EDC in my SK, and ?SCB vs LGD vs Icon?

[RosemaryZ]

Hi!! Long time lurker, recent-ish member, first time poster. Have been loving on all things TB for 5+ (10+?) years now. Read on for many pictures of my EDC in my SK, and my plaintive questions to you regarding which bag to move into next.

I am a hospitalist NP. My SK is my EDC for the hospital floors. I don’t ever wear a white coat, which is where most of my colleagues stash their stuff, because it gives me the worst case of imposter syndrome. So I wear a SK, sling-style. This is what I carry:




Uh, ok that loaded upside down (and pardon my foot), but here we have:

-a5 hobonichi cousin avec, which fits perfectly in the little sleeve.
-prescription pad (upside down for obvious reasons)
-non-TB zip wallet
-hospital-specific tchotchkes in a red mini-GW (alcohol wipes, caps for IV lines, a “christmas tree” for the oxygen supply, hospital-specific coffee and sandwich cards)
-personal tchotchkes in a blue mini-GW (glasses wipes, Loop earplugs, Altoid minis, driver’s license, lip balm)
-earbuds for my iphone in a cord taco
-little plastic side pieces that slide onto my glasses and turn them into “eye protection” for Covid (yes I know that’s a bit silly, but they’re letting me getting away with it, and after three shots and having Covid twice I only worry about giving Covid not getting it, and I can’t transmit through my eyeballs)
-a tube of hair mascara for my endless unprofessional flyaways
-tide pen for my endless unprofessional coffee spills
-prescription reading glasses in microfiber cloth case
-two Pilot G2 0.38s and one (usually carry two; whatever for the purpose of this picture) Palomino Blackwing with a pencil cap
-saline flush
-kind bar because I forget to eat
-and the piece de resistance, my absolutely magical, fantastic, deeply beloved, shockingly expensive, top of the line noise-cancelling audio-enhancing digital “Core” stethoscope by Littmann (gotta use that CME money for something when they aren’t letting us go to conferences).

Here it is all loaded out:


Typically I wear the stethoscope around my neck (dangling tie-style, not draped; that degrades the tube over time, and even though it was CME money this is still a $300+ dollar stethoscope I deeply love), and I only curl it up in the bag when I’m taking my lunch break or whatever.

So that’s how I roll. I have a whole bunch of other stuff I bring to work (chargers, a layer, food, drinks, etc etc etc), but that all stays in my office; this is what comes with me to the floors as I round. I of course also carry a phone with me (iphone XS Max) that functions as my pager, my medical reference, and essentially a mini ipad for accessing the EMR on the go; that goes in the right hand cargo pocket of my (not kidding and no apologies) cargo scrub skirts.

I absolutely love this setup. It works perfectly for me. The SK is the best bag I have ever owned for my needs, and I just can’t say enough good things about it.

Except: arise, a complication.

Remember I said that I had all of this CME money except we can’t travel to conferences because Covid and also they can’t take the money away because it’s in our contract and furthermore the money expires at the end of the year? Ok I didn’t say all that but that’s the situation. So I thought long and hard about what would really be very useful to me in my practice, and the answer was: if I could write my notes longhand in patient rooms (I’m always taking notes in my hobonichi; my patients often comment on it appreciatively; they say it makes them feel like I’m really paying attention) then have it magically transcribed to editable text using OCR, I would potentially save hours of time in my day. I used to be pretty quick at notes before EMR, but since EMR my ADHD brain just…..spazzes. I am experienced and not stupid but I write notes so painfully slowly now.

So I bought a ReMarkable 2 tablet.

I’m super excited about this. I figured out a solution to make sure everything stays HIPPA compliant, and I am really super excited, except….

…..it doesn’t fit in my SK unless I give up stethoscope space and any hope of zipping. Pictorial evidence:


(Pulled the stethoscope, tablet is in its place.)

FINALLY THE PART WHERE I ASK YOU FOR ADVICE!

….I already bought a SCB (with a coordinating Freudian Slip just to try and see) to remedy this tragic situation, it is already on its way to me, and I am already second-guessing myself.

I have really loved how everything is open in my SK. I frequently use the zip, and do not desire to give up the option whatsoever (when traveling between floors or commuting I zip everything up tidily so nothing can escape), but when I am in a patient room — taking notes, grabbing my pencil, stopping a beeping IV pump to saline lock it, etc etc., I will often leave the bag open for a bit to access all my odds and ends, and I love how tidy that option remains. Similarly at my workstation, I will often leave it open. The SCB while delightful is not built for that.

So….LGD maybe? Tablet won’t fit in LPD. Or….Icon? Maybe with the FS I bought for the SCB?

I typically carry in hand an 18oz water bottle and/or a 12oz travel coffee mug (seen in one of the loadout photos above), and then deposit them at my work station, so it’s not crazy to go up to something that could accommodate those things. I do also typically wear a light layer to the floor, then remove it (or not) depending on the AC situation that day. So it might be nice to be able to shove that in the bag, too.

OTOH, I am definitely going to be carrying this into all my patient rooms save the isolation rooms, so I don’t want anything too big or clunky—which is in fact my other hesitation about the SCB; I love being able to carry sling-style on my back.

Ok that was long and a lot, but I hope the pleasure of the pictures (I LOVE stalking other folks’ EDC pictures!) helped balance things out!

Ready for all your hard-hitting TB enabling, er, advice.

Thank you!!!

Edited to try and fix the picture situation. Hope that worked!!

[dirkhaun]

The zippers on the icon are almost exactly as wide as the entire Side Kick. You would have to wiggle / rotate the tablet to get it through.



Give the Small Cafe Bag a try. Maybe if you leave the flap open, that'll work for you.

[RosemaryZ]

The zippers on the icon are almost exactly as wide as the entire Side Kick. You would have to wiggle / rotate the tablet to get it through.

That’s a SUPER helpful size comparison, thank you!

[G42]

Check out the Daylight Briefcase... yes, it's much bigger than a SK, but more organization than a PCSB, and it has great quick access. Ballistic will give it stiffness/structure or go for Halcyon for flexibility.

I personally don't mind the handles on the DLBC, but you could always cut them off (!) if you want the bag to more streamlined looking, like the big sibling to the SK


ETA: Oh, and check out the CoPilot too...lots of good access and dedicated water bottle pocket.


Also, not sure what's up, but some of your photos didn't seem to load... we have some tips in this thread
https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...als#post330587

[moriond]

Hi!! Long time lurker, recent-ish member, first time poster. Have been loving on all things TB for 5+ (10+?) years now. Read on for many pictures of my EDC in my SK, and my plaintive questions to you regarding which bag to move into next.

I am a hospitalist NP. My SK is my EDC for the hospital floors. I don’t ever wear a white coat, which is where most of my colleagues stash their stuff, because it gives me the worst case of imposter syndrome. So I wear a SK, sling-style. This is what I carry:



Uh, ok that loaded upside down (and pardon my foot), but here we have:

-a5 hobonichi cousin avec, which fits perfectly in the little sleeve.
-prescription pad (upside down for obvious reasons)
-non-TB zip wallet
-hospital-specific tchotchkes in a red mini-GW (alcohol wipes, caps for IV lines, a “christmas tree” for the oxygen supply, hospital-specific coffee and sandwich cards)
-personal tchotchkes in a blue mini-GW (glasses wipes, Loop earplugs, Altoid minis, driver’s license, lip balm)
-earbuds for my iphone in a cord taco
-little plastic side pieces that slide onto my glasses and turn them into “eye protection” for Covid (yes I know that’s a bit silly, but they’re letting me getting away with it, and after three shots and having Covid twice I only worry about giving Covid not getting it, and I can’t transmit through my eyeballs)
-a tube of hair mascara for my endless unprofessional flyaways
-tide pen for my endless unprofessional coffee spills
-prescription reading glasses in microfiber cloth case
-two Pilot G2 0.38s and one (usually carry two; whatever for the purpose of this picture) Palomino Blackwing with a pencil cap
-saline flush
-kind bar because I forget to eat
-and the piece de resistance, my absolutely magical, fantastic, deeply beloved, shockingly expensive, top of the line noise-cancelling audio-enhancing digital “Core” stethoscope by Littmann (gotta use that CME money for something when they aren’t letting us go to conferences).

Here it is all loaded out:



Typically I wear the stethoscope around my neck (dangling tie-style, not draped; that degrades the tube over time, and even though it was CME money this is still a $300+ dollar stethoscope I deeply love), and I only curl it up in the bag when I’m taking my lunch break or whatever.

So that’s how I roll. I have a whole bunch of other stuff I bring to work (chargers, a layer, food, drinks, etc etc etc), but that all stays in my office; this is what comes with me to the floors as I round. I of course also carry a phone with me (iphone XS Max) that functions as my pager, my medical reference, and essentially a mini ipad for accessing the EMR on the go; that goes in the right hand cargo pocket of my (not kidding and no apologies) cargo scrub skirts.

I absolutely love this setup. It works perfectly for me. The SK is the best bag I have ever owned for my needs, and I just can’t say enough good things about it.

Except: arise, a complication.

Remember I said that I had all of this CME money except we can’t travel to conferences because Covid and also they can’t take the money away because it’s in our contract and furthermore the money expires at the end of the year? Ok I didn’t say all that but that’s the situation. So I thought long and hard about what would really be very useful to me in my practice, and the answer was: if I could write my notes longhand in patient rooms (I’m always taking notes in my hobonichi; my patients often comment on it appreciatively; they say it makes them feel like I’m really paying attention) then have it magically transcribed to editable text using OCR, I would potentially save hours of time in my day. I used to be pretty quick at notes before EMR, but since EMR my ADHD brain just…..spazzes. I am experienced and not stupid but I write notes so painfully slowly now.

So I bought a ReMarkable 2 tablet.

I’m super excited about this. I figured out a solution to make sure everything stays HIPPA compliant, and I am really super excited, except….

…..it doesn’t fit in my SK unless I give up stethoscope space and any hope of zipping. Pictorial evidence:


(Pulled the stethoscope, tablet is in its place.)

FINALLY THE PART WHERE I ASK YOU FOR ADVICE!

….I already bought a SCB (with a coordinating Freudian Slip just to try and see) to remedy this tragic situation, it is already on its way to me, and I am already second-guessing myself.

I have really loved how everything is open in my SK. I frequently use the zip, and do not desire to give up the option whatsoever (when traveling between floors or commuting I zip everything up tidily so nothing can escape), but when I am in a patient room — taking notes, grabbing my pencil, stopping a beeping IV pump to saline lock it, etc etc., I will often leave the bag open for a bit to access all my odds and ends, and I love how tidy that option remains. Similarly at my workstation, I will often leave it open. The SCB while delightful is not built for that.

So….LGD maybe? Tablet won’t fit in LPD. Or….Icon? Maybe with the FS I bought for the SCB?

I typically carry in hand an 18oz water bottle (incidentally seen in one of the above photos) and/or a 12oz travel coffee mug, and then deposit them at my work station, so it’s not crazy to go up to something that could accommodate those things. I do also typically wear a light layer to the floor, then remove it (or not) depending on the AC situation that day. So it might be nice to be able to shove that in the bag, too.

OTOH, I am definitely going to be carrying this into all my patient rooms save the isolation rooms, so I don’t want anything too big or clunky—which is in fact my other hesitation about the SCB; I love being able to carry sling-style on my back.

Ok that was long and a lot, but I hope the pleasure of the pictures (I LOVE stalking other folks’ EDC pictures!) helped balance things out!

Ready for all your hard-hitting TB enabling, er, advice.

Thank you!!!

Welcome to the forums @RosemaryZ,

I routinely carry an 11” iPad Pro in my Icon, but I usually insert it in Portrait mode and then rotate 90°, or else I can leave it in Portrait mode and tuck the end of the cache under the space between the zipper and the top of the bag. The cache I’m using is the one for the original iPad, and it’s oversized for my iPad (it was actually oversized for the original iPad because they built it for both tablet and iPad — for example, I’ve established, because another forum member asked, that this cache can hold the 11” iPad Pro w/ extended keyboard attached). Pictures are up in my post #6 dated 11-28-2019 in the Makers Bag vs Icon thread, and in subsequent posts there, which include pictures of the Small and Medium Cafe Bag Freudian slips compared to the Icon.

The zippers on the icon are almost exactly as wide as the entire Side Kick. You would have to wiggle / rotate the tablet to get it through.



Give the Small Cafe Bag a try. Maybe if you leave the flap open, that'll work for you.

I don’t think the Small Cafe Bag would work that well — especially since the vertical orientation means she’d also have to insert the stethoscope vertically. Moving up in size, the Le Petit Derrière (as opposed to Le Grand Derrière) might be a possible choice. I put some pictures up in Review of Le Petit Derriere thé thread started by bchaplin. They were mostly designed to show the extra depth (e.g. to carry lunch boxes and a tea thermos — something I wouldn’t do with a Side Kick — but below that is another post that shows using the LPD for a thick stack of sketch books and notebooks, with my 11inch iPad Pro in the stack. The main issue is that you don’t get the same degree of built in pockets and organization that you have on the inside sides of the Side Kick. There are O-rings and a long pocket along one wall. BTW, bchaplin’s detailed review is accessed via a link in the first post of that thread.

HTH
moriond

[RosemaryZ]

moriond ohhhhhh those links with pictures were SO helpful. Thank you!!

Just given the dimensions of my tablet in its case, I think LPD is totally off the table. I can’t zip my SK over it, and the LPD has about the same (a little less, I think) height.

The Icon is looking more and more tempting by the moment, especially since I have the SCB FS to go into it.

G42 Hmmmm how weird re: the pics. From my view everything looks fine, even when I click out/click in/refresh obsessively, shut down and restart my browser, etc. I will see if I can figure out what is going wrong because I spent WAY TOO LONG fussing over taking cute pictures of my EDC to have that go to waste!

The Daylight briefcase popped onto my radar right after I posted this, actually! I dismissed it (and the copilot) as too big for my EDC, as the one TB bag I just couldn’t love was my Maker’s bag (granted in Halcyon, which made it super floppy). I’m 5’4” and depending where in my running training cycle I am, between 130 and 150 pounds, and I felt like it just overwhelmed my frame, plus all my stuff sloshed around in it (I didn’t have the FS for it; I should have tried that. But I gave it away to another TB fiend.) BUT you’re right that ballistic might make a big difference.

Thank you both!!

[threeteez]

I immediately thought of the Co-Pilot when I read your needs/items. Easy access via zippers, internal organization and able to be strap carried.

[RosemaryZ]

threeteez oh gosh how did that not occur to me??

I will see if the SCB works when it gets here, and if not, the co-pilot will probably be my next try (or possibly the icon) depending on how everything fits or doesn’t in the SCB.

Thank you!!