This is one of those “the shit in my bag” posts, sort of. Way back when, I didn’t carry that much, life was simple, and if there was anything I needed but didn’t have, I could usually just do without it.

Things are more complicated for me now. I often find myself away from home for a couple days at a time, so the stuff I carry has ballooned a bit. For the last several months I’ve been using a “Metropolis” chrome bag (I’ve had the bag for years, actually, but I prefer smaller bags when I can get away with them). The problem with the bag, and shoulder bags in general, is that they’re very picky about how they’re packed- if things are arranged wrong, something’s always digging into your back, and if they’re full, they stick out and fit weird. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but it seems to me that when you’ve got a lot of gear, a backpack is the way to haul it.

And actually, the chrome bag is the perfect size for the hardware I carry- my cameras, my laptop, the cords and chargers, etc. But if I need anything more, say a jacket, an extra layer of clothing, and/or a water bottle, then there’s just not enough room to wear it comfortably. This was brought home rather painfully this morning trying to bike in a t-shirt with a wind chill of 30ËšF. I made it from 23rd and robinson to 10th and broadway- about a mile, give or take some meandering and alleys. I could tell that trying to ride the rest of the way home from there would be a bad idea- a frozen matt mills can’t ride his bike or take pictures or philander or any of the fun stuff. Beyond that, dying of exposure in the city with a charged cell phone is stupid. So I called my dad, and he came and picked me up.

I’m too lazy to make a list, and this photo is short my flask and some tools I can’t seem to find, but this is everything else.

I’m a chronic couch surfer, a product of living in the burbs and partying in the city. That and all my friends live in the city. The best solution would be to move, and as soon as I have a job that lasts more than two weeks, I’m going to do that. (Remember: I’m available to photograph anything but weddings, even on short notice). For now though, I’m switching bags. Sorry Chrome, you’re cool and all, but it’s time to go back to my roots, a nice big backpack I’ve had for like 10 years. Stuffed very full, it’ll hold everything I need for a week of hard travel- say, everything I’d encounter between here and timbuktu. As it is, I can put everything I need for a weekend of night parties and morning blogging.

The bag all loaded. Not too huge.

Posted by Matt on 2009-04-05T00:00:00Z GMT