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I reviewed an earlier version of this bag quite some time ago, and while I was very happy with it back then, I eventually moved on from it. But the idea of it has never left my head, as conceptually it is so simple and ideal.

When I saw one for a good price show up on eBay, I snagged a modern version of the Flat Pack. This is the larger of the two sizes, even though you’ll look at the images and think it is the smaller one.

The short version: if you carry only a few things to and from work, then there might not be a better bag out there. But if you like to carry stuff, this is going to be a very hard bag for you to use.

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Let’s have a chat about office bags. My stance for a long while has been: wear a backpack, no one cares, they are more comfortable, and better for your back. Something like that, right? My stance is now: I care how I look more than I used to, and backpacks don’t look that good on me when I stare at the mirrored elevator doors, so carry a briefcase.

Back at my house, I was once again swimming in a sea of bags stuffed in my closet. Bags I didn’t want to sell, and yet not a single one of those bags felt like the bag I wanted to use for the office. Then I started longing after Hardgraft’s Long Haul Briefcase. It looked like the beacon, the next bag which would rid me of this feeling of not having the correct bag.

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When I first stumbled across Weiss Watch Company, I knew I would eventually have one to call my own, but I had no idea which model, and while I loved the concept, no single model was calling to me. This past summer, that changed, as Weiss Watch Company released two limited edition models of their Standard Issue Field Watch, both in 38mm Titanium cases. The Blue Ocean and Pink Sand models are limited to 30 pieces per dial (that model is sold out, here’s their current offerings).

I picked up a Blue Ocean model, which arrived at the end of August — it’s a tremendously good watch.

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I received this watch in November of 2016, a couple of months after my grandfather passed. It was his watch, and watch he had had for just shy of a decade, but had worn everyday of that time — it was a watch which commemorated a business success for him. This is also the watch which caused me to kick my Apple Watch to the curb, and entrenched my wrist and my wallet back into the watch world.

And, this is also the watch model (generally not this specific variant) I will almost always recommend to someone who wants a one watch collection. I thought it would be good to sit down, and write about this watch after having it now for seven years myself.

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Filson sneakily released a limited run of 50 numbered messenger bags in a design they’ve not previously done. I snagged one when I saw it, if nothing else it might be neat to have. And then I started using it, and well I kept using it, and it’s replaced the Medium Field bag and Small Carryon 240 for me. It’s a very nice bag, so even though you can’t buy a new one, I thought it worth taking about should Filson re-release this later, or you find one for sale secondhand.

Here’s the original product page for as long as they keep it around.

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Note: a version of this post originally appeared for Members. This is an expanded and edited version of that post. Also, thank you to Apple for releasing new EarPods with USB-C!

This idea, vibe, or trend — it’s been playing in the back of my mind for a long time now. AirPods, and AirPods Pro, are nothing short of magic. That I can pop two small earbuds out of a sleek magnetic case, place them in my ear, and have them connect to my device — receiving and sending audio (and like pretty good audio)? And they last for hours? Like holy fucking shit you guys, that’s impressive.

That they sound pretty good, make me sound pretty good and have solid noise cancellation? Cherry on top right there.

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After getting the H Small Messenger Bag I wrote about recently, Hardgraft released the Content Cable Case line, which come in a variety of sizes (small, medium, laptop sleeves, and packing cubes). I picked up the Small size in natural, and a few hours after getting it in hand, I bought two more in the medium size.

They are among the best pouches I’ve ever owned for many of the same reasons that the H Small Messenger is great. They are ideally sized and have a premium feel while not looking like some nylon wonder from Amazon. They’re stellar.

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A common refrain of the last year on my Discord has been, “Ben, when you are going to try the Filson Zip Tote finally, it’s such a great bag!” That refrain was on repeat. And then I bought a Filson Rugged Twill Tote Bag with Zipper in Otter Green from a friend. An hour (for real) after it arrived, my wife used it for her personal item on the trip we were about to leave to go on.

And then, things got expensive for me. I have not heard her utter words about a bag she is borrowing: “So, this is mine, right, because I love it and am keeping it.” So it seemed I wasn’t going to test the bag at all, that is, until Filson released a limited color run that she liked better: I bought her one of those and swiped my green one back.

And I get it now. I get why people love these bags, why they make perfect travel/flying bags, and everything in between. The main downside: it’s a particular style, a certain flair, to carry a tote like that — and it’s not really me.

That said, I do not think a better personal item than this bag for flying exists.

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Ok, buckle up, because this bag is something special. When it first came out, I was in Italy, and I was rather annoyed (but a little thankful) there was no place I could go and see Hardgraft gear in person. This bag looked so tremendous when it dropped, I told myself if I left Italy with no new bag, I would buy this. And that’s what happened.

Hardgraft’s H Small Messenger Bag was one of the first in what seems to be a new line of gear. All of this gear features a variant of Xpac I had not seen before, which has a cotton canvas facing on it. It’s best to read how Hardgraft describes this bag (the annoying capitalization is them, not me):

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