What's in your geek bag?
Lifehacker's features highlighting the contents of the writers' bags satisfy both my gear lust and my voyeuristic nature simultaneously. However, one thing strikes me as odd: none of them contain any gaming items whatsoever! Where is the PSP, the DS, or the GP32X? Why don't we fill this thread with the contents of our gamer geek bags. Who can leave home without something to play?
My bag is admittedly in disarray at the moment. I am now the owner of both a DSi and a PSP so it's getting pretty crowded in there right now.
Bag: Crumpler Luncheon 15" laptop messenger
Contents:
PSP-3000 in a Logitech case which makes it giant
I wish this thing is smaller, but I refuse to even consider paying a premium for the gimped PSPGo launching in October... even if it is small and sexy. Also, I haven't quite come up with a small and safe way to transport games just yet.
DSi in a sleek black case
Still a bit bulky but not so much as the PSP.
DS 24 game case
Cheap, ugly, and effective.
15" Macbook Pro
I never thought I could carry a 15" notebook with me everywhere until I met this one.
iPod classic 120GB
My wimpy 16GB iPhone couldn't handle all my music along with everything else.
iPod remote
Mostly for the notebook. Truthfully, I bought this almost exclusively because of that cool security program that lets you lock down your Macbook in a public place to sound an alarm if anyone touches it. I use the remote to arm it. Nevermind that I have never even gotten to use it for that since I rarely fire up the computer in public. Pathetic.
chargers for iPhone and Macbook Pro
Can't have them going dead.
Logitech V270 bluetooth mouse
I don't especially like the silver-on-plastic finish, but it works great, runs forever on a set of batteries, and comes with a really nice case.
Seagate FreeAgent Go 250GB hard drive
Would have preferred a WD, but work bought it so who am I to complain?
GorillaPod tripod
Works great with the tripod mount on my...
Creative VaduHD
I was producing a video podcast for a few weeks which made this indispensible. I still bust this out for some impromptu home movies on occasion.
Sony DSC-T5 P&S camera
A pretty small point-and-shoot digital camera that performs well enough.
Samsung WEP200 bluetooth headset
A very small headset with great performance. Very discreet (although I would still never use it in public). This gets most use in the car or at home.
Razer noise-isolating earbud headphones
Ordered from Woot on the cheap. They sound good and came with a slick case.
Boring:
hand sanitizer
miniature Maglite flashlight
cleaning cloth for glasses and screens
Swiss Army knife
ink pen
Sharpie
Belkin FM transmitter for iPod
Looking forward to a glimpse inside everyone's bags! It would be nice if you could post short descriptions for at least some of the items. Others may be able to benefit from your genius if we only know why you are carrying that clothes pin, two wood screws, and a tub of Vaseline. (On second thought, just omit the Vaseline explanation altogether.)
I dont' have a geek bag, the closest would be my gig bag, which right now holds my Zoom pedal, a bunch of Mic cords, instrument cables, strings, power cords, more random pedals and power adapters than i know what to do with and a bunch of batteries, a SM57 and a Shure Beta 58A vocal mic, and random other things.
Xbox Live Gamertag - Yoreel
Man purse...
http://www.mazianni.com
Tempest says: "A team hat doe snot communicate and talk to each other about what the next move will be is going to lose."
I carry around a backpack with my DS and PSP which I rarely use, my smartphone which I never stop using, some big huge noise-canceling headphones which I plug into the phone for music and podcasts because I'm too cheap to get an iPod, and a pile of whatever books I'm currently reading (right now it's The Bell Jar and King Rat.) Nothing really cool.
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Closest thing I have is my DnD 3.5Ed. bag which contains:
Books:
Player's Manual
DM guide
Monster Manual
Draconomicon
Dungeonscape
Folders with active campaign and player sheets
folded battle map, laminated
Dice bag (old skool TSR logo!)
vis-a-vis erasable markers
pencils
paper clips
It's Mister Wind to you. SteamID: mrwynd | How to record a video game Starcraft 2: mrwynd.954
The closest thing I have to mobile gaming is my laptop. I would only use it for gaming if I'm going out of town for more than a day. When that happens, my backpack has the following:
* My work laptop w/ portable mouse
* CD/DVD case with game discs (Civ4, Alpha Centauri)
* 2.5" drive in USB enclosure
* USB dvd drive (built-in one is flaky)
* 4-port USB hub
* Sansa MP3 player w/ earbuds & USB cable
* Travel speakers
* Retractable m2m headphone jack cable
* Retractable USB to mini-USB cable (for cell phone)
* Pen
Certis wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:
<+katisu> Q-Stone is an internet genius
I need to travel on the job a bit and have learned to pack relatively lightly. It used to be much, much worse! Somewhat in order of importance:
I always have my computer, a Sony VAIO VGN-SR39VN. 13", just under 2 KG. In an old Asus laptop bag.
Nokia E51. It gets the job done and fits in a pocket smoothly. Good stamina.
Two Moleskine notebooks, one for work and one for own stuff. 1-3 good pens, I have a favorite but don't know what it's called (actually just checked, it's a "Uni-Ball Vision Elite"). Stuck within the work Moleskine, travel documents.
Four power adapters and an international wall socket adapter (UK/US/Europe).
For music, a cheap Creative Zen Micro, 2 GB. I've been thinking of upgrading, but probably not up to anything I can't easily conceal in whatever pocket I have. These things get knocked around so much, I don't want to pay too much for them. They seem to last me a year, roughly the same as most heaphones. For listening to stuff, Sennheiser CX-300s (good noise insulation) or if I need to be aware of my surroundings, the more bulky Sennheiser PX-100s.
A DS Phat with a single game or a Sony PSP Slim & Lite in a hard plastic carrying case, with two spare games.
One small, soft cover book with at least 100 pages left in it. Some cash in case a cab doesn't accept plastic.
--
Edit: Oh yeah, and cables. USB, HDMI, VGA if I don't know where I'm going, power cords for all the devices. If I'm going somewhere I think might be cool (that is, beyond airport - hotel - publisher/supplier), a Canon EOS-450D with a kit zoom lens, 18-55 IS, I think. Usually I don't bother taking a power adapter for that, those things last so many frames anyway.
http://dustygamer.mcmuumio.net | Xbox Live MC Muumio | PSN mc_muumio | Steam jlaakso
I've got a Crumpler: Moderate Embarrassment bag and try to keep it fairly light these days.
- 13" Macbook
- Power Adapter
- 10 ft Cat 5 Cable
- Leatherman Wave Multi-tool
- Pens, Small screwdriver, memory stick
On a trip I'll toss a book and my DS in there too. Since I resigned myself to keeping my actual tools and "extra" stuff in my trunk, life has been much nicer.
I find Certis quite attractive. - Quintin Stone
I think my Laptop is the only thing gaming related... although, this is a new laptop so it has nothing installed on it.
- MacBook Pro
)
- USB TDK CDR
- A copy of TrueImage, ERD Commander, BartPE, SpinRight, Ultimate Boot CD, Ubuntu
- 4x 8GB USB Flash Drives
- USB 160GB Drive
- Multi-Tool and small Tool set
- Few Blank CDs and DVDs
- A copy of Dante's Inferno (...which I still have not read!
- and a expandable baton.
Why I have all this stuff in my bag... because I'm lazy to empty it out.
Xbox Live: Nei HD | Playstation ID: Nei_GWJ | ...
Let's see.. my laptop bag has the following:
Laptop
5 part Deployment Folder
Patriarchal Blessing
Long handled lighter
Pocket scriptures
HS ID card from Junior Year
Glasses Prescription dated Aug 08
Receipt from my wife's wedding band
Yea, not so interesting I suppose. Usually I've got a Leatherman, DS w/ a spare game or two + wall charger, and a couple of books, but most of that is back home :/
Coldstream wrote:
XBL
Hmm...(*rummages around*)
Inside a Timbuk2 "Outland" messenger bag, we have:
- change of clothes
- razors
- a loofah (I bike to work)
- iPhone 3Gs with who knows how many games loaded already
- DS in a small case with 5 games and 2 GBA games
- bike lock
- keys, wallet, watch
- 13" MacBook
- wireless mouse and USB dongle
- power adapter
XBL Gamertag: Minarchist | Steam ID: Minarchist
I like the cut of your jib, Minarchist. — Podunk
Something will definitely go wrong when we get to Nashville. This is a tenet founded on the firm ground of empirical evidence. — Elysium
The only bag I keep stocked is my kit bag for rugby. Inside there is:
My boots
Spare Cleats
Booze Money
Rugby Shorts
Several pairs old socks
Bike Tube
Tevas
Multi-tool
Steri-Strips
pretend boogle wrote:
My work bag is my geek bag, so:
an array of screw drivers,
1TB external HDD,
external DVDRW,
Old PCI videocard, for testing,
various sticks of laptop and desktop DDR and DDR2 for testing and upselling.
Balckberry
HP IPAQ PDA
and that's about it.
Yonder's Girlfriend wrote:
NathanialG wrote:
Laptop Case-
Outside pouch:
-IDE and Sata to USB adapter cable for HD data recovery
-Screwdrivers
-USB Key
-14 ft network cable
-XP OS discs
Inside:
-Nintendo Wii and most of my game library
@#$%#$^*@# GameSpy. -Gaald
I don't have a bag.
I don't even have a purse.
Stengah wrote:
I have a purse but the only thing remotely geeky inside it is my iPhone and iPod nano.
So far keeping it together's been enough
Last.fm
In my Duluth briefcase:
[ul][li]Books (Here Comes Everybody, Everything is Miscellaneous, & The Wealth of Networks)
[li]G1 Phone
[li]Cowon MP3 player (plays FLAC files natively)
[li]Moleskine notebook, stenopad, several flavors of tape flags & post-its
[li]Pilot V razorpoint pens in a variety of colors
[li]Ancient HP laptop running Ubuntu
[li]mouse, usb keys, various cables
[li]Manilla folders w/ PDF versions of articles
[li]Denon earbuds in cloth baggie
[li]bluetooth earpiece
[li]Mini usb cable & AC adapter for charging stuff[/ul]
[/ul]
Jonathan Coulton wrote:
My Tech air laptop bag is packed for a night at my parents' place tomorrow, and is currently stuffed with:
My Acer Aspire 2920 12.1" laptop with charger;
250gb WD portable hard drive;
Assorted SD cards, microSD cards and Memorysticks;
PSP fat with charger;
DS Lite with charger (no games for either; since my DS fat and games were stolen, CFW for the PSP and R5 for the DS. The games themselves never leave the house);
Madmen season 1 DVDs, on the off chance that I ever get round to watching it;
USB, mini USB, and iPhone lead;
USB WinTV stick and aerial;
iPhone charger;
The iPhone (which lives in my pocket really);
Logitech wireless mouse;
Nurofen.
I'll use the iPhone and the laptop only. It's the same every time.
Requires 2 non-replaceable LR41 button cell batteries for the monkey (included)
Jonman wrote:
I have two bags in my car. One has my golf discs. The other has my boxing gear.
Aside from that, I just have an ammo box with my roadside emergency kit in it.
I think Paleocon is right about pretty much everything.
-- Mex
I've got a beat up backpack I've had since high school. In it:
Laptop + Charger + Mouse
PSP + Charger
Usually a book of some form.
Geek mini-kit with a bunch of screwdrivers, couple of ethernet adapters, and small (6') ethernet cable.
Backtrack liveCD
Windows rescue/driver disk.
USB jumpdrive with a ton and a half of portable apps on it.
Headphones
Batteries of all forms. (Usually AA, AAA, C, D, and a 9v or two. People always run out of batteries around me.)
2-3 usb cables of varying ends.
This isn't counting what I normally have in my pockets (Though, considering what I normally wear has pockets 2x the size of what I have to wear to work):
G1 (Smartphone)
Sunglasses (I take them with me even if it's 3am.)
Keys
Leatherman
Ulairi wrote:
Sandisk Sanza 2gig mp3 player.
2 bottles of water
Gym towel and lock for lockeroom
Pimp by Iceberg Slim
Hello kitty luchadore plushie
Samsung Gravity, charger, headset.
Car charger for my T-mobile Dash
Vegan Gum
eucerin hand lotion
misc vegan lip balms
2 sets of skullcandy headphones (chops, smokin buds)
Knit produce bag for the grocery store
Notebook and misc pens.
Emergency overnight kit: condoms, travel toothbrush, toothpaste, extra socks, undies, hairbrush, soap, toilet paper, a bottle of ibuprofen
I'm male, I swear.
xbl:lesbiankittens steam:lesbiankittens Warning: neither lesbian nor kitten!
Mine is kind of a combination of geek stuff and things I've found were handy for those unexpected nights not-at-home. This is all in a low-profile backpack, which looks pretty much empty until you rummage through all its little compartments. If I were actually somewhere other than work right now, the contents would probably be a bit different (ie. less tech, more boyscout).
iPod
Headphones
Headphone splitter
Laptop
A few blank CDRs
Some OS install discs (WinXP, Leopard, etc)
Charger cables for iPod/iPhone
Bluetooth headset
Ethernet cable
Gerber multitool
Nail file
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, Oral-B Brush-ups
Chapstick
Eye drops
Tylenol
Clif bars
Pen, pencil, highlighter
A book on Go
The Zombie Survival Guide
Glasses, sunglasses
Musician's ear plugs
A couple tips-- install custom firmware on your PSP and rip your game ISOs to your memory stick. No need for UDM bulk. Also, buy a FLASHCART for your DS, which serves the same purpose. Cuts down on some of the clutter
EDIT: Oops, just saw that you have a DSi... not sure if there are any flashcarts that work with that new system... plus, the loss of the GBA slot means no extra RAM for ROM dumping.
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PSN: SommerMatt
That's What She Said -- A Podcast About NBC's THE OFFICE
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I've got my wallet, my keys, my iPod Touch (if I'm walking) and my BlackBerry 8830 in my pockets. If I'm carrying my work laptop I'll have more, but it's generally boring stuff like a miniature mouse and keypad, power cord, CAT-5 cable, Verizon USB AirCard, and some headphones.
I'm bored of the old signature, please feel free to suggest a new one.
In the bag I use for work I have:
-Laptop (Dell Inspirion 9300, 17" wide, weighs a metric ton, can't wait to be rid of it) & power brick
-Microsoft wireless laptop mouse
-DS Lite & power adapter
-PSP (first-gen) and power adapter
-Dynex PC technician toolkit including multi-screwdriver, jeweler screwdriver set, cable crimper, wire stripper, various screws and other assorted tools (including the hilariously useless anti-static placebo strap)
-Crank charged LED flashlight
-SATA/IDE-to-USB adapter kit
-Vantec 2.5" USB enclosure with Fujitsu 40GB HDD
-Pens
-Cable ties
-Utility/Ultimate Boot/SpinRite CDs
-Credit card imprinter
I also wear my OCZ Rally2 32GB flash drive full of utilities around my neck and carry a Husky reversible wet/dry vac in the trunk of the car for dusting PCs.
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The placebo strap makes me laugh. I've got one too, since the place I was contracting with made a big deal of it. Though, most clients never saw it out of the case. If there's a common tech item more useless yet people are sure it's helpful, I dunno what it'd be.
Ulairi wrote:
Hmm.
I have two bags, one for when I'm penning originals and a boring laptop case for when I'm typing the stuff out.
The first bag is actually kinda neat, it's the yellow messenger bag I got for pre-ordering Mirror's Edge from gamestop.
Contents (usually):
-5 subject notebook in there that I've been novelling-it-up with, as well as a couple short stories.
-Portable CD player (phone's been on the fritz lately) with cheapo headphones
-DS lite with Big Bang! Mini in it (check that game out, y'all.)
-bottle of Aleve
-Devices and Desires by K.J. Parker (CHECK THAT BOOK OUT, Y'ALL)
-current issue of ESPN the Magazine
-sunglasses I never wear because I have normal glasses
Sometimes, being grounded really does matter for electronics. I used to work with these Dialogic cards for telephony processing that were unbelievably sensitive to static. Touching those things with the least bit of static charge was enough to ruin them. I'd generally just touch something metal beforehand, but I did modify a wrist strap to plug into the ground pin of an AC outlet at one point in hopes that it would help.
For most common computer components, you're right. However, there are a LOT of things out there where it's not the case. I've done work in labs run by Raytheon, Lockheed etc where they really do need to be grounded, or things get fried.
Coldstream wrote:
XBL
My geek bag:
a canvas back from the GAP I got in high school with my:
HackMaster Basic rulebook
Bag o' Dice
a CFA Level III book
my 80GB Zune
Pens
Pencils
Paper
Checkbook
Trying to learn how to be happy again and fine a smile.
Not really working out too well.
Woo! I have the older model which is called the "Digital Audio Player." I've had to solder / super glue / reformat that thing, but I still love it. Its the only Mp3 player I've owned and its only 1GB. I'm pretty sure its Sansa though.
When I go on trips I pretty much carry my Mp3 player, Sony noise canceling headphones that are sort of busted, my Canon Digital ELPH camera, and DSi. Pretty standard things, but so were the things in the Lifehacker articles.