As the average man (and the world around him) has changed over the past few decades, it’s only natural that his bare essentials have changed, too. What he carries on his person these days can seem like a rather complicated affair. What is essential in 2019, anyway? We break it down below.

___

Which items should a man bring in his daily bag?

@danielanhng, via Instagram

___

Time was when a gentleman wouldn’t dream of stepping out without a full roster of kit and caboodle to see him about his day. A newspaper, of course, tucked neatly under his arm, to be crisply unfolded over breakfast, and in his inside jacket pocket, an engraved card holder with business cards bearing his name and perhaps the number of his club. A money clip to carry his cash, an heirloom cigarette case and a buffalo-horn comb. Add a handsome hat from Lock & Co to deal with inclement weather, and he’d be equipped for whatever his day had in store.

Today, such romantic notions are the things of a Ms Edith Wharton novel. The 21st-century guy checks the headlines on his iPhone (and looks upon the newspapers at his local corner shop as quaint artefacts), pays for his almond milk flat white with said gadget and, rather than anything as toxic as a pack of smokes, carries a reusable water bottle to cut down on single-use plastic. The hot-desking, ecologically conscious, 16/8-diet-advocate man of today is arguably more dynamic than his forefathers, who, after their instant coffee and kippers, would retreat to their captain-of-industry offices. While the phrase reeks of painful HR-speak, he’s a lot more “agile”, and his daily kit reflects that. But what should you carry with you as a bare minimum?

Disclaimer: the following advice swerves any concern with gym, swim or yoga kit you might take with you on the working day. If this is part of your routine, we’d advise a lightweight nylon backpack, to ease the burden on your shoulders. Otherwise, the most important element is keeping things streamlined. Trend advice over the past few years might steer you towards all manner of weighty rucksacks and hefty totes, but a niftier approach is the mid-sized cross-body bag – it’s lighter and smaller, easy to throw on and go and the size demands a stringent edit of what you’re taking with you.

If you’re still consuming plastic bottles and daily coffee cups, which can’t be recycled because of the coating on the inside, you’re positively Jurassic. Pack a KeepCup and a re-usable water bottle as a starting point. The next bare necessity is your phone, obviously, and a wallet with various compartments. We travel much more now and amass different currency like confetti and, while more and more of us are paying digitally, you need something to house your daily ephemera and loose change.

Next up, depending on where you live, a pair of sunglasses. This may prove optimistic, but at least you’ll have the option. Keeping them in a case with a cloth avoids smearing them on your T-shirt to clean them. Likewise, sunscreen and lip balm – less necessary if you’re setting off to your Icelandic farmstead, more essential if you’re anywhere in Europe or North America right now.

Then we get into the territory of added variables. Do you need proper headphones or do ear buds see you through? How important is your grooming regime? If you need to stay spruced right up to the end of the day, you might consider a small atomiser of cologne and some styling wax. Add a charger if your day looks set to segue into after-work socialising, and thank your lucky stars that you can zip home in an Uber instead of the slow trot home in a hansom cab.