keys, CDs, some papers and files, etc.), and two, I really need a few accessories before school starts.
Big accessory 1: a strap pad, and possibly a shorter strap. This bag was not made for someone my height and, even with the strap shortened as much as it will go, it’s still not resting on my back, it’s resting on my butt. Also, the securing strap my bag came with was a WAIST strap, not a cross strap, and I’m thinking I want the cross strap for the added stability. The waist strap does me almost no good because, again, the bag doesn’t quite sit on my body in the right place.
Big accessory 2: a coffee cup that will fit in my bottle pockets. I’m thinking of something like this. I’m a little bothered by the name “briefcase bottle” but hey, it’s just a name, right?
So I am getting a little nervous about carrying everything in my bad for school—namely casebooks plus notebooks, etc. Still, I am planning to use E. Spat’s cut-book-method, where I can carry one binder with the week’s readings in it. And I won’t be living so far from campus that getting home to get something I forgot will be a problem (or vice versa, going back to campus). Still, it’s been a long time since I was a student, and I am a little worried about my bag load being more than I have planned for. I guess we’ll see in a month.
comments
You can probably also get a locker at your school. I never did that, but for folks who spend a lot of time studying on campus, it seems to be worthwhile.
The hardest part for me about the size/heft of my school bag was making sure I didn’t seriously harm someone with it by inadvertantly knocking them down and out on the metro!
I probably already recommended the Tumi strap. I love that strap. On the coffee mug, I like that that one closes. I have a big Starbucks mug that I usually leave in the car, but on occasion when I carry it into work with me, it always spills and that sucks because it can stain and smell all day. Yeah, a cover, definitely get one with a cover. You could probably buy both your items at REI or some kind of camping type store.
This is not a comment on your totally bad@ss PowerBook, but these kinds of considerations are why I went with a computer that weighs 3 lbs.
Yeah, I don’t even know where my locker is… but I hate studying at school, so it would be of little/no use to me…
I’m torn about the cut-book method. I sure would like to lose the heavy book toting… but I just can’t bring myself to cut up a perfectly good book. Even though I know it will be outdated and unsaleable when the semester is finished…
Oh, and I own a “briefcase bottle” and I *love* the thing. I don’t drink coffee, but I use it for soup in the winter all the time. Helps keep me warm…
Oh wait, I meant the Swiss Army strap. That’s the strap I like.
BTW, I have that exact thermos. It’s nice.
I get my Commute XL from Timbuk2 in the next two weeks. I hope your’s has served you well. I am looking forward to mine.
Kristine, I’ve been doing the same thing with my bag even though I don’t have a good excuse to carry it around like you do. I keep adjusting what’s in there, testing the weight, thinking of things I might “need.” I hope this bag of mine is going to be big enough. I’m planning on using the Energy Spatula Book Cutting Method as well, so that will help.
What’s a strap pad?
Thermo is a good idea, and so is the cut-book method. I don’t think my back can take anymore abuse.
Strap pad: a padded sleeve that goes around the shoulder strap of your bag. Usually with Velcro closure. Timbuk2 has one, I’m just not sure it’s what I want. I guess I could go look at one, if I had a car and could drive over to the REI at lunch. $!#&*% dirty thieves!