In praise of a special little bag

Nothing cements your relationship status with a new hobby like buying a special bag for it.

Hiking? Cycling? Photography? You bet there’s a special bag designed for just that. Getting into a new thing and accumulating gear for it is a joy. An important and underappreciated subcategory of that enjoyment is finding a special bag to hold all of those gadgets. Finding and using that perfect bag — with all the right compartments, hooks, and snaps — is its own particular delight. And it’s high time we gave it the recognition it deserves.

There are some purchases that just can’t hold up the hopes we have for them. Who among us hasn’t stood in line to check out at Uniqlo thinking “These are the wide-leg jeans that are going to change everything for me,” only to put them in the donation pile six months later? But a special little bag has always been able to support the weight of my expectations, even when they’re sky-high. I’ve never regretted buying one, but I sure as hell have regretted hauling around a bunch of equipment in a bag that wasn’t right for the job.

Don’t get me wrong, a good general-purpose bag is a great thing to have. Peak Design makes some popular backpacks along these lines, and I’ve spent plenty of time daydreaming about all the ways a Filson bag would change my life if I had an extra $500 lying around. My Herschel Little America bag has been everything to me, from a commute companion to the toddler’s toy bag stuffed with airplane activities and my last shred of sanity. But certain hobbies call for their own special bag, especially when electronics are involved. Throwing a laptop or a camera into the same compartment as your water bottle and keys can go very wrong.

Last summer I started really getting into cycling, which is when I realized that a) I live on top of a giant hill, and b) riding up a hill with a bag full of stuff on my back sucks. There are a few great coffee shops within biking distance from my house, so I started packing up my laptop and heading out on two wheels most afternoons. But the Herschel bag’s back and straps aren’t well ventilated so I would wind up with a sweaty back and a sweaty, gross bag to carry around once I got off the bike. I don’t like the feeling of something on my back when I bike either, especially the way it shifts around when I turn to check behind me.

Once I decided that I would be using my bike to commute to my coworking space once or twice a week, my list of special little bag criteria took shape. It needed to carry my laptop and lunch. It needed a couple of small front and side pockets for quick access to stuff. It needed to be reasonably water-resistant. It needed to be comfortable to carry around off the bike. Most importantly, I didn’t want to carry it on my back while biking. A little research led me to a convertible pannier backpack by Two Wheel Gear and it has been the perfect addition to my burgeoning collection of bike gear.

When I’m ready to ride, I fold the backpack straps into a compartment on the back and the whole bag clamps onto my bike’s rear cargo rack securely with a few sturdy hooks. Once I park, I zip the back compartment shut and just snap the straps into place so it’s ready to be carried on my back. It has an outer pocket where I can stash my phone and keys for quick access, plus plenty of interior pockets for all my other stuff. It’s plenty weather resistant on its own, but there’s also a rain cover included in its own pocket. It’s great, I love it, and it has made cruising around town that bit more pleasant.

I had the same experience with hiking a few years ago. I started off with all my little snacks and a Nalgene full of water stuffed into the main compartment of my Herschel backpack for day hikes around the central Cascades. As I started taking on more challenging hikes, having easier access to my water became more important. Likewise with my camera — setting the bag down to grab it from the main compartment was annoying.

The Topo bag I bought comes with space for a hydration pack and a zipper on the side so I can swing my bag in front of me and grab my camera without taking it off my shoulder. I use it in conjunction with a small camera insert that Topo doesn’t seem to sell anymore, which is a real shame because I could write 2,000 words about how much I like that special bag. The trail backpack has a generous compartment for my Nalgene and ample storage for snacks. None of its features prevented a chipmunk from crawling in and nearly stealing my lunch at the top of Tolmie Peak, but that one was on me.

The special little bag is load-bearing in so many ways. It keeps your gadgets and personal effects safe. It’s usually more comfortable than the alternative, which is important if you plan on using your back and shoulders into your forties and beyond. Don’t even get me started on the importance of a good diaper bag — every time I’ve switched away from our beloved Skip Hop bag it’s been nothing but a disaster. But more than the utility, it’s just plain fun finding and using that special bag; somehow it’s an extension of the hobby itself. “Where’d you get that bag?” is a natural connection point with other enthusiasts, too. Plenty of photographers I’ve met are tired of talking about their brand of camera gear but they will absolutely wax poetic about the Domke bag they bought in 1988.

Maybe this is your sign to invest in the special little bag you’ve been eyeing, or maybe it’s just a reminder to show your own special bags a little extra appreciation. Either way, if you see me out on a hiking trail or bike path this summer please don’t hesitate to say, “Hey, where’d you get that bag?” Because I’m just dying to tell you.