What's in My Bag

What’s in My Bag? — David Murray

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A metro light-rail system commuter opens his daily urban bag for us

I am privileged to be the senior writer for a unique institution: The Waterways Journal, probably America’s last remaining family-owned trade weekly publication. Located in St. Louis, Missouri, it has been covering the inland waterways towing and barge industry weekly since 1887. (Not a misprint: that’s 128 years of continuous weekly publication. And before you ask: Yes, there is that much news in the world of barging.)

I spent ten years in the merchant marine, first as a deckhand on Mississippi River towboats, then as an ordinary seaman and able-bodied seaman on ocean-going tankers, containers vessels, and break-bulk ships, traveling to Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, so the WJ a good fit for me.

I took a left turn into academia, earning an English Ph.D., teaching college for 18 years, and working several communications jobs before leaving college teaching for good.

I live in St. Louis city, and usually take the excellent public Metro light-rail system to work, unless I have some reason to drive. Total commute time: 20 to 25 minutes.

My bag is a daily urban commute bag I’ve had for 9 years now. I bought it on eBay for $80 in near-new condition. It’s a National Geographic bag made in South America from llama-hide leather that sold for $250 brand new. I have had to rivet one strap-holder and replace the brass-like rings that held the shoulder-strap (which, since they actually wore away, were probably brass-tinted pot-metal — the only quality shortcut I’ve found in it to date).

A word about leather. I get a free nylon backpack or briefcase full of conference materials each year at an annual conference for maritime attorneys and ship brokers, usually of pretty good quality. But nothing is as durable as leather, so I give those to my family or friends.

My llama-leather bag is a bit heavier, but that’s an incentive to reduce unnecessary items. The way this one is lasting, I’m thinking llamas must be pretty tough. About twice a year, I wipe it down with mink oil.

This one has three compartments plus a snapped document pocket in the back. In the outside back pocket, I put magazines or paperback reading material and any documents I want to keep with me.

The rear compartment holds a folding umbrella (pictured), plus a yellow nylon pocketed bag (just below it in photo) which is actually a purse-liner by Bag-in-Bag that my wife bought for $4. It holds all my hygiene and First-Aid items: toothbrush, toothpaste, antibiotic ointment, bandages, dental floss, alcohol wipes, ibuprofen, spare loperamide, etc..

In the middle compartment goes my iPad Air, in its rubberized Verso case that looks like a distressed old book ($9, Amazon). To clean the screen, a Targus cleaning pads (three for $8, also Amazon). Two Moleskines: a journal-sized one, and a small address book for logins and passwords. A small manila envelope for deductible receipts.

Front pocket: pens (I have a serious pen problem, as you can see); a small vial of hand sanitizer I got free at another maritime conference; a small leather business-card case; a rosary made out of special seeds called “Job’s tears” by a Trappist monk from the same monastery as my dad, who was also a Trappist monk for the last 25 years of his life; charger cords; pepper spray; an LED flashlight; and the service booklets for my iPad Air and Android pay-as-you-go LG smartphone.

The only feature I wish the bag had is backpack straps.

-- David Murray 05/13/16

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