[SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION] 5 Essential Weekend Bags

Summer—and more urgently, Memorial Day—is upon us, and that means you are in the wind.

Sure, you’ve been in one place all winter. You haven’t gone anywhere besides work and home in months. You wear the same sweatshirt as you shuffle between the couch and the kitchen for snacks while you get deeper and deeper into that new show you’re obsessed with on Netflix. But when summer rolls around, you become a whole new person. You wear green pants and Wayfarers. You drink margaritas on patios. You attend crab boils. Every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day is booked with some fun outdoor activity.

With all of the travel you’re going to be doing this summer, you need a sturdy, dependable bag to carry all of your stuff from the beach to the bar to the hotel and wherever else you’re going. Here are FIVE suggestions. 

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[GIFTED] Novel Duffel Bag

Whether you're using a duffel bag to travel the world or just travel back and forth to your boyfriend's apartment (the exhausting commute is the #1 reason why couples move in together before they're ready to), you need something sturdy and dependable.

This Novel Duffel Bag ($80, Herschel Supply Co.) is perfect for the grind, and not expensive enough that you'll think twice about throwing it on the subway floor.

[GIFTED] New York City Airports Print

If you travel a lot, you have a weird allegiance to your home airport, even though you've spent an inordinate amount of time waiting for delayed flights there.  Your affinity towards your home airport is like your affinity towards that shitty burger place in your hometown.  It's not that great, you've had a few bad experiences there, but it's familiar, you know exactly what you'll get, and you know where the bathroom is. 

This New York City Airports Print ($30, Pilot & Captain) shows off your hometown airport pride.

[GIFTED] Vintage Pencil Holder

When you arrive at a new office, there is usually some remnants of the person who sat at the desk before you.  An old, crusty mousepad, a rusty stapler, and a pathetic-looking tin cup to hold all of your pens and pencils.  

More often than not, you'll just hold onto these items instead of replacing them for newer, better desk stuff.  Why would you, anyway.  This is your desk at the office, not your house.  CONSIDER THIS FOR A MINUTE.  You spend more of your waking hours sitting in your sad little cubicle than you spend in your apartment.  Don't just accept the hand-me-down junk you get when you walk in the door. 

Upgrade that shit—pick up a new mousepad with an inspirational quote on it.  Buy this Vintage Pencil Holder ($59, Izola) to store your pens and pencils.  Put up pictures of places you'll never go to because you're chained to your desk. 

[GIFTED] Ski Slope Door Wedges

Have you ever noticed that the phrase, "my door is always open" is usually said by douchebags?  "My door is always open" indicates that this person is always available to you, which is never the case.  The people who are actually always available are hiding in their offices with the door shut (if their office even HAS a door), because their constant availability has indicated that they can handle EVERYTHING while the "my door is always open" pricks are gallivanting around town without a care in the world.  

If you ARE one of those d-bags, you can prop your door open with these beautifully-designed Ski Slope Door Wedges ($15, Svpply).  The rest of us poor schmucks will be hiding under our desks.