Neck bag for anti-virus/disinfecting kit? (Passport Pouch-meets-Cubelet?)

[kmw]

@kmw , I just posted a link in another thread to an article on How to Wear a Face Mask Without Fogging Up Your Glasses. It's definitely an issue! My eyesight is good enough that I could go without my glasses when I'm wearing a mask, but I'd rather keep them on so they can act like eye-masks for me.

Thank you, @aedifica ! Funny enough, I just tried the tissue method today from advice in another article, but with the shape of my mask, it didn't quite work. My glasses did stay unfogged, but it also made the mask so tight on my nose that it gave me a nearly instant headache. Tomorrow I think I'm going to give the spit shine method a try!

[aedifica]

Thank you, @aedifica ! Funny enough, I just tried the tissue method today from advice in another article, but with the shape of my mask, it didn't quite work. My glasses did stay unfogged, but it also made the mask so tight on my nose that it gave me a nearly instant headache. Tomorrow I think I'm going to give the spit shine method a try!

I haven't tried the tissue method yet but I had high hopes for it. Thanks for mentioning that that one didn't work for you! I'll still give it a try, but I'll make sure to have a backup plan in case I have the same result as you.

[kmw]

I haven't tried the tissue method yet but I had high hopes for it. Thanks for mentioning that that one didn't work for you! I'll still give it a try, but I'll make sure to have a backup plan in case I have the same result as you.

Most definitely. I suspect the tissue method will work better with the flatter, surgical-style masks -- and it definitely did help block the moisture from my breath to stop the fogging. Yesterday I was working with a combo of a handmade flat mask with one of those snout-like painter's-type masks tucked inside the pocket, which sounds weird (and probably looks a bit like half a bra) but actually works pretty well on its own, but adding the tissue layer with the shape I had to work with was just too much.

Good luck, and do let me know how it goes!

[eaglemom]

I might have missed it, but possibly a P.I.K.A. for your purpose? When I received mine I was ok with it. Then I quickly realized it does everything I needed it to have loved it since. It does stretch out a bit, which is good.

Like I said, just a thought.

[kmw]

My apologies for the delay, and thanks very much for your patience, everyone. Getting things done in this COVID World sure is time-consuming.

Wanted to follow up with photos of the method I've assembled, in case it's helpful to anyone else out there looking for some kind of neck bag solution for keeping you and your loved ones safe and healthy.

TB items used:
Cubelet
5/8" Shoulder strap
Pocket Pouch
Super Mini Ghost Whale
8" Key Strap

Items to be contained:
Small hand sanitizer
Credit cards and license/ID
1 pair nitrile gloves
1 baggie Clorox wipes
1 baggie hand wipes
Receipts for picking up prepaid orders

Not pictured:
Mask (on)
Car keys (front pants or jacket pocket)
House keys (back pants pocket)
Phone and remaining wallet items (COW with additional cards and miscellany objects), which are placed in either a. my pockets when running errands on foot (phone only) or b. in a 3DOC in my car's glove compartment when driving, never to be touched during excursions and kept on hand only in case of emergency.




Clockwise from top-left: Cubelet, Hand wipes* in baggie, receipts, Clorox wipes* in baggie, gloves, Super Mini Ghost Whale containing hand sanitizer, Pocket Pouch containing cards and license/ID

*TBH, it could be the other way around in this pic; I can't quite remember.








Ghost Whale and Pocket Pouch are tethered to the Cubelet via 8" Key Strap. This makes it possible for me to easily pull out one or the other whole hog if need be, but also helps keep both in position within the bag, rather than shifting around when I move. These are the most accessed items of all, so by tethering them, I can keep them together and as close to the more open side of the Cubelet as possible.






Full contents shown from both angles.

The rest of the items are packed in after the Ghost Whale and Pocket Pouch. Gloves are rolled up individually and stuck next to the Ghost Whale. I use a new clean pair at each destination so I'm not just distributing germs around town and can easily store 3-4 pairs if need be. (I discard each pair either into a bag in my trunk or into a back pocket (basically the designated trash pocket), to be cleaned when I get home.)

Since the zipper on the Cubelet isn't centered vertically on the top of the bag (it leans toward one side more than the other), I wear the bag with the zipper placed more forward (closer to others), such that the hand sanitizer is closer to other people while the Pocket Pouch is closer to my body. The PP is nice and thin, so I can tuck it in deeply when I want to make sure it's hidden from view, or pull it higher in the bag so I can access my credit cards easily but without it being a shining beacon on my chest that says Steal Cards Here.

Even though they risk drying out faster (and hand/Clorox wipes are darn precious these days), I took folks' advice here and repackaged a couple of wipes each into small plastic baggies. The zipper closures tend to be a bit bulky when you try to fold them up, but they're the smallest zipper bags I've got, and though a bit annoying, they don't add weight or get in the way really if you needed to stuff more into the bag. And they're certainly smaller to deal with than some of the prepackaged wipes packages.

I find I need the Clorox wipes more often while in stores, so those are placed at the front of the bag where the bag is more open, while the hand wipes are toward the back (closer to my body). Any necessary paperwork is tucked in near the PP to make it quickly accessible. Once used, it either goes straight into the trash or into my trash pocket so I don't have to contaminate or fiddle with multiple pieces of paper.








The bag closes easily, though, of course, the Key Strap tether means I can't zip the bag all the way, which I'm okay with because of the other conveniences. In a pinch, I could also drop my car keys or house keys into the Cubelet without overstuffing the bag, but haven't needed to thus far.

I thought I was going to need to pick up a 1" strap for comfort, but the 5/8" strap surprised me in feeling not terrible. Don't get me wrong: it's clearly not meant as a neck strap, and in the summer it's going to be a bit less comfortable and a bit more sweaty, for sure. But while masks have given me no end of discomfort in the past few weeks, the shoulder-strap-as-neck-strap has barely even registered in my consciousness. Which is a relief!




I can't pretend it's a sexy look, and as pretty as Viridian is, it's definitely not my first choice for this purpose; it's just what I had on hand to spare. I've already gotten more than one askance glance and one cashier who looked at me like I might be a thief, so I'm on the lookout for a Cubelet in a darker color to make this setup a little bit more inconspicuous. Unfortunately I missed the window in which TB was still sending out non-mask orders, so while I have an official order for a grey Cubelet in process for later, please do give me a shout if you have a Cubelet in a dark color you're willing to part with!








Finally, what the contents look like while wearing the Cubelet. First angle is how it naturally lies; second is with the back part of the zipper propped open slightly to make accessing cards/papers easier; last is a close-up to show the back contents a little better.


So all in all, it's not perfect, but it's not terrible, and I'm grateful to have been able to hack it together. This setup has been tested and refined at multiple grocery stores, pharmacies, and farm stands, accessed both on foot and by car. Although not meant for the purpose, the Cubelet comes in really handy here and makes it easy for me to carry small but necessary items easily and keep certain things really accessible without having to touch a lot of surfaces or cross contaminate everything in my pockets. By hanging it around my neck, it also frees my hands up much more than if I'd have to dig into my pockets or bag for every little thing.

The hands-free-ness of it has also come in handy now that our Shop Bags are in their own kind of quarantine because most shop employees around here are only allowed to touch bags the store supplies, which means either packing your own stuff (which isn't always an option) or taking store bags. Today I had to balance two giant brown paper bags that didn't have handles on them, and if I'd had to do that while also wearing a crossbody bag or digging into my pockets, I'd have ended up with a big mess and a broken carton of eggs. (And with eggs in such short supply around here, I'm pretty sure I would've cried.)

If a Passport Pouch were able to contain all necessary items (dunno), it would definitely be a more elegant solution since it's actually designed for wearing around one's neck. And even at its small size, the Cubelet is a pretty big "necklace" to be wearing, even for a large person like myself. It's a pretty honking amulet to be wearing, and you definitely feel it at all times. But given the circumstances, I must say the Cubelet + 5/8" strap combo is definitely a viable solution.

Thank you very much again to everyone for your thoughts and insights. I very much appreciate it, and hopefully this info and pictures can help anyone else who needs to be ultra paranoid about germs and cross-contamination right now.

Don't hesitate to let me know if I missed anything or you have any questions. Thank you!