I like bags. Bags for putting stuff in and carrying it around. Not shopping bags or anything like that. More like messenger bags, portfolios, brief cases. That sort of thing. I’m not much of a fan of knapsacks these days. I used to carry a knapsack back in my younger years when I could be away from home for a few days but that doesn’t happen much anymore. I don’t need the room afforded by a knapsack and prefer to carry a bag in my hand. Al long as it’s light enough.
When I used to commute to Manhattan I always carried a bag. Nothing special. It mainly held my reading material, a few drawings or sketchbook, various drawing tools, lunch, and my music player. My last one was a, sort of, messenger style bag that I got to hold my then new laptop. It was okay and did the job but it wasn’t a bag to be reckoned with. There was nothing interesting or special or inspiring about it. Mundane is a good word to describe it. And most other bags.
I don’t have to carry a bag much these days since I haven’t been commuting but sometimes I go into Manhattan to sit in an park and draw. Or else I walk around and take photos. That’s a variety of tasks and on those days I carry a bag. I have a pretty nice bag designed to tote art supplies around that I bought a couple of years ago. I generally like it, as it is well built and has some special features, but it is sometimes a little large (it can fit 14×17 inch paper pads) and is made out of black nylon. I’m not a fan of nylon bags. I prefer canvas. They fell better to me.
One of my favorite movie bags is in the “The Ninth Gate”. Johnny Depp totes around what looks to be an army surplus bag of some kind. It’s made of green canvas, has a shoulder strap, a bunch of pockets, and is held shut with a pair of straps and buckles. I don’t know if the bag is actually any good but it looks good in the movie. Whenever I watch that movie I am envious of his bag. I’m not even sure why because it really doesn’t look that special or inspiring. Maybe it’s just because people in moves don’t carry around bags too often.
A couple of years ago I bought a canvas army surplus style bag (not actual army surplus) off of Amazon. I’ve been disappointed with it. It doesn’t have good pockets or compartments, the main flap is held closed by velcro and not a buckle or snap, it looks a bit too much like a purse, and has no handle. Though I appreciate a nice shoulder strap I mostly like to hold a bag by the top handle. This bag has none. Probably due to its small size. There might be a problem finding any small bag with a top handle.
I’ve been looking online for a new bag lately. I don’t even know why. I really don’t need one since the couple I have are still in good shape plus I’m not really going anywhere that I need to carry a bag. Yet somehow the search for one better than the ones I have intrigues me right now. I’ve seen a bunch online but none that really grab me. Some are too big, some too small, some are too cheaply made, and some are too expensive.
Oddly I have no idea where to look for a bag I might want in the real world. The local malls have plenty of stores but none that have many canvas bags. I think finding a local army/navy store might be my best bet but I haven’t been that ambitious yet. It really hasn’t been much of a search since the priority is low. It just another silly thing that’s been on my mind. It’s a good thing I like silly.
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