The Things They Carried.

I should be the poster child for The North Face - I have had the same black North Face Miwok backpack (in addition to my signature red jacket) for over ten years!

But recently the bottom has started to wear thin and I figured that it was time to retire the poor chap. So after much research and about two hours tossing bags around in the North Face store in typical Bill Saperstein fashion, I purchased the Surge. So far it has been a godsend. In addition to having plenty of space for my daily necessities, it has a fantastic back support feature that makes it comfortable to lug around.

As I was cleaning out my old pack and moving things to the new one, I began the process of filtering through my possessions and evaluating the ones I felt I couldn’t do without. A question was formulated: can people be defined by the things they own?

A few literary sources concurred. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried described the stories of various American soldiers in Vietnam via the various trinkets they possessed. From love letters to illustrated Bibles, each of the items effectively captured the essence of the book's main characters, making them more tangible in the reader's eyes. Moreover, Fight Club’s Tyler Durden grimly stated, “the things you own end up owning you,” summing up his notion that contemporary society has us defining people by their material goods.

Though it may be wrong to judge a person’s lifestyle by the things he/she ‘carries,’ I feel that with certain items, it can be fairly accurate at times. With that being said, I looked through my bag and wondered what my things said about me. Perhaps you can make a conclusion. Here is what I carry around at all times:


Sigg water bottle - gotta stay hydrated...


Shaun's bag-o-fun - equipped with playing cards, earplugs, dice, and broken-in hackey-sack...


Sketchbook - probably the most important thing I have; laden with ideas, thoughts, and comps...


Food - 'nuff said...


Laptop - I guess this would realistically be the most important thing.

Do you think you know me after what you saw? Thanks to my new backpack, I can carry all of this stuff with ease and comfort. I would be curious to know what everyone else keeps with them everyday and see how the items correlate to their lifestyle/personality.

The quarter is almost done. Much to do.