What’s in my bag? — J Young
What's in my bag? issue #11
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J Young is a Property Claims Adjuster for Country Financial Insurance. He spends a lot of time on the road inspecting homes and writing repair estimates for insured clients all over Washington State.
BAGSMART Electronics Organizer ($18)
This is the first aid kit of a modern man. Charging cables, battery banks, flash drives, and adapters of every kind stay neatly organized in this bag that zips flat to fit in my messenger bag. A must for anyone living the #donglelife.
Bosch Compact Lazer Measure
There’s nothing more embarrassing than hearing the audible gasp from a client as the metal end of a tape measure skims millimeters above their wood floors at mach 2. This tool is not only safer and massively faster, it is also incredibly handy to use as a laser pointer during onsite estimates when talking to homeowners about a specific area on a ceiling or floor.
Mini Snap Blade Knife ($1)
I have experimented with many different knives for everyday use ranging from expensive tactical folding knives to a standard box cutter style utility blade. I have settled on these small and cheap utility blades as the most efficient and effective knife for general purpose use. The most important part of the form factor to me is that the blade extends out of the front of the handle for fast one-handed operation and is also lockable to keep it from shredding things (like my hands) as it is clipped to the inner pocket of my messenger bag.
Post-it Notes ($10/12pk)
In a sea of digital reminder apps and to-do list tools, I still prefer the humble sticky note to capture anything that pops into my head that I need to remember. They are a staple of my own personal GTD system of “capturing” anything while on-the-move to process later when I’m back in front of my laptop. On days when I have long drives from claim to claim all over the state, it’s not uncommon for me to have a dashboard full of them with ideas, memos, and reminders which I can easily re-stick into a neat stack to process later.
About the bag
My go-to bag for the last 9 or so years has been this old Ogio “Hip Hop” Messenger bag. I have tried laptop backpacks, convertible duffel bags, and everything in between but I keep coming back to this one. I would recommend a link to where you can buy one but they have been discontinued for quite some time.
