Last weekend I wanted to take my two girls 5 and 7 around the city without using a car. In the evening, we would need to end up in the Presidio for their swim class.
I set out to see how it would go and loaded up my Every Day Carry (EDC) for the trip, with the goal to be as self-sufficient as possible while still prepared for nearly any incident.
Here were my requirements:
- Everything I would need in a single bag
- Adapt to San Francisco's fickle weather from short-sleeves hot to shivering windy
- Keep us all hydrated
- Be able to take them to the bathroom while out and about
- Take them to their swim class
- Take a Lyft if public transportation fails us
Here's the whole thing:
So...it's not exactly minimalist. But this Athletico Mesh Swim bag does the job -- but, yes, it's pretty packed.
Fortunately, the bag itself is pretty light. It's most mesh since its primary use-case is to carry swimsuits. So I didn't really feel it was a burden....given the load I was carrying.
My other EDC bag is a more typical backpack -- a Tom Binh Synapse 19 -- which is great for minor journeys and anything with the office.
But for dealing with the girls, a light, sturdy, and top-loading bag was what I needed. I needed everything stuffed down in there.
For example, our jackets:
On a nice day like it was yesterday, I had to carry all three. But I couldn't go without, either, because it inevitably got shivering cold after their swimming lessons.
I will write about how much I love this Marmot jacket another day, but the jackets, alone, need a top-loading bag with a drawstring.
But that's not all!
Although we took the Cable Car and then the F train to go to Fisherman's Wharf (!), I knew that to go from the Wharf to the Presidio would not be an easy ride.
Here's what Google Maps offered me:
In other words, there weren't many good options.
Which is why, at the bottom of my bag, I also carried these:
I carry two MiFold's and when I need to take the girls somewhere public transportation can't handle, I strap them in. We're never going super fast in the city, and I sit between them with my arms around the front of their waist.
The mobility it gives us, though, has been pretty awesome.
Yesterday was a pretty full day, and that's why I brought this along:
It happened once where I needed to be able to bring the kids home, but was running out of power on the phone.
It's really, really stressful watching your phone at 2% while also seeing the car that's supposed to pick you up still five minutes away.
So I invested in this Jackery Portable phone charger. The small footprint, plus the built-in charging cables, has now become part of my EDC arsenal when out and about with the kids.
Is that everything?
Nope, I still need to stay hydrated, so I load up with this for all three of us:
Yes, it's a little bit heavier than carrying a plastic water bottle. But there's the environmental factor.
But I also wanted something sturdy I could carry and easily fill-up. More and more places have water filling stations, so I have added this to my carry on when going out.
So that would basically be it. I realized afterwards that there might be some things I would want to add.
Snacks
They got super tired. The bag could easily handle them, I just haven't figured out what the right snacks should be for them. But that's now on my list.
Wipes
Not sure what I would use, but as I walked through Fisherman's Wharf, I was so glad that they didn't need to use the bathroom. If they did, I would have liked to have some extra wipes just in case. Makes life easier.
But wait, there is more!
We went swimming, and so I brought these along:
I have been using these Eagle Creek Compression Packing Cubes for their swim gear. I don't know how sturdy these are, I had to exchange one for ripping, and the gear is not heavy.
But I've been loving that they are super light-weight, breathable, and hold their stuff. So I had more stuff to carry in the bag because of their swimming lesson. But I also wanted to have that kind of flexibility. It would have defeated the purpose of going out on our urban journey to have to go all the way back home, and then go back out to the swim lesson.
The reality is: some days really are just that busy. So battle testing the bag and our routine was a bit of a necessity.
The Lyft rides (to the swimming lessons and back home) came out to $26 before tip. My first driver was an immigrant from Nepal with whom I had a great conversation, and my second driver was deaf, so I tipped each $5. But $26 for a little extra freedom from needing the car (which would include not only a much higher hassle-factor, but also paying for parking), seemed worth it.
What do you think? Do you have an Urban Every Day Carry you want to share and include a common routine?