I got annoyed recently when I wanted to leave the house and noticed my bag was half full just with stuff to deal with weather. In Tokyo, I usually carry an umbrella with me, maybe sunscreen, sunglasses, a mini towel etc. Others have fans, “neck fans” (not sure how they are called). Maybe a water bottle also counts.

All of this is “weather stuff” for me. I asked a friend what she carries around, and we started to think about some other categories as well. So I wondered how much of the stuff we carry around is actually about the thing we want to do wherever we go, and how much is just to cope with the environment? Also, I would be curious how this looks like in other places around the world. Things probably vary by gender, age, season as well.

Some categories are:

  • weather stuff
  • personal hygiene stuff
  • safety stuff
  • not being annoyed by others stuff
  • infrastructure fail stuff (e.g., preparing for when trains get delayed)
  • edric
    link
    fedilink
    54 months ago

    Most of the stuff I carry have already been mentioned so I’ll just add the ones not a lot of people carry:

    • hand sanitizer
    • a small travel vial of liquid soap
    • a couple of squares of toilet paper rolled up

    All of those including the standard phone, keys, wallet, etc. all fit in a small handbag that I wear across my chest.

    Sometimes if I know I’ll be out in hot weather, I bring water in an insulated container. I also have a small bag that specifically has a pocket for water bottles.