I work from home and when I have to go someplace I'm generally driving, so pockets are all I ever need. When I used to live in the city and use public transportation for work and school, I had plain old backpack (it was whatever they were selling at Target that day, so don't ask what brand it was) It had a small pocket that was obviously designed for a student. It had pockets for pens and pencils. I kept my calculator there (it was something I used a lot more at work than I did at school) and a few boy scout items (first aid items, a length of line and a leatherman tool) and a compass*. Then it had a large cargo pocket. Since I used it for commuting, it was generally stuffed with reading material (whatever book I was reading, plus a newspaper and a magazine). I suppose I would have carried my cell there if I had one at the time, as well.


* the compass was something I started carrying while visiting New York. My BIL at the time said that when you come up out of a strange subway station, you're often turned around and it made it a lot easier to figure which way you were going without having to go to the end of the block and see a street sign. I took his advice and whenever I traveled to Europe (or any large city for that matter) I always had it with me.