I’m wondering about those of you who commute to work now and then. For some reason I have a hard time minimizing what I carry with me. I don’t have a car, so when I leave the house I need to have everything I might need on my back. It leads to me carrying all kinds of crazy things, like a multi-tool and a flashlight. Do any of you have a minimalist setup for your bike or bus commute?
I’m a bus commuter, though only go in for half a day at a time, so all I take is my work laptop, an umbrella, hand sanitiser, and a little clutch that I move from bag to bag and has my bare essentials (phone, cash/cards, keys, facemasks, tissues, earplugs). My office is in the town centre and provides drinks, so there’s nothing extra I need to be “prepared” for.
Wow, that’s really minimal.
I always bring things I might need for “the worst case scenario.” Maybe I should plan on the “best case scenario” instead.
I prefer to plan for the most likely “bad” scenarios. E.g. wearing shoes that are comfortable enough I could walk home if there were no buses, having enough spare money to pay for a taxi/buy a lunch if need be, keeping my phone charged (which I can do with the laptop chargers at work thanks to standardised USB-C, for other trips I may bring a powerbank) so I can call someone/search online if I need help. The odds of anything happening for which that’s not enough preparation are so remote that it’s not worth having to lug all the gear around all the time.
I used to be a hauler back in my 20s, but with time and back pain I have moved to more compact, lighter versions of what I need. Which is usually:
- a 23L Decathlon backpack I bought to also use as a one bag for holidays
- Bellroy tech kit for all the cables, earphones, portable chargers, work ID cards etc
- Work laptop & charging cable
- Personal ipad for notes etc
- Cardigan & clean work shirt
- Wallet (a compact wallet + coin I found from Burberry)
- metal water bottle (it gets heavy but I like it better than the collapsible one I have for travel)
- hygiene kit (mini toothbrush, mini mouthwash, tinted sunscreen, lip balm, hair tie, extra pair of disposable contract lenses)
- phone
The decathlon has a lot of compartments and I use that instead where I can. And I like using the sternum strap and thick padded backpack straps to lessen the weight. It still looks professional and less backpacker. If there is an emergency, my client’s office is near a mall where I can easily buy replacements (from sewing kits to cables). I get my lunch from the nearby supermarket too.
Alas in a separate bag I will have to start bringing a portable monitor for work. Technically it should be able to fit in the bag but I’m concerned about the weight.
