Remember the Kid Who Ran Away from Home?

I'm pretty sure it's a rite of passage: a disgruntled youth gathering up his most precious belongings and venturing out into the world.

When you revisit that image in your mind, what is it that you remember? The denim jeans and soiled T-shirt? The type of sneakers? The baseball cap? Nope. None of those things. The picture that we hold dear is the container that we depend on to protect those precious belongings.

Whether it's the Norman Rockwell tied-up bandana hanging from the end of a stick, or a beat up JanSport backpack, we always remember the bag.

The mechanism by which we transport our belongings is as important as the belongings themselves. It could be a new SUV, designer clutch, or yes, a camera bag. The love affair for these companions has been building since our youth.

I mention this because it's been nearly two months since I wrote about a camera bag, and it's killing me. I currently have a crush on the Tenba Cooper Slim, and I want to tell the whole world about it. I feel better already.

Beyond that, I'm fascinated by our affection for these carryalls. I think it's a sense-of-freedom-thing. When we have our worldly goods with us, we can go anywhere, do anything.

It's like that kid who thinks he's running away from home. All he wants to do is be himself - no nagging parents or disappointed teachers to torment him. 

You see, it's our nature to want freedom. And it's our bags that accompany us on that great adventure.

-Derrick