How are GALs carrying their sh!t these days?
After years of downsizing, TueNighter Leigh Ann is finally ready to ditch her purse and find new ways to carry her essentials: cell phone, credit card, wallet, keys, and maybe some lipstick.
Hereās the thing ā she's not entirely sold on fanny packs.
As am I! Iāve carried everything from a tote to a handbag to a cell wallet to a fanny pack and somehow I find a reason to hate them all.
Oh, the ideal bag for carrying my stuff, my eternal grail quest, my white whale. My current situation is an imperfect compromise:
My "big" carry is Alex Mill's "Perfect Weekend Tote" (which I get a lot of compliments on) with a carabiner on one strap that I use to hook my keys and a strap for my main wallet; inside, I have several wallets for different purposes (with straps of different colours, which can all be attached to the carabiner for quick finding), and various small bags that hold grouped items (health/first-aid; tools; beauty/self-care; external battery/charger cables; etc.). It's big enough to hold a water bottle, a book, my laptop, and most things I might need to toss in there while out and about. With the carabiner and my system of smaller bags, I can find everything easily enough. It's not as secure as I'd like since the whole top doesn't close, and because it's a tote it's not the most ergonomic for carrying for hours (especially when loaded with, e.g. full water bottle, laptop, etc.).
My "small" carry is an Everlane "Renew Transit Fanny Pack." I also resisted fanny packs for years and years, but succumbed to this one because it's pretty minimalist. It'll hold my phone, a small wallet, passport (when travelling), lip balm, small thing of hand lotion or hand sanitizer, pocket pack of tissues, reusable bag (Baggu standard) for any purchases, and a smaller pair of sunglasses. For when I only need a small number of items, it's about as close to ideal as I can imagine: reasonably ergonomic, secure, looks great, can be worn cross-body or around the waist or slung over a shoulder. But I can't carry, e.g., a book or water bottle, and if I suddenly need a bandaid or to charge my phone, I don't have my whole kit like with the big tote.
I have a whole bookmarks folder of bags I might get some day when I get sick of one or both of my current carries. When I finally find the ideal bag, I will have achieved some kind of nirvana, but today is not that day.