What’s in My Backpack
In this post, I’ll “unpack” everything that I carry on a typical school day. For starters, I don’t actually use a backpack and instead use a tote bag. The specific bag is the Patagonia Headway Tote which unfortunately has been discontinued. I started using this bag for school during my senior year of high school after trying both a messenger bag and a traditional backpack. When I first started college, I assumed that I’d need to revert back to using an actual backpack and did so for a little bit. What I love about using a tote bag is that it gives me really easy access to my things and has a more practical shape with less wasted space. The main downside is carrying all of the weight on one shoulder. The small size (20 liters) has its advantages and disadvantages. This post overlaps a bit with my posts about the technology I use in college and on my college essentials. Note that the links included in this post are to the latest version of the products I own.
Starting from the back of the main compartment, I carry my laptop and tablet in dedicated slightly padded sleeves. My current laptop is the 14-inch Dell Latitude 5421 which I purchased through the Smith College Computer Store a week ago. My tablet is the 6th generation iPad (2018) along with the first-generation Apple Pencil. For more about how I use these devices for my classes this semester, click here. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I also carry a half-inch binder with the most recent papers for signals and systems (EGR 320). To check out all of my current classes, click here.
Next, are my headphones (Bose QC 35IIs), polarized sunglasses (SunCloud Loveseat), insulated metal water bottle (Studio Oh! Boho Llama Duo), and pencil pouch. While my Bose headphones aren’t cheap, they are well worth the price as they have Bluetooth, top-notch active noise canceling, and superior comfort. I use them daily to listen to music, podcasts, audiobooks, and videos. Both my headphones and sunglasses are protected in dedicated hard cases. My pencil pouch is from Garnet Hill and I’ve had it since at least middle school! Inside I carry pens, pencils, Wite-Out, scissors, a pencil sharpener, and a mini stapler. I also carry a set of mechanical colored pencils as they come in handy in both of my engineering classes.
In the front organizational pockets of the main compartment, I keep my graphing calculator (TI-84 Plus CE), an extra black pen, an extra mechanical pencil, my multi-tool (Gerber Dime), hand cream (Weleda Skin Food), tissues, and menstrual products. The final item that may be loose on top of my other things in the main compartment is an extra layer such as my lightweight Smith sweatshirt. To find your own Smith merch, click here.
On the outside of the bag is a large front pocket that holds my phone (Google Pixel 3a), mouse (Logitech M320), wallet (Mywalit Magic), and hand sanitizer. In my wallet, I have my student ID (Smith OneCard), driver’s license, insurance card, some cash, debit cards, and credit cards. To read more about banking in college, click here. I also carry a punch card to GoBerry which is the frozen yogurt place downtown. To read more about the food scene in Northampton, click here. Finally, I keep my various keys in the coin pocket of my wallet.
