What's in the bag?

July 15, 2015 7:16 PM

Your work commute is a 1 hour train ride each way from the suburbs into the city. You use a backpack as a travel bag. What goes in the backpack?

What essentials should a train commuter carry in a backpack? Help me compile a list.

posted by slime to Travel & Transportation (33 answers total)

Water bottle and a book.
posted by Gneisskate at 7:20 PM on July 15, 2015 [4 favorites]

magazine
headphones
smartphone w loaded books, music, podcasts
charger
headache meds
granola bar
chewing gum
tissues
travel packet of wipes for spills
if female: sanitary products
knife multitool

optional: lunch, work to do on the train, laptop
posted by xo at 7:21 PM on July 15, 2015 [4 favorites]

Aside from the basics, I always carry a few small (cheap, like oriental trading co bulk stuff) toys with me to give to loud, whiny children on transit. If it shuts them up and makes my commute more pleasant, it's worth it. A $20 investment has saved me from countless minutes of being annoyed and hateful when I just want to zone out and read.

Basics: kindle, headphones, water, chapstick, hand sanitizer, multi-tool, tissues.

If I commuted 2 hours a day I would also pack food.
posted by phunniemee at 7:29 PM on July 15, 2015 [4 favorites]

By the way if you don't have a kindle now is the time to get one. Perfect for those days when you know you're going to be between books and your cargo carry space is limited.
posted by phunniemee at 7:30 PM on July 15, 2015 [8 favorites]

Hello, this is me except mine is 1 and a half hour train trip and I have to get buses at each end too.

I always have:

ipad - with at least 50% charge (no option for re-charging on the train) so I can read.
mobile phone
charging cables (so I can re-charge at work)
bottle of water
tissues
lipbalm
some kind of non-perishable snack.
my ventolin puffer (came in really handy a week or so ago when the person in front of me sprayed aerosol deodorant everywhere triggering an asthma attack)
posted by kitten magic at 7:30 PM on July 15, 2015

One hour isn't all that long, really. Maybe a book, or just my iPad loaded with a few books. Beyond that...a sketch pad, some pens, lozenges for the occasional sore/dry throat. If you have a walk outside once you're off the train, a small umbrella in a bag.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:32 PM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

Small backup USB powerpack and cable, topped off every few days. Small package kleenex, small package of wet-wipes. Small penlight or other keychain size flashlight. Small container with some tylenol, advil/asprin, decongestant, antihistamine, and a little mini-tube of antiseptic/antibiotic and a couple of bandaids. Maybe a Tide stain-stick. A small bottle of water. (basically, the same kind of stuff you'd keep in a car.)

Prepaid card with enough money for some food and train fare (maybe even cab fare) home in case your wallet gets stolen or lost (presuming a fare card in your wallet is normally used, and you carry your wallet separately from the backpack). A business card or contact card in case the pack is lost and someone wants to return it to you.

Kindle paperwhite. Headphones if you want to listen to music. (Or even as a prop to discourage unwanted interaction.) A spill-proof reusable thermos/mug thing if you're going to want to take coffee etc on the train (which may or may not be against the rules....)

If you're concerned about personal safety, possibly a whistle on a lanyard or pepper spray in one of those clip on holster things (if your jurisdiction allows it).
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:32 PM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

A pen!

Yes, must add to my bag right now. I was so annoyed with myself the other day when my ipad died and I didn't even have a pen to write to-do lists with. I can always find something to write on (receipts from my wallet if nothing else) but I had nothing to write with and I sit in the quiet carriage so I wasn't going to start asking people if I could borrow one.

It didn't kill me to stare out the window for an hour but a pen would've made me feel more productive.
posted by kitten magic at 7:36 PM on July 15, 2015 [3 favorites]

headphones and music source
book or other device that gives me something to read
some sort of granola bar (I like larabars)
small bottle of water
small packet of tissues
long sleeved shirt for overzealous air conditioning
sunglasses for those days when I sit on the sunny side of the train
posted by sciencegeek at 7:37 PM on July 15, 2015

a Grid It for organizing cables and 'whatnot' is life changing.

A travel backup of Toilet Paper like so
posted by bitdamaged at 7:40 PM on July 15, 2015 [2 favorites]

This is me, and has been me since I was 12... so more than 20 years. Actually, it is probably the majority of people who live in major cities in Japan.

Must haves:
Water, some kind of small snack,
headphones & music source (also useful to block out noise)
kindle (because my iphone doesn't hold a charge long enough for me to read both ways and use it normally)
long sleeved something even in the middle of summer (AC is cold after 1 hour)

If you can sit both ways, and you want something productive to do other than work, consider a new hobby. I knitted and crocheted during high school.
posted by xmts at 7:40 PM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

Wallet, keys, cash, and phone go in your pockets, never your bag. If someone stole your bag, you should still be able to call for help and reach home.

My strategy is to bring a big stack of lunches and snacks on Monday, and to leave duplicate first aid/lip balm/nail clippers/floss/phone charger at work so I don't have to carry them around. I also leave a toothbrush/clean shirt/underwear in my desk in case I wind up going somewhere other than home at the end of theday.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:42 PM on July 15, 2015 [2 favorites]

+1 for a Kindle. I like to have mine loaded up with at least two or three different books I'm in the process of reading, so I can pick whichever one best fits my mood.
posted by Itaxpica at 7:42 PM on July 15, 2015

I don't have a long T commute anymore, but when I did, I always had a book or my Kindle, my iPod, a small knitting project, and a bottle of water, along with all my usual purse stuff.
posted by sarcasticah at 7:53 PM on July 15, 2015

I have an hour commute each way in Chicago. Usually, phone, headphones, wallet, keys, sunglasses, Kindle, book, coffee (in my favorite Zojirushi travel mug), lip balm.
posted by anotheraccount at 8:02 PM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

This is me. I haven't ever felt the need to schlep around lots of stuff. Tissues, emergency candy, emergency phone battery, headphones. It's a matter of if you can sit still for an hour and not fidget. I just like to look out the window and listen to music.
posted by bleep at 8:49 PM on July 15, 2015

E-ink ebook reader (I prefer Kobo to Kindle), sometimes a print book if that's what I'm reading, portable video game systems (Nintendo 3DS or Playstation Vita or both), crochet stuff, water, snacks, umbrella, toiletries, sunglasses, phone.

Good sound isolating headphones are a must so that you don't have to turn up the volume to hear your music/whatever over the ambient noise. Use some that you can put Comply foam tips on.
posted by asperity at 8:52 PM on July 15, 2015

I tend to be the carry-everything-I-might-possibly-need type, but I've started paring down a bit recently. It really comes down to two categories:

Things I'm Bored, Fidgety, or Mildly Inconvenienced/Uncomfortable Without:

Headphones
Coffee mug (containing or about to contain coffee)
My Kindle
Lip balm

Things I Have Been Severely Inconvenienced/Uncomfortable When Caught Without:

Tissues
Water bottle
Snack
A portable charger + cable
Ibuprofen
Diva Cup
Hairbrush
A pen

And the optional category, Things That Have Been Very Useful to Have on Occasion:

Lotion
Hand sanitizer
Makeup touch-up kit
Nail clippers & file
Mini first-aid kit
posted by rhiannonstone at 9:24 PM on July 15, 2015 [2 favorites]

What's your climate like? Mine: sunglasses (in semi-/hard case) + micro umbrella.

Assorted change in a bag that lives in a back corner of the bag. A "hidden" (worn through, revealing the innards, really) compartment for a chunk of higher demo cash.

Thin tight-wearing leather gloves (mild cold protection, avoiding leaving fingerprints, cut protection, heat [like, car muffler falls off] protection).

Small packet of wet wipes. Small tissue packet.

Mini Sharpie (they're a couple of inches long) and a small notebook (yea yea it's a moleskin but I started using them when I was, like, 19... 18 years ago. Leave me alone.).
posted by porpoise at 9:37 PM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

Must-haves for me:
$20 in the bag (enough for round-trip fare, a few phone calls, and/or a small meal)
Ibuprofen
Water
Plastic bags (the type that grocery stores have in the produce section work best)
Paper napkins (more versatile than tissues)
A small notebook, mechanical pencil, and pen
posted by clorox at 9:43 PM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

A few zip ties, a small stack of index cards, and a Sharpie. A micro-fibre cloth. A Field Notes notebook with a few $20s in the back pocket. A pair of pens.

I carried a few bandaids in my bag for years and have only needed them once, but having them that once paid off in a big way. I've given away more cough drops from my bag than I've used myself; the good will generated has been immense.

By far, the two things I've been most thankful for having in my bag are a small supply of aspirin and a set of aviation earplugs.

The oddest thing I carry is a 100 Trillion Dollar bill from Zimbabwe. One of these days it will win a bar bet.
posted by dws at 9:43 PM on July 15, 2015 [2 favorites]

In addition to my wallet/keys/headphones/sunglasses/phone, I carry two small pouches. One has tech stuff: a USB wall charger, cables for my Android phone and iPhone (both of which use the wall charger), a USB thumb drive, and some replacement earbuds for my in-ear headphones. The other has personal care stuff: a pill case with Advil and Zantac, a couple of bandages, a foldable hairbrush (similar to this), a compact mirror, cuticle nippers, mini tweezers, lipstick, lip balm, and mascara.

Other essentials are a packet of tissues, hand lotion, breath mints, and a really good foldable umbrella.

A couple of recommendations: if you can find a retractable charging cable for your phone (like this), get it! It saves space and doesn't get tangled. And if you have a Kindle but don't want to carry it, and you have a smartphone, check out the Kindle app for your phone. It will sync your reading progress across devices.
posted by neushoorn at 10:32 PM on July 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

-small pair of folding scissors
-earplugs
-pad of post-it notes
-pen
-large but tissue-thin silk scarf--folds up very small, weighs very little, but provides a nice warm layer if the air conditioning is turned up too cold
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:57 AM on July 16, 2015

At least one serious blister plaster (such as Compeed) in a teeny weeny ziploc bag (to stop the paper coming off accidentally). Can be a real life-saver.
posted by Grunyon at 2:00 AM on July 16, 2015

A microfibre cloth if you wear glasses (or for sunglasses in the summer).
posted by ellieBOA at 3:48 AM on July 16, 2015

- Weather matters: a light umbrella or a rainshell jacket.
- headphones
- small water bottle
- tissues
- glasses
- medicines based on your needs (I usually have stuff in case of migraines, as well as me/paracetamol)
- sanitary products
- book
- notebook and pen
- make up touch ups

I segment lots of my things into mini bags, so that I can add and remove as needed. I try to keep my bag as light as possible when I commute
posted by troytroy at 6:12 AM on July 16, 2015

* Packtowl Nano
* Spare contacts + saline solution (or a backup pair of eyeglasses)
* Mini stuff sacks to corral random crap
* Key clip, swivel clip, lock band from Tyny Tools for general fastening purposes
posted by evoque at 6:58 AM on July 16, 2015

Apartment and/or job listings. Seriously. At 2+ hours a day, you're flushing an entire day of your life down the toilet every week. That's time that will never come back. If you like the job, move closer. If you like the house, find a closer job.
posted by sexyrobot at 8:34 AM on July 16, 2015

A 1-hour commute is pretty reasonable for most big cities, I think. Closer to the city = expensive housing, job in the suburbs = lower pay. Anyway, to answer the question, this is what is in my bag on a typical morning:

Travelcard
Work pass
Wallet
A can of drink and a cereal bar for the journey in
A newspaper, book or magazine
Phone
Portable charger
Tissues
Vaseline
Antihistamines and painkillers
Berocca
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Nail file
An assortment of pens and pencils
Money off vouchers for the supermarket near work
Packed lunch
Keys

None of these things are very exciting, sorry.
posted by intensitymultiply at 10:25 AM on July 16, 2015

A lot depends on what I could leave at the office.
posted by Salamandrous at 1:10 PM on July 16, 2015

My commute is by bus, at least an hour each way. I keep a USB charger plugged in at the office. I carry a Timbuk2 laptop messenger bag...I sometimes wish it was a backpack, but I like the form factor.

Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 3
Sony noise-canceling headphones
Spare AAA batteries for headphones
Backup set of earbuds
Mints
Keys
Wallet - phone (with music/audiobooks) - flash drive (in pockets)
Spare battery and USB charger for phone/Kindle
Retracting USB cable
Tylenol
Breath mints
Antacid chews
Microfiber cloth
Pencils and pens
Lip balm
Tissues
Wrap-around knee brace (mostly because I keep forgetting to take it out).
Rarely, I need to bring my work laptop home -- a Lenovo Thinkpad T450S, thin and light.

Thanks to this list, I've finally seen a use for those very small water bottles, so I'll be adding that to the mix, and perhaps a granola bar or two.
posted by lhauser at 4:51 PM on July 16, 2015

Sunscreen, in addition to many of the other fine suggestions, because I always forget to apply it before I leave the house.
posted by Banknote of the year at 11:36 PM on July 16, 2015

Think tiny.

book
mini tissues
mini 330ml bottle of water
tiny lip balm
pocket mirror
headphones/listening device
travel sized deodorant + 1 wet wipe in freezer bag for freshening up
solid perfume (because it's compact and gives my mood a lift)
tiny notepad and pixie pen for ideas (sometimes i'll write a to-do/search on net list)
tiny usb pen (no internet at home so I do the dirty at work or in the library)
1 painkiller (period pain)/sanitary stuff (only if I am very close to the time)
keys, money, bus pass, phone

I put all of my tiny things in a cute cosmetics bag.

I would also suggesting taking a small bit of floss tape with you for a post-lunch clean and rinse. It can help prevent the desire to snack.
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 5:19 AM on July 17, 2015