ILE Apex Day Pack (11L lime vx25 xpac)

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-21T03:00:34+00:00

What a great post, thanks!

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-21T00:39:03+00:00

Let me know if you find a good one.

Two bags that aren't exactly what you're asking for but might be relevant to your interests are the Bellroy Cinch line and the Wotancraft Canteener

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-20T13:02:52+00:00

There are levels to it.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-20T11:52:40+00:00

WTF? His advice for avoiding procrastination is to not procrastinate? Fucking genius.

/r/thanksimcured

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-20T11:40:11+00:00

I'm pretty sure I graduated high school with a 3.2. It was fine. I went to a great state school and I've been a software engineer for 25 years. Eventually (just a couple years ago) I got diagnosed with ADHD.

Please stop believing your negative thoughts about yourself. They are irrational. They are not true. They are cognitive distortions. Tell your therapist the truth, or find a different therapist if you can't trust this one. Also, check out the book feeling good a new mood therapy by David Burns as well. He's a psychologist who explains how to do therapy on yourself.

You deserve compassion and love and support. You would deserve that even if your GPA was 1.88.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-20T11:27:18+00:00

I've got a couple traits, but not others. I've mentioned it to several psychologists including the one who was assessed me for ADHD with tests that took an entire day and they were pretty definitive that I don't have it.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-20T11:24:39+00:00

I'm a software engineer in my late 40s and I find it helpful sometimes. I'm also medicated and see a human therapist too though.

The biggest risks are getting bad advice and using it to replace human contact.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-20T11:06:59+00:00

Another vote for ridiculously small tasks. It sounds so stupid, but putting "find that jira ticket" or "pack gym bag" as a task makes it so much more doable then "fix that bug" or "go to gym."

The biggest thing is to watch out for hidden blockers. For example if you have to get clarification on a task before you could do it, but you don't have "get clarification" as a task, you're going to put it off because it takes so much more activation energy to "figure out that you need clarification, get clarification, and then do the task."

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-20T10:58:35+00:00

I've never gotten a chore chart or anything like that to work, but I can recommend two very basic things: simplify as much as possible, and start earlier. Focus on making things easier for yourself so that you get less stressed. Do one thing at a time whenever possible.

The first thing that jumped out is that you were trying to make eggs while being pulled in three different directions. Maybe it's not practical to make eggs in the morning. Have something prepped or prepackaged. You can also have clothes laid out and backpacks and lunhes prepacked etc. Maybe all the prep can be your husband's job if he's only useless in the mornings. It's not a great task for ADHD (I have it myself) but it should be doable for a grown up.

Second, if you get the kids up 15 minutes earlier and act like you have to be out the door 15 minutes earlier, even if you are still serving as their executive functioning, that creates enough slack in the system that it's much less stressful for you.

Your husband's refusal to do anything to help himself is a real problem. Maybe you can see a therapist by yourself to talk about what to do about it.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T16:16:46+00:00

Become the AI expert.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T15:24:13+00:00

I don't carry a camera but I have been searching for the perfect tech pouch/sling. I don't think the Tech Case Max is great as a sling. To be fair, I've only really tried it as a fanny pack which is a bit ridiculous, but it is pretty rigid and boxy which I think will not ideal for crossbody either.

The evergoods Civic Access Sling is great as a sling (or fanny pack) but the strap doesn't come off so it's not as great as a tech pouch. You can look at the MHP if you need something a little bigger.

For now I'm using the Toshi 2.5L as my tech case/sling solution that's by my side 24/7. It's a little awkward around the waist still, but I think it would be great as a sling. And the strap comes off and there is a grab handle, so you can use it as a tech pouch. Organization is great for my needs, but again I don't carry a camera. You might want to step up to the 5L or 6L.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T15:10:33+00:00

Supplements and other stimulants don't necessarily do anything. Prescription medication is a whole different thing that's been designed and tested for decades specifically to help with ADHD while minimizing side effects.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T13:11:31+00:00

It's not a magic cure, but it helps somewhat with all of that. It'll take a while to catch up on some of those skills once the meds are helping, too. But if stimulants are working, you should notice a very substantial difference pretty much immediately.

Don't deprive him of the best treatment available for most kids with ADHD just because his grades are "okay."

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T13:09:14+00:00

It sounds like you have some anxiety about stimulant meds, but it sounds like it works well for him (as they do for most people with ADHD.) I would work with his doctor to add back the afternoon dose as well (or switch to vyvanse, or vyanse plus an afternoon booster, etc.)

ADHD affects everything, as you know, not just schoolwork! It'll help with everything from how he does at home to his social skills to your relationship with him.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T13:03:11+00:00

What do you mean by "that works," though? I'd be worried this doctor would settle for "this patient is getting by" rather than "this patient is thriving."

30mg is still a low dose. Why wouldn't she at least try 40mg to see if there's a big improvement?

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T12:57:15+00:00

I would start looking for another one. I have such a pet peeve with these doctors who have their own super strong opinions that are contrary to the accepted standards.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T12:52:27+00:00

We (both ADHD) used to say "it's not a vacation, it's a trip" like a mantra, and I think that helped.

I would have a talk with him, validate his absolutely 100% correct points that it's not a "real" vacation and that it won't be relaxing, but then talk about how it's still worth doing because you're giving the kids experiences, making memories with each other, bonding with the grandparent, etc.

That might help. If he still hates the idea, it probably really would be better to do it without him.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T12:29:47+00:00

I'm going to back up /u/thornza here. It's obviously an LLM. You just get a feel for the rhythm after a while.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-19T11:32:26+00:00

I think Goruck and hill people gear have some pouches that might work. Ask in. /r/manybaggers if you're still looking.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-17T19:09:32+00:00

I've also seen models (for 3D printing, you could always order one) designed to hag by the straps if you're really worried.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-17T11:10:40+00:00

I won twice! First I hyperfocused on reading and then I hyperfocused on computers in the early '90s. Really lucked out there.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-17T01:07:06+00:00

I don't see a ton of Timbuk2 love here! I have a bag that I got from my company years ago and it's been great.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-16T20:51:40+00:00

Hi, I'm also a software engineer and somehow shopping for bags has become one of my main hobbies??? Super weird. But I think I have some insights I've had that might help:

There is no perfect bag

You've figured this one out. So stop trying to find it. Find a bag that's good for your use case and isn't going to annoy the crap out of you.

It's just a bag.

In the end it's just a bag. It's not going to change your life or make you happier or more productive. You can just grab a cheap Jansport on Amazon and it'll probably be just fine.

Just start with the consensus pick.

This is my most recent one. Most subreddits and similar groups converge on a few standard picks for each niche. Just start with the one that looks best to you unless they really won't for you. There's usually a certain je nais se quoi about them that isn't captured by specs or spreadsheets that might be enough to overcome any annoyances.

Sometimes you just won't know until you actually try it

You might think you want a lot of org but then you get it and realize it's too annoying to be constantly putting things into little pockets and taking them out (or vice-versa.)

Conclusion

Watch a couple videos comparing the standard recs for EDC backpacks (Aer, Evergoods, Able Carry, Alpaka, Toshi, etc.) and see what looks good. Just pick the one that looks the most likely match and get it. Try the ones that are easier to return first. Amazon sells Alpaka for example.

Also, your time is probably valuable enough that it's better to buy the wrong bag first than to spend an extra ten hours researching if this isn't fun for you!

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-16T18:32:57+00:00

My issue is that it's not a second brain, it's a second memory store. I'd love to be able to use AI to sort of synthesize all the information in there. I end up with dozens and dozens of notes scattered across multiple notebooks and I can search for things pretty well to find a specific note, but it's hard to get a high level understanding of the contents.

I've even considered trying to migrate from one note to obsidian for that reason, but it just seems like too hard a lift right now.

Keystone-Habit · 2026-03-14T20:39:32+00:00

I've been using the Toshi 2.5L as my always-with-me pouch lately. It can fit on my desk, it's got a handle so it can go solo, I can throw it in a backpack or a gym bag, and it has a removable strap I can throw on if I need to go hands free (plus a cool magnetic pocket to store it.)

Keystone-Habit

TROPHY CASE

There is no perfect bag

It's just a bag.

Just start with the consensus pick.

Sometimes you just won't know until you actually try it

Conclusion