long time coming

It's been years since i added anything to my minimal closet.  Last week, I finally pulled the trigger.

A grueling climb up a mountain and a cycling adventure around Laos finally killed my beloved 5-year-old Prada travel hobo bag.It has been to over 20 cities, through the worst summers and freezing temperatures. I have always used it to carry travel documents, hotel vouchers, emergency food, and other odds and ends through some of the world's most glamorous airports and nondescript borders. It carried my water, book, cardigan, and my money while I caught trains, rode bikes, and walked around places where I knew no one. But the interior lining is now ripped, and the front pocket is dotted by mysterious permanent stains. I have also outgrown it, as I now carry a slightly bigger netbook when I travel.

(And so, my beloved, I lay you to rest. I will wash and keep you in your dust bag until I figure out how to recycle you. Perhaps you will be reincarnated as an organizer - you know, for my undies and my moisturizer.)

The replacement is predictable - another Prada body bag, of course. I got a black one this time, to hide stains. It seems boring, I know, but I don't pay for whimsy. To me, this is good design - straightforward, functional, nothing unnecessary. The luxury is in the details - the polished steel hardware, the leather trims and zipper pulls, the very small enameled logo and logo lining, and the lightweight and hardwearing Vela fabric.

It is officially a camera bag, but I have other plans for all its pockets. The main compartment fits the netbook and all essential chargers, and the outside pocket can hold a snickers bar and boarding passes. 

We haven't been on a trip yet, but I already love it.