I think many of us heard the devastating news this summer of Eagle Creek being shut down by the end of this year. But have you heard it has been acquired and will be rebuilt? https://www.outsidebusinessjournal.com/brands/adventure-travel/travis-campbell-acquires-eagle-creek/
I often carry around a convertible tote for going to work, nights out, travel etc. but with the mass of stuff I tend to carry it often gets heavier than I like to carry for walks or running into stores etc.
Anyone have favorite small bags to carry inside your bag? Not organizer pouches but bags that have a cross body or wrist strap and carry well on their own, but also fit nice into a mid size bag. Any ideas or suggestions? I’m thinking something fairly small to hold more like wallet, keys, phone, basics.
I live in Taiwan but came back to the USA for a bachelor party in Puerto Rico. Since I was paying for the Pacific flight and have to do 2 weeks quarantine in Taiwan when I come back no matter how long I stay, I figured I’d travel around and visit my friends and family across the USA.
The trip had some fun constraints to plan around. It wasn’t necessarily a vacation, so I had to be able to work (I’m a software engineer). The climates would be all over the place: cool and dry in SF, hot and wet in Puerto Rico and Houston, cool and wet in NYC and upstate New York. Also, there’d be days where I wouldn’t be able to set my bag down before going out, such as in DC, so I needed to keep things lightweight so I could carry my full packweight around for hours of walking. I’d be on budget airlines and Amtrak trains, so I had to keep my pack small enough to fit under my seat (smaller than carry-on). All told the destinations were SF, Houston, Puerto Rico, NYC, …
I already like buying useful things when I travel to have a small reminder of where I got them (like a beautiful golden pair of nail clippers that I found in India), but seeing stuff that I’ve held onto for so long finally wear out, allowing me to find a better replacement gives me satisfaction. Even for items that aren’t necessarily dead, but I’m outgrowing as I pursue a smaller bag, I like finally getting rid of them and moving on with less.
Now I won’t throw something away if it still works, or if it can be repaired cheaply wherever I am, but if it’s nearing the end of its useful life, especially if it weighs much more than its eventual replacement (my aging laptop comes to mind), I don’t mind. The expense of a new product which makes me more productive and travel more seamless or affordable is worth it in the long run.
I’ve always tried to travel with as little luggage as possible (preferably a single bag), but after several three-day weekend weddings this year I really started to notice that there was a serious hole in my bag collection that needed to be filled. Namely, a 2-5 day getaway bag. Previously my bag collection consisted of a first gen Tortuga, Patagonia Black Hole 55L Duffel, Herschel 33L Duffel, and an eBags Pro Slim backpack. The Tortuga and Patagonia were too large for short journeys, so I would always end up packing electronics in the Pro Slim and then carrying everything else in the Herschel. This worked fine but it got cumbersome when taking any form of public transportation.
With a 3 day weekend wedding coming up, and since I was traveling by train, I figured it was time to fill that niche. I get a Patagonia discount through my job so I decided to give the Black Hole Mini a shot. It’s not often recommended on here, but it seems like the bag’s most controversial …
https://imgur.com/gallery/Yz8wM75
https://imgur.com/gallery/CtoxLVA
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Tech
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Microsoft Surface Book 2 // 1896g
Microsoft 100w Brick // 373g
Swift Point Mouse // 27g
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8cm usb/lightning // 11g
8cm usb/micro // 15g
30cm usb/lightning // 18g
30cm usb/micro // 18g
1tb SDcard // 1g
2xLedger Nano // 19g
Incharge Cable // 26g
Anker Powercore Fusion 5000 // 187g
Microsoft Wireless HDMI adapter // 67g
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Steel Series Arctis 3 // 306g
3.5mm extension cable // 18g
Anker wired earbuds // 18g
3.5mm to lightning x2 // 4g
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Clothes
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Jeans (one dark, one light) x2 // 620g each
Unbound Merino Sweatpants x1 // 544g
Jean Shorts // 346g
Swim shorts boto Aruba x1 // 168g
Unbound Merino Tshirt (black, dark grey, light grey) x3 // 188g each
Generic White Cotton Tshirt …
I’m looking for a bag that can be carried crossbody/messenger style and as a backpack.
This isn’t strictly one bagging as it’s the personal item/daypack for my husband. But the one baggers know ALL THE BAGS so I thought I’d ask here. We’ve got young kids we schlep everything for and also usually carry work gear with us, so we’re definitely a main backpack and personal item each kind of people right now. We need the crossbody style for the airport/travel when he’s got his main pack on. Then wear it as a backpack the rest of the time.
I’ve found the Patagonia Tres 25L but would love to know of other options. The Black Hole version is too heavy for what amounts to the same thing as the Tres (for us). It could be smaller than the 25L but I don’t think he’d be able to fit his work stuff & quick access items in something smaller than 18-20L.
Any ideas on what else is out there that would work?
Temperatures have started dropping, and I have been getting cold-weather clothes back into my wardrobe. Over the years, I have acquired several pieces that incorporate synthetic insulation, in my case Polartec Alpha and Primaloft Gold, and I thought some of you might find these notes interesting.
It would also be great if others chimed in with their experiences. Do any of you have pieces using these or other synthetic insulations that you really like (or dislike)? There is so much stuff out there, I’m always happy to listen to other’s insights.
Here is the full Album: https://imgur.com/a/Y8K48E9
Most of you on this sub probably know these materials already already, but I’ll start with a little background anyway.
Polartec Alpha and Primaloft Gold are both synthetic alternatives to down that aim to improve on it in certain ways. Polartec Alpha’s main improvement is better breathability. It designed to keep you warm at rest and still be wearable as activity levels …
Any advise on shops to go and see for an outlier fan? I’ll be mostly in Manhattan but will go to Brooklyn too. Thank you in advance!
If you’ve ever wanted an asymmetrical, woven button-up / blazer hybrid, or if you simply don’t like being stylistically pigeonholed, and want your attire to exude a subtle sense of hard-to-pin down fluidity, then the S120 Crossfront (Imgur album, single-photo product page and details here) might just be your jam.
To my eye, the form of this piece exists in the uncanny valley between shirt and blazer. For a shirt, it’s in midweight territory, but for a blazer it’s very lightweight. My initial, reflexive first impression was to categorize it as a blazer, but the relative thinness of the drape, combined with the shirtly cuffs and small buttons, immediately called that impression into question.
However you want to categorize it, this seems like a nice, light layer with a playfully dressy vibe. It’s kind of like the rich kid who got into the underground clothing scene; you can tell it comes from a formal background, but it’s rebeling against its upturned-nosed, out-of-touch parents. …
I was looking at maybe getting one of the Ultracharge Mag Banadas for cycling in the fall/winter but noticed some people said it wasn’t quite warm enough for anything more active than just walking (because of the material + the fit and adjustment would make it easy to fall off your face apparently).
The balaclava looked interesting but even an updated banada made for more activity and in cooler weather would be awesome, as well.
so if people are looking for some type of head/neck item for cooler weather should they wait a bit to see if outlier has any plans?
thanks!