What's In My Bag? Solo New York Edition

Being a self-proclaimed backpack junkie of sorts, I kind of want them all (Pokemon-style). In 2018, there are backpacks, slings, & other bags to really fit your specific needs while still looking good. While heading to my parents, in-laws, the homes of friends/family or on break at work, I usually carry a backpack to try to sneak some work in when I can.

This seems to be an annual occurrence where I get a new bag, & new gear to fill it up with. Our latest bag is the Endeavor Backpack from Solo New York. While the company has several styles to choose from, I went w/ the more standard backpack. We haven’t attended any tech events or traveled w/ it yet but looking forward to ending the year out and kicking off 2019 using it.

The Bag: Solo New York Endeavor BackPack

The Endeavor offers a look that reminds me of the old Jansport bags I used to use in high school & college. They made sure to give it enough compartments to handle everything from tablets. laptops, phones, notebooks, and more.

You got 3 zipper compartments in the front of the bag & 2 internal compartments (a padded laptop area that can fit up to a 15.6inch size & an area for iPad/tablet/e-reader) and padded back + straps for extra comfort. All comprised of several materials that blend together just right.

I can use this to get around w/ my Chromebook or MacBook Pro, camera, lenses, notebooks, headphones, backup earbuds, business cards, pens, phones, accessories, and more. The only thing missing is a place to hold a tripod or a bottle of water as it has no side pockets. It’s not that big of a deal for me as I’m all about the necessities.

The Big Stuff:

Google Pixelbook

I use my MacBook Pro solely for editing videos & podcasts but for everything else, its the Pixelbook believe it or not. It is ridiculously lightweight & powerful as I got the Core i5 CPU/8GB of RAM/256GB SSD model. So everything looks great on the 12.3inch QHD touchscreen and 10-hour battery life can help me keep up w/ writing, working written features/reviews, & editing photos.

Sony a6300

I finally upgraded to a more recent Sony mirrorless camera and went from the NEX-7 to the a6300. Maintaining the small body by beefing up the autofocus, adding slow-motion, 4K video and more. Although I’m feigning over the A7 III, I’ll be using this shooter for a while for photos & videos and I’m fine w/ that.

Plantronics BackBeat Go 600

The latest from Plantronics are the cans I’m using at the current time. Big enough to provide a nicely sealed sound profile thanks to their over-the-ear cups, bass boost option, and still being lightweight. That 18-hour battery life makes it easy to use and not worry about charging it. I only have to plug it in to charge about once a week.

Google Pixel Buds

Just to have a backup in case the bigger headphones are dead or traveling on the train, I use Google’s Pixel Buds. Despite the translation feature just being ok, these are pretty good earbuds w/ superb audio quality + touch controls I don’t need to pull out my phone for anything.

LG G7 ThinQ

I know this might surprise some of you but my secondary phone is LG’s latest: the G7 ThinQ. It’s just something about the versatility of the G7 that keeps me coming back to this and using it. Good cameras, great display, and one of the few companies that have a headphone jack but has a Quad DAC built-in to trounce the competition.

Google Pixel 2 XL

Despite its screen issues early on, this is still my main & primary phone. I got everything I need here w/ dual front-facing speakers, good battery w/ fast charging, stock Android -more specifically Android 9.0 Pie, and almost a year later and still one of the best cameras on a smartphone.