Are you a pack rat and proud?

I have big boobs so cross bodies make me feel so frumpy and busty!

😂

I carry my life with me everywhere. I am envious of the small bag crew. They always seem cooler than me!!

Across the body bag here and I just buy what I might want. I could never wear a backpack, not sure why but they give me the ick 😂

I'm a proud packrat if I have to go out. I have always carried a huge bag with everything in it I might possibly want. I currently have a tapemeasure AND a screwdriver in there. The tape measure I've used frequently, the screwdriver I haven't, and I can't actually remember why I originally put it in there.

Bag lady here 🙋‍♀️ I have a work bag, lunch bag, swim bag, gym bag, mini rucksack that's a day to day bag, overnight bag, wash bag, toiletries case and weekend bag... It means I know where everything is (in theory!) so should spend less time faffing (in an attempt to get put the door on time / faff less) but my multi-bag method often means I am carrying multiple bags to/ from the car!

Each to their own, I guess. I just can't imagine ever needing to carry around all that stuff with me.

What on earth are you doing that you need all of that? It sounds absolutely bonkers to me to be carting all that around everyday.

I would just read on my phone if I was stuck waiting around. My airpods are attached to my keys so they're not something extra to carry. If I wanted a coffee or a snack I would just buy one.

If I was going out for the day I would just take my phone, keys and card in my pockets. I can't see any reason why I would need anything else.

I have a backpack known as my lucky back pack.
Not much in it only what I need lol.

Charger cards passport sanitary pads tin of vaseline, pen, reusable coffee cup, extra lighter emergency box of fags mini first aid kit,
Mini bottle of moisturiser bottle of deodorant
, mini perfume, fold up hair brush, crunchie, emergency £40 in cash, glasses, keyring spork, vics nose stick, a sad old Mills and boon book, 2x 3 in 1 coffee sachets and a small umbrella.
Everything is small and compact.

And to top it of a teddy that sits in the side pocket hes called Mr Robert de Nero.
Like hes legs are through the side pockets.

Pics on request 😆.

I don't carry loads, but I drive mostly, so have back-up stuff in the car. I do frequently have my laptop with me though, because I have to work while I'm out so that includes chargers, headphones etc. As well as snacks, drinks for kiddos.

16 hours out of the house would of course necessitate having a load of stuff with you, it's completely different to popping out for an hour or two. Almost like camping but just sleeping at home.

No, when I was a kid my mum had her bag snatched with money, cheque book, car keys, house keys, no mobile phone in those days but everything else! I’ve always thought handbags a stupid idea ever since - “please steal everything of value I’ve got with me”

I like a coat with pockets, or in the summer I utilise DH’s pockets! But I WFH, so might think differently if I had to cart a laptop and stuff about.

Depends what I'm doing. At work? Large handbag that can carry a laptop, charger, earbuds, makeup, perfume, ID, hairbrush, keys, glasses, purse, water bottle and at this time of year, unbrella, hat and gloves. It also has a pencil case type bag that contains tampons, paracetamol, safety pins. I spend a lot of time moving between sites so I might have workshop materials or training aids that I need to carry as well. On the other hand if I'm hotdesking from one site all day I'll probably cycle to work so there'll be all the handbag stuff minus the laptop in a pannier bag, plus a change of clothes, lunch, tyre repair kit and a pump.

If I'm just meeting a friend for coffee or going for a mooch around the shops I'll have my phone, keys, and probably a folding shopping bag in my pockets.

I discovered the joys of a handbag that you wear like a backpack when my mum needed a wheelchair. Virtually all my handbags are that style now. The strap just unzips so both shoulders take the strain, better for your back. I’ve also got a variety of small(ish) backpacks for days out which contain as much as possible, including the kitchen sink if there’s space…….

Depends where you are going and where you live obviously. On the days where I am carrying a back pack I'm often going often to places where there isn't a coffee shop etc and on some of the roads I drive on regularly if you broke down or got stuck in bad weather you could be a long way from any help. Not everyone lives in urban areas.
Plus buying a bottle of water or a takeaway coffee every time you need one is both expensive and wasteful. I went on a fairly long train journey yesterday at short notice so didn't take anything with me. I paid £1.75 for a single Mars bar on the station! No, that's not going to leave me destitute but when you consider how much extra you'd spend doing that on a regular basis compared to being organised and taking your own snacks it will mount up. And filling a reusable bottle with water from your own tap has multiple advantages over buying bottled repeatedly.
I don't take a bag at all if I'm going to the shops or for a couple of miles walk but if I'm going on a longer journey I like to be prepared.

Constantly buying tea/ coffee from coffee shops is expensive. Maybe they're a supper so one flask in 4 drinks. That's like £20 every day. Same for snacks. Not everyone has unlimited cash to spend on stuff you can get from home cheaper.

Not everyone drives, I'd guess most "pack rats" don't. So charging phones etc can be hit and miss. Not all phones will last 13 hours without a charge if you're using it for work etc. Extra layers are less needed if you're not standing on a train platform or waiting around for buses

So basically, it's great you've got a car and cash to spare but it can't be that hard to imagine not everyone does

See i read this and think whaaaaattt...

Why do you need a thermos and a water bottle? buy fresh tea or coffee if you need it. Water bottle? just no... no one is going to dehydrate if they go a few hours without something to drink. extra layers? hat, scarf, gloves, i don't wear any of those things. powerbank and charger, I make sure my phone is fully charged before i go out and i can charge it in the car when im travelling... i've never ran out of charge in a day. snacks buy them on the go, tissues and hand gel - i don't use either really. pencil case... what are you doing when your out that you need a pencil case?

thoughts off the top of my head...

Oh yeah and a water bottle. Small or large depending what I’m doing.

I’m a bit of a pack rat and I hate stuff in my pockets.
Glasses x2, keys, phone, lip balm, hand cream, tampons, purse.
Then add diary, badge, pens, tea bags etc for my work bag.
Plus my laptop bag with note pad, charger etc

I wish I travelled lighter but actually I love bags and really don’t understand how anyone can survive with just keys and phone in a pocket.

I always thought it was the American term for a hoarder, i.e. someone who has way too much stuff in their home, not their bag - wondering now if I was wrong.

In my smallish sized shoulder bag I have:

. spare plastic carrier bags x2 neatly folded
. nail file & clippers
. hand cream
. tissues pack
. pouch with meds in: painkillers, antihistamine, anti-diarrhoea, plasters
. spare knicker sticker (panty liner)
. spare hair elastic band
. folding toothbrush
. notebook and pen
. folding magnifying glass for checking food labels in tiny writing
. wallet with cards: debit x2, credit, loyalty cards, membership cards
. purse with notes and coins
. side pocket on purse with safety pin and spare pair of stud earrings in case I forget to dress properly
. house keys
. phone
. car keys with supermarket trolley token on keyring
. lip cream
. reading glasses

I know this from memory as it is always exactly the same stuff in the same place in the bag.
This bag goes with me almost everywhere, but if we are just going for a short walk I will take out the house keys, lip cream and tissues to put in coat pockets and leave the bag.

In addition, I have a work commuting bag, a 'shopper' hand held style not a backpack, with files/folders, umbrella, packed lunch, hat and gloves in winter. Sometimes a paperback book. It could take a laptop but no need in current job.

Things I never carry:
water
sunglasses
charger
makeup and mirror
hairbrush or comb

No, I’m generally a move fast and travel light kind of person. The only time I take a back pack is when I’m working or if I am actually staying away somewhere. i often just take my phone and nothing else.

I think it stems from my childhood. My mum is an everything including the kitchen sink kind of person and the memory of being weighed down by numerous bags on days out as a child when you wanted to just run around and play has stayed with me. I may take it to the other extreme though