Archive for May 21st, 2008
What’s in my “Jack Sack” aka “Man-bag”
In the last year or so, I’ve taken to carrying a messenger bag after years of being a briefcase guy. About a year ago, I began looking for a new briefcase after the one I had been using for the past decade started falling apart. I had used one before that when I first entered the business world in 1987 and it had lasted for about ten years as well. What I found that was many stores no longer carried briefcases and that very few were available by special order. As I started looking for alternatives, I was given sticker shock looking at the bags that were now available. Wasn’t there something out there that was cost effective, decent looking, and functional? Yes there was. As I was reading blog posts one night, I came across one discussing a military messenger bag available on the internet that was under $30. It sounded like my type of bag so after researching them, I settled on this one:
This is a classic military messenger bag similar to the one used by Keifer Southerland in his role as “Jack Bauer” on the hit TV series “24″. In fact, if you search for the “Jack Sack” online, you will be directed to numerous sites that stock these bags. I purchased one in olive drab and received it within a week or so. It has quite a bit of space with a large interior pocket, side compartments, a zippered inside pocket and two nice size pockets up front. The cover is held in place with a sturdy velcro and the shoulder strap is comfortable but well made to last. For the price, I was impressed. I’ve used this bag for nearly a year now and am quite pleased. It has been put through the ringer and has help up well with no snags, tears or rips. So why do I need one of these? What can I possibly keep in here? Well, as a church planter with no office, it’s handy to take with me when I’m on the run as a portable office. I do replace some things depending on my day but largely, what I keep in here consists of the following:
- My laptop
- My Large Print ESV Bible
- A book to read
- My CLEAR devotional magazine
- A leather bound journal for my devotional time
- A pencil case with my writing materials to protect them from marking up anything inside
- A tin of bookdarts to note my books I read
- My MP3 player with some music, an audio book, and some sermons on it
- A thumb drive to save important documents on in case I need to use them on another computer
That’s pretty much it. I do add other things as the need arises but largely, my commentaries and related bible study materials are online now so I try to keep the bag full of the essentials. If you are looking for a low-cost alternative to those other messenger bags out there, this could be one option. If you are truly cheap and want to try something completely different, here’s a link to a video showing you how to make your own messenger bag out of plastic bags and throwaway items. Not sure if it will hold up to a laptop but it could be handy for carrying books on the fly while you bike.
