You know those "what's in my bag" posts? Well, I've noticed my camera gear and travel kit posts get way more views than usual on this blog, so I figured it's time to give you a proper peek inside my sketching backpack. The little red one that's become my constant companion.
The Backpack Origin Story
I picked this up back in 2017 during my Australian Art adventure. I was chasing the sun around the country with a suitcase crammed full of art supplies. When I reach a suitable destination I transfered most things into a carry-on style tote bag, while spacious, wasn't exactly comfortable to lug around with just two handles. I was also carry a lot of stuff I didn't use on a given day.
My first trip was to Tassy and my wife and I started in Hobart, staying near Salamanca Place, One evening, we wandered into the Kathmandu shop on our way to dinner. Kathmandu isn't usually my go-to product range, their stuff tends to be a bit pricey for my tastes. Yet something caught my eye: these clever little fold-away backpacks called Pack&GO.
The genius of it? It folds into itself, tucking into a zippered pocket until it's barely bigger than a wallet. Unfold it, and you've got a proper day-pack with room for lunch, a jumper, a water bottle, and all your basic sketching essentials. Sturdy arm straps, simple design. I bought this 15L red one on the spot.
Finding the Perfect Setup
It took some experimenting to find my rhythm with this. Over time, I've tried everything: sketch pads and pencils, paint palettes, colored pencils, small boxes of pastels, the occasional raincoat on cold days. Those 2017 "follow the sun" trips around Australia really helped me wear it in. The backpack became invaluable, and I genuinely grew to love it.
The game-changer was making a plywood drawing board that fits perfectly inside, giving the whole pack some rigidity. These days I seldom fold the pack up, it lives in my studio, packed and ready to go. I can just grab it knowing I've got everything I need for a plein-air\ sketching session.
What's Actually Inside
Here's my current everyday setup:
Sketchbooks: I carry two styles and sizes, an A4 watercolour cummed block or pad (the kind you can tear off sheets and clip or tape to my drawing board which now has a camera tripod-style attachment), and an A5 bound notebook/journal or spiral-bound visual diary with paper that handles light washes.
Drawing tools: A mix of pencils and pens for mark-making, plus a Pentel water brush for quick field sketches, which means I don't need to carry water. I keep these in a simple pencil roll to avoid having to go fishing amongst a stack of unknown things at the bottom of the bag.
Paint palette: Here's where it gets interesting.
I've converted to using CD/DVD dot chart palettes. Basically just a set of paint dots arranged in the format of a colour wheel on an old CDs. My current one is mostly Windsor & Newton colours with some Cotman paints filling in where needed. I've pretty much worn my most used colours down to nothing and it's definitely due for a refresh. It is just so quick and handy. I strongly recommend making yourself at least a test one.
I've made several of these CD dot chart palettes over recent years: some based on famous artists' colour choices, others testing specific limited palette combinations I want to explore.
If I'm planning serious watercolour work, I'll slip some brushes and one of my three portable palettes into the bag instead. and maybe a small plastic jar for carrying water.
The camera: My little Olympus OMD5 usually tags along too. These days I naturally also have my Smartphone with me and sometimes just use my phone camera.
Why Simple Works
Having such a stripped-down setup means I can get out the door quickly. Unpack, set up, start working without fuss. Often I just keep the backpack on while I sketch, staying light and mobile.
Sure, there are times I swap things out and experiment with different drawing surfaces, but those are stories for other post. For now, this little red backpack has everything I need to capture the world around me, one sketch at a time.
Proof reading and summary assisted by Claude Sonnet 4.5 (AI)
What do you carry in your art bag? I'd love to hear about your go-to setup in the comments below.
