:A Better Backpack for Work:

How to Be a Smarter Commuter

A few weeks ago, I was on my way into the city pretty early when I glanced at a parking lot and saw a woman on a mission. I have no idea where she was headed but she had her boots laced up tight, gloves on, coffee firmly gripped and bag strapped to her back. You can tell when someone feels equipped to take on the world. Maybe they're not mentally ready, but the way they walk signals they feel locked and loaded. She had this march going. Like nothing could throw her off her center. And it got me thinking about a change I made to my commuting gear a couple months ago. 

If you're like me, you've got a lot to lug back and forth to work. Every day I'm carrying breakfast and lunch, my (company-issued and gratuitously large) laptop, notebook, projects, all of my purse essentials like my wallet, mini umbrella in case it rains, and on and on. When I first started at this company, I was carrying my laptop in a traditional laptop bag. You know the kind. In a word, hideous. I would sling my laptop over one shoulder, my purse over the other, and I would waddle out with a little extra hitch in my giddy-up because the laptop bag was banging against my knee and I'm a rather tiny human at 5' even. 

One day, as a dropped my luggage at my desk, I spotted a big black backpack on my coworker's windowsill. I stopped everything and said, "Where did you get that?" She laughed a little and explained it was her laptop bag. It was like a higher power had intervened on behalf of my beleaguered shoulders. I was prepared to pay just about anything for a functional bag that looked good and would handle the daily beating I would give it. But when she told me it was less than 40 bucks I almost threw my Yeti through the window. Instead of assaulting her, I asked if she would please send me the link. I made sure it wouldn't be super weird if her boss carried the same bag that she did. She said no. But we both know that when we fly to San Diego together next month for our company's Conference that we're going to be total twinkies and I'm the one who put her in that position. 

I'm not showing it here but this bag carries both my work laptop and my personal laptop plus all the accessories, a portfolio and a smaller notebook in the front pocket with room to spare. There are about a billion pockets for anything you can think of. And it's durable. Now, when it first arrived there was a certain new smell that signaled it's price point, but it has since faded. And take it from me, the brown is awful. I tried it, thinking I have too much black and maybe things wouldn't be quite so weird with my coworker if the color was at least different. It was way more orange than brown. So obviously I ended up with the black, which is more me anyway. 

It sounds a little silly but when everything I need is organized, easy to carry, and wrapped in sleek packaging, I feel kind of empowered. Like I know I'm going places and looking good doing it.

It's not often you get to achieve both kinds of smart in just one move. 

Jacket AYR (sold out, try this cozy aviator jacket or this great cropped jacket) // Jeans DL1961 (try these) // Boots Dolce Vita // Bag Amazon (Seriously... for $36, why wouldn't you?) // Gloves Lands' End // Sunglasses Quay

photos // lauren

OMG my hair. Bahaha!