The Urban Warrior Coat
Ah, the Urban Geek Pack, mainstay of any proud city geek containing all the days requirements. Take mine, for example:
- Laptop (17″ Macbook Pro)
- PSP (plus games and USB charging cable)
- DS (plus games, no charger)
- GPS (plus USB charger)
- iPod and digital camera (both carried on person in right hand trouser pocket)
- USB cables for iPod and digital camera.
- Optional book
- External mounted umbrella
- Passport
- Cheque book
- Various random crap
While compact and catering for almost every eventuality it was heavy and incompatible with my big leather coat (carrying a rucksack with that is not comfy as the back of the coat bunches up).
With the iPhone I have been able to discard the Urban Geek Pack for most day to day operations and replace it with the Urban Warrior Coat.
Like the Urban Geek Pack the Urban Warrior Coat is more of a tactical system than a single entity thus, while I’m mobile, the iPhone lives in the coats inside pocket, yet this can be transferred to the right hand trouser pocket if coat is in the ‘off’ state. In addition the application of cargo pants greatly increases the carrying capacity and flexibility of this system.
The laptop, iPod, camera and, to a limited extent, GPS and PSP, have been replaced with the iPhone as previously stated. A day to day configuration then has the left inside coat pocket loaded with sunglasses and any small items. Left outer coat pocket can, optionally loaded with the PSP or book. The right hand coat pocket is then configured with a small compact umbrella. As with the Urban Geek Pack the left hand trouser pocket is reserved for wallet, money, keys, etc. and the rear pockets for rail tickets, bits of paper or similar items.
Cold weather operations replace the two outer coat pockets with glove storage and the inside left pocket becomes umbrella storage.
For special operations combat or cargo trousers are warn. PSP, digital camera and GPS storage (as needed depending on the operation at hand) can be loaded into the extra pockets allowing for the Urban Warrior Coat to be configured for cold weather operations or with a book and sunglasses (again, as needed).
Any of these configurations can be made fully tactical with the addition of a back mounted sword bag capable of holding either two katana, or one katana and two bokken.
Despite the huge flexibly of the system and it’s increased comfort and mobility over the Urban Geek Pack there are space considerations which make it sub-optimal for overnight operations. It is also susceptible to heat meaning I will need to rethink the summer time Urban Geek layout.
I look forward to a full description of the Urban Geek braces. These must be chain mail or equivalent.
One does not use braces (I assume you didn’t typo bracers), one uses a belt. Usually leather.
I did indeed mean braces. Frankly having listed what you now keep in your cargo pants (was the kitchen sink in the back pocket or the front?) I assumed that a belt would be useless under such a weight onslaught. Braces, or indeed a complete body harness, must surely be used in order to keep the trousers up. I suppose one could, of course, replace them with a less weighty pair, fold them up and put them in a backpack.
weight is not too much of an issue, plus I use sturdy belts
modern electronics tend to be small and light these days.
What is a surprise is how long this post office queue is. Unfortunately no amount of tactical clothing or modern consumer electronics will help me work out how much posting this package will cost (how I love the new simple postage prices
). Some sort of weaponary might help shorten the queue though.