I’m the sort of fellow who enjoys a good bag. Whether it’s my trusty Minaal for travel, a Topo Designs for the gym, or a Peak Designs sling to carry my camera, a good bag--as Chase Reeves says--is a delight on a daily basis. My newest bag is the Trakke Bairn MK2 Mini Messenger. It’s a 6L messenger bag from Trakke, a lovely company that makes soulful handmade bags in their workshop in Glasgow. The materials are all sourced from Great Britain and their waxed canvas bags speak of outdoor adventures and past lives AND come with lifetime repairs. I’ve been using their Banana Bum bag for a few months now and it’s become my favorite “pocket item” bag, replacing my Topo Designs Micro Rover. It doesn’t hurt that the waxed canvas is highly water resistant and looks great.
When it comes to every day carry bags, I think there are two broad categories. One is the kind of bag that you need to interact with on the go. In this category, I think Peak Designs has nailed it. Their 5L sling or 20L backpack, for instance, are the kinds of bags you can get in and out of in seconds flat, with quick adjustment straps that work wonderfully, and the sort of thoughtful organization that allows you to grab something from inside the bag with ease.
The other category is the kind that you use to get your stuff from point A to point B, with no interaction on the go. They aren’t the most technically advanced bags on the market, but as is the case with the Trakke Bairn MK2, what they lack in futuristic functionality, they make up for with soul.
It may sound strange to talk about a bag in terms of soul, but I think buying a few beautiful things for your daily life that you love interacting with can really bring a level of intentionality that generic products just don’t provide. Call it mindfulness for thoughtful consumers.
The other benefit of buying high quality items is that they will very likely last you your entire life, whereas cheaper bags or backpacks are more likely to break down and leave you feeling uninspired. On the days I’m using the Bairn MK2, I actually find myself looking forward to packing it up. While it doesn’t fulfill my needs all the time (there are some instances where 6L either too much or too little), for the times that it fits the bill, it really knocks it out of the park.
Usually, I’d use the Bairn MK2 if I’m walking over to a cafe to write. Typically I’d fill it with my small Macbook Air inside a padded case, my GX85 inside a padded pouch, a book, my macbook charger, and an 18oz water bottle.
As I said earlier, it’s not the most technically proficient bag on the market and it has some shortcomings. It lacks a handle, it doesn’t have quick access pockets, and adjusting the strap while you’re wearing the bag is awkward. And if you overpack it, it’s not terribly comfortable, so I’d recommend asking yourself “do I need to bring this?” before you pack it out for the day. As with all bags, under packing it is always better than overpacking it. Let the bag guide you!
Again, if you need to constantly get in and out of your bag on the go, or want a bag with substantial padding or organization, this probably isn’t going to be the bag for you. For me, the bag is best when I am just going a short distance and won’t need my stuff until I get where I’m going (or in the case of the camera, I’ll just carry with me and put it away inside the bag when I get where I’m going).
BUT, and this is a key point for me, if you use this bag in a certain way, it will legitimately improve your life. Just opening those stainless steel buckles or grabbing one of the zip pulls to open the YKK weather guard zippers is a tactile and visceral pleasure.
Similar to opening a really nice notebook, it seems to imbue the work I’m about to do with more meaning and focus. Sure, you can use a dumpy little CVS notepad and a Bic to take notes on a project, OR for like $10 you can get a Mnemosyne notebook and some Pilot V5s and have a sensory experience while taking those very same notes. Why not elevate the experience and open yourself up to as many small moments of the process as possible?
And so it is for bags as well! When using a beautiful bag, I think to myself, “This beautiful bag has carried my tools for me, and now I am ready to do good work.” Maybe I’m overstating things a little. The things you buy either speak to you or they don’t. For me, I don’t have a ton of stuff, but what I do buy is generally well researched and carries some meaning for me.
In some ways, I think the fact that this bag cannot be accessed quickly or in a rush is part of its charm. It’s not difficult to get into, mind you, but it’s just not a hyper efficient Peak Designs style bag from the future. But because it cannot be rushed and because the materials are so soothing to the touch, I find that it serves as a reminder to be more present. Someone took the time to assemble this bag by hand. It is a crafted item worth studying and it seems to suggest that we take a similar degree of intentionality to the work we do.
The other wonderful thing about Trakke bags is the way the waxed canvas breaks in over time. When you first get your bag, it will feel slightly slick and a little stiff. But over time, with many uses and days on your back or hip, it begins to soften and take on signs of use. In short, it becomes a record of the work you have done and the miles it has been carried. Your bag will only ever look like your bag.
Again, this sort of communion either matters to you or it doesn’t, but to me, the bag has become a faithful companion for a very specific task. Right now I’m working on two features, and I’ve been working out of my local coffee shop as I attempt to scale these mountains. And even though I am a true beginner in some ways with these larger-than-pilot-sized scripts, the Trakke Bairn MK2 has been right there with me, reminding me to slow down, take things one bite at a time, and enjoy the process. Mindfulness is another word for paying attention, and a bag like the Bairn MK2 gives you a lot to pay attention to.
That’s a lot of potentially insufferable hyperbole to heap upon a $170 messenger bag, but after a few months of use, the Trakke Bairn MK2 has changed my work life in subtle but meaningful ways.
