Backpack Tour

My backpack set up has been something I’ve thoroughly thought about throughout my schooling journey. At a certain level, it’s almost an art form. There’s a certain equilibrium between backpack bulk, robustness, ease of access, and organization. I’m proud to say that I’m in quite a satisfactory position with my backpack. This is likely the best my setup has been in the past 12 years, so here it is.

Top Shallow Pocket

This is my most used and most important compartment in the backpack. Being both at the top and shallow, I knew this was a golden space that I could not waste, I would be unzipping this zipper very often. So, when I was designing my backpack blueprint, I thought of what I’d want the easiest access to at all times. I decided on my one pencil, my one eraser. Some would say that a stored pencil outside of a pencil case is barbaric, or that holding only one pencil is risky. But, I’d label it as efficient and practical. By only having one pencil and putting it in such a shallow pocket, minimalism offers its own organization. I minimize my zips per item (ZPM) by keeping just the pencil in the pocket and my laziness has never thanked me more. 

Side Front Pocket

This pocket, I’ve never had before in the history of any backpack I’ve ever used. It zips vertically on the front right side of my backpack and the pocket stretches right in front of the main back pocket but right behind the front center pocket. For such a small pocket, the space is deceivingly large. When I first planned on what I wanted to put in this space, I noted the incredible accessibility of this pocket. Even while standing and wearing the backpack, I’m able to stretch my arm back, unzip, and grab anything that’s in it, on my own. Instead of asking someone to grab something from my backpack on the move, this pocket brings its own level of unprecedented independence. But, surprisingly, there wasn’t much I’d need to grab from my backpack while wearing it. What I settled on was my wallet, my TA pass, and my calculator. The spot is so accessible for my wallet, I can whip out my ID card whenever I’m leaving campus with an insane amount of ease. It isn’t actually that necessary for me to be able to access my calculator on the move, but this space also turned out to be one of the safest pockets on my backpack because of its sandwiched position between pockets.

Front Center Pocket

Surprisingly this pocket is probably my least used space. I’ve been able to utilize every pocket so effectively that this space acts as overflow. I use it for wired earbuds if I need them for any assignment, extra erasers or pencil graphite, and any Half-Caf tokens I find/collect. 

Main Back Pocket

Now this, this is where the magic happens. Most of everything I carry is in this pocket. Folders, notebooks, Chromebook, books, lunch, clothes. Anything. To balance backpack bulk, I usually try to keep my folders and notebooks pretty flat. This varies for certain subjects though. For some, I will allow a bit more wiggle room because some classes are just more paper reliant than others. For example, my math binder and folder likely take up 5 times more space than my Spanish folder just because I need the space. Here, I’ll also keep any lunch I bring to school, or any light jackets I take off throughout the day. 

Improvements

Despite how much I’ve tried to optimize this backpack, it’s not exactly all sunshine and rainbows. There are a few things I’d change. For starters, it’s not the most accommodating for bringing lunch from home. The main pocket has the space, but not the right organization. If I hold my lunch in that pocket, I have to take it out to reach other folders or notebooks, and it really slows me down. Plus, its proximity to the outside layer of fabric on the backpack increases its risk of getting squished during transportation. 

Another thing, I’ve wanted to incorporate bringing my glasses into the backpack setup for awhile. However, my glasses case is quite bulky and there’s not much space to easily fit it into the backpack. I could just put my glasses in my backpack with no protection, but there’s not enough natural padding in my backpack to accommodate its fragility. 

Lastly, books. Books end up ruining my whole main back pocket orientation. Their small and thicker build makes it hard to keep with the rest of my flatter notebooks and folders. It ends up taking up an disproportional amount of girth compared to its height and width. But, there’s just no other spot in my backpack. 

Source and stats

For any of those jealous of my efficient, practical, and minimalistic backpack setup (I know there are some), here’s the inside scoop. I personally got this backpack from my brother who was gifted it from an internship. He switched to a different backpack, and I very firmly and nicely asked him for it. But, after some further research, I found that it is likely the Oakley Laptop Backpack, Model: OAK-921379-02E, and SKU: 6221781. It’s a polyester backpack with 12.6 inches in width, 18.9 inches in height, 5.9 inches in length, and 22.4 ounces in weight. With everything that I keep in the backpack, I’ve found that the whole setup is around 15lbs.

 

But over all the years, I’ve found one organizational methodology that I will continue to follow through college and my work life. Organized minimalism opens the gates to laziness.