4 ms·

I would say several SIM cards and large storage drives probably isn't part of everyone's going-around-town bag. The rest doesn't seem TOO out-of-the-ordinary.

I would say several SIM cards and large storage drives probably isn't part of everyone's going-around-town bag. The rest doesn't seem TOO out-of-the-ordinary. For me, someone who occasionally carries two laptops (bulky company-issue, light personal worktop) and a sundry of perboard assemblies that would make the TSA raise an eyebrow. But I think even that might count as 'unusual' if you're talking about the average population. How many peoples' jobs require them to occasionally have 24/7 access to their work computer? How many people carry around devices solely because they vaguely intend to tinker with them at some point, and you never know when you'll have a spare hour? Probably less than 10%. Also, side-note, as much as I hate the TSA's security theater, I've never actually had problems with bringing things that look like bombs through security. Including a wired belt with a black box covered in electrical tape (compass)...good thing I'm white!

lambda 9y ago
I have an SSD (along with a USB SATA enclosure to connect it), a spinning disk, and at least one USB thumb drive in my bag that I bring to work every day (along with my laptop). This is in part because I switch between working from home and working at the office fairly often, have travel time in between, and need to have access to more VMs than I can fit on my laptop's internal SSD comfortably. I also may have SIM cards rattling around somewhere; when I travel internationally, I buy a local prepaid SIM, and I may have older SIM cards left over from the last time I replaced one.
- praneshp 9y ago
  It's valid for your usecase, but I still agree with your parent comment that your bag's contents are unusual.
- noir_lord 9y ago
  > and need to have access to more VMs than I can fit on my laptop's internal SSD comfortably. Exactly the same with me, I regret only getting the 256GB internal drive with my Thinkpad but I wanted the 2560x1440 so I had to trade something off (since it's a personal machine not a work machine), I suspect I'll be upgrading it before long.
noir_lord 9y ago
> I would say several SIM cards and large storage drives probably isn't part of everyone's going-around-town bag. My laptop bag right now contains, 3x1TB USB3 drives, a Thinkpad T470P, an iPad Mini-2, 4-5 4-16GB thumbdrives, two phones (Nexus 4 and a Moto G5 Plus). Not a spy, just an enterprise web developer.

lambda 9y ago

I have an SSD (along with a USB SATA enclosure to connect it), a spinning disk, and at least one USB thumb drive in my bag that I bring to work every day (along with my laptop). This is in part because I switch between working from home and working at the office fairly often, have travel time in between, and need to have access to more VMs than I can fit on my laptop's internal SSD comfortably. I also may have SIM cards rattling around somewhere; when I travel internationally, I buy a local prepaid SIM, and I may have older SIM cards left over from the last time I replaced one.

praneshp 9y ago
It's valid for your usecase, but I still agree with your parent comment that your bag's contents are unusual.
noir_lord 9y ago
> and need to have access to more VMs than I can fit on my laptop's internal SSD comfortably. Exactly the same with me, I regret only getting the 256GB internal drive with my Thinkpad but I wanted the 2560x1440 so I had to trade something off (since it's a personal machine not a work machine), I suspect I'll be upgrading it before long.

noir_lord 9y ago

> I would say several SIM cards and large storage drives probably isn't part of everyone's going-around-town bag. My laptop bag right now contains, 3x1TB USB3 drives, a Thinkpad T470P, an iPad Mini-2, 4-5 4-16GB thumbdrives, two phones (Nexus 4 and a Moto G5 Plus). Not a spy, just an enterprise web developer.