# What do you take to work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819 "2006-03-25T02:00:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/1 "2006-03-25T02:00:07Z")
Ivylad often laughs at me when I leave for work in the morning because I carry so much stuff it looks like I’m moving out. Let’s see, when I leave for work I have: Purse Keys Cell Phone Lunch in a tote bag Big water jug (holds half a gallon of ice water and keeps it cold all day) Gym bag Office clothes if they won’t fit in the gym bag Thermos of coffee to drink after my workout Sometimes my son helps me carry stuff out, but I find I have forgotten stuff if I don’t have it all in my hands…you know, Ivyboy has my lunch, but he doesn’t have my cell phone, and I don’t realize it until I’ve gotten to work ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/2 "2006-03-25T03:29:15Z")
Purse, keys, phone, lunch, shoes, something to read on the train. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/3 "2006-03-25T03:32:03Z")
Purse, keys, wallet, cell phone. All my other stuff is left in my jacket in my locker. I’m kinda like Mr. Rogers. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/4 "2006-03-25T04:05:06Z")
keys, wallet-on-a-string (which contains cash, DL, CCs, cell phone, and until it died my PDA), sometimes a box of tissues, microwaveable soups, other non-perishables; on Thursdays, my chorus stuff. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/5 "2006-03-25T04:24:15Z")
Keys, Wallet, A Hanky, A comb, A Pen & a Quart of Filtered water. ---
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/6 "2006-03-25T04:28:42Z")
keys, wallet, 2 bananas, 2 notebooks, ipod, and reading material (currently the new england review)! oh, and a really great attitude, i forgot to mention that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/7 "2006-03-25T04:39:48Z")
Bike, helmet and bike lights, plus a back pack with a novel, my ipod, and anywhere from ten to twenty CDs to listen to throughout the day. Choosing the CDs is my favourite part of my getting-ready-for-work ritual in the morning (or evening, when I’m working night shifts). Now, when we finally get a decent stereo with a jack where I can plug in my ipod, I will be in heaven. Hopefully not literally. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/8 "2006-03-25T05:12:57Z")
PowerBook ~ 4 FireWire cables DVI-to-VGA adapter digital camera camera-to-USB cable extension cord spare power cord for PowerBook spare Cat-5 ethernet cable spare stereo RCA audio cables optical mouse headphones 2-3 blank CD-R disks 1 blank DVD-R disk canopus analog-to-digital video converter triple RCA video & stereo audio cable set powerbrick for canopus card villagetronic card for 3rd monitor support FireWire 800 to FireWire 400 converter external 100 GB FireWire drive telephone butt-splice connector telephone Y adapter retractable phone cord two spare digital camera batteries spare eyeglasses reading glasses (clip-ons) collapsible umbrella current book to read two nasal sprays for allergies All that goes into: Targus backback-style computer bag In pockets etc: pocketwatch amazing mess of keys in key wallet regular wallet w/cred cards, driver’s license etc tiny bottle opener Two days a week the Targus bag subsumes a gym bag within itself: swim suit that doubles as gym shorts combo lock soap change of sox, shirt & undies dirty clothes bag That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/9 "2006-03-25T05:15:43Z")
Woah. Looks like Manhattan’s finally catching up with the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![MissMossie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MissMossie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMossie)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/10 "2006-03-25T05:18:50Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > telephone butt-splice connector Is it bad that this cracked me up? ---
**Author:** ![Whifton\_Polekitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/97f17d/32.png) [@Whifton\_Polekitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whifton_Polekitty)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/11 "2006-03-25T05:33:18Z")
Man, you people travel light! Lessee, usually all I have with me is my backpack, but that contains at any given moment: SOG tool Altoids (Spearmint, Ginger, and Wintergreen flavors) Carmex Package of Swedish Fish Spool of light wire Bus/train schedules Binoculars Packet of salt and pepper Ibuprofin Napkins Pens, ballpoint, 2 or so Passport Bungee cord Y-tool (8, 9, 10mm) Electrical tape Satanic rubber duck Misc packets of ketchup, soy sauce, hot sauce Chopsticks Tape measures (1 folding, one retractable) zipties iPod Laptop Lunch Now, if you’ll pardon me, I must re-pack everything. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/12 "2006-03-25T05:39:19Z")
Most days I just take my backpack, which contains:[ul][li]my purse (which, in turn, holds my PDA and cell phone)[/li][li]a small umbrella[/li][li]my iPod[/li][li]my badge[/li][li]headphones _and_ portable speakers[/li][li]a hairbrush[/li][li]Tylenol and Immodium[/li][li]miscellaneous pens and pencils[/ul][/li]On Tuesday mornings the backpack also contains whatever I’ll need for my class that night (I leave right from the office). This is also the day of the week that I’m most likely to take a jacket or coat to work, for wearing on campus after the sun has gone down. On Monday mornings I also take a tote bag that contains my laptop (from work; I bring it home with me on weekends) and its assorted cords, cables, and accessories. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/13 "2006-03-25T05:41:40Z")
Backpack Keys Badge Water DOT card Rubberbands Transfer punch Trailblazer book Lunch box Cell phone Coffee thermos Lysol Antibacterial wipes Vitamins Sunglasses Gloves Small notepad and pen Chapstick ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/14 "2006-03-25T07:43:34Z")
Tape measure Box cutter ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/15 "2006-03-25T08:02:28Z")
Keys, wallet, box knife, box knife blades (generall at least three) and a pen. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/16 "2006-03-25T08:20:53Z")
Keys Wallet Three pens [in my right hip pocket] Chapstick [in left hip pocket] Cloth to clean my eyeglasses [ditto] Notepad Assorted papers, if I took any home the previous day or collected them at a meeting the night before Bottled Water Apple Banana [sometimes] Mints [occasionally] ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/17 "2006-03-25T08:21:06Z")
pen sweets chess book OR computer game OR roleplaying manual (depending what I’m teaching) ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/18 "2006-03-25T12:18:53Z")
Since I have to go through a security gate and have bags x-rayed (just like at the airport), I keep stuff I’ll need regularly in my office–makeup, extra shoes–and only carry the bare mininum into the office every day: - my security badge (I can’t get into the building without it). - car/house keys. - wallet. The only time I’ll carry a bag is when I’m bringing a packed lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/19 "2006-03-25T12:45:45Z")
Man…you people travel heavy! When I worked in an office, I carried my purse, which contained the same stuff it contained every time I left the house. No extra stuff at all. Now that I work at home, I got all my stuff right here! ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819/20 "2006-03-25T13:46:22Z")
My backpack, containing assorted school supplies, my laptop, and a thing that holds some folders and a notepad. (According to [staples.com](http://staples.com), apparently it’s called a “padfolio.”) I usually cram my purse in there. And my bus pass in a small wallet on a retractable cord. A tote bag with my knitting, so I can work on it on the bus. A tote bag with lunch, and any other random stuff I need to take in, like workout clothes, or a new bottle of hand lotion. ([Obscure West Wing Allusion]I decorate my desk with hand lotion.[/OWWA]) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-take-to-work/349819.md?page=2)