Carryology Survey :: The Results Are In!

A few months back, we put it to you, the community: “We wanna know who you guys are, how you carry, and what you love! So, you know, we can get better at what we do.”

And thanks to our army of passionate readers – and a little Bellroy prize incentive – weeks later, our digital desks were awash with a tidal flow of sterling info.

To those who took the time to tick the boxes – massive kudos! We appreciated your intricately crafted responses: some nice and casual, some comical, and all well-informed. You know your stuff, and it was a pleasure to read through the mountainous (and almost tome-like) summary of feedback.

So, without further ado, we’re going to share those responses with you, open up the dialogue, and keep this conversation going. Chime in with a comment if anything piques your interest.

This was cool. A good, healthy sweep across the board. Life years, ranging from 18-45+ years, majority male (with 12% sticking a hand in the air for awesome gear-savvy females), city folk, hailing from all over, but flourishing in the US, Australia and Europe, with pockets in Asian hubs like Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore – nice one!

Tribes: There’s great versatility here. Carryologists being a diverse bunch, many belong to numerous tribes; some even hail from five or six. In a nutshell: you guys are darn active, skiing and cycling and getting outdoors, and have an adoration for design, hacks, and daily tools – who would of thunk it, huh!

Carry Collection: Hey, we loved these numbers – and were stoked since we’ve just kicked off our Bag Collectors series – showing a healthy crush on collecting carry, with 30% of you owning 4-6 pieces and 33% of you A-grade carry nuts stashing between 8-20+ carry pieces somewhere in your house (and most likely away from your spouse). We feel you. More articles to come on collectors and carry storage. 😉

This was the biggest light bulb moment for us: our content mix has been too heavily weighed on Q&As. You guys just want the insights. We’re putting our collective noggins together to brainstorm better ways to get those to you – stay tuned!

Favorite Brands: Hehe, this was really great news for our sugar daddies, Bellroy, but something tells me there may have been some votes cast in their corner to sway favor in hope of winning a tasty Phone Pocket – just saying.

Other big favs: Mission Workshop, Arc’teryx, GORUCK, Timbuk2, CHROME, Côte&Ciel and Tom Bihn.

This was another interesting one: Build, Materials and Hardware topping the list. That tells us you guys fiend for products that last, and, based on Look & Feel coming in 2nd, products with aesthetic beauty and tactility.

Comfort and Organization 4th and 5th…as I said, interesting, very interesting.

What we’re carrying: Electronics, of course, are populating our carry more than ever before – and those pesky chargers and cables that lump along for the ride. Small stuff like sunglasses and keys are right up there too.

What’s problematic: Cameras; without using a certified camera bag, it looks like hobby and casual photographers are left wanting. Closely followed by those aforementioned pesky Chargers and Cables. Like you, we’re still lying in wait for more solutions in these spaces…

Carrying Food is also tricky. Those essential packed lunches and snacks are seemingly still being shirked by carry brands. Anyone know of an awesome and attractive, slim-lined lunch box? Or the perfect pocket to handle a sandwich and banana?

Well, this was almost a win/win for us. A ton of complimentary choices, specked with two not-so-positive ones… So, thanks for the kind words!! And sorry to be so darn sneaky.

Wishlist: Some of you were general in your desires, just a backpack for work or travel, others had specific items in mind, i.e. The Bellroy Phone Pocket (again, funny that), GORUCK GR0 & GR1 and the Tom Bihn Aeronaut.

Blogs: Gear, gear, gear. You guys love gear! So do we, we should hang out!

Moreover, it was nice to see one of our blog partners, Everydaycarry.com, up top. Nice going Bernard and the team!

Carryology Event: Another nice surprise here, it seems folks are keen to surpass the digital realm and kick it old school and in the flesh – it’s safe to say this interest has gotten the creative juices flowing…but what would a Carryology event look like? Any ideas? Comment below…

What a great segue!! Onto Commenting: Most of you don’t, for a slew of reasons: too busy, nothing to add, NEVER comment on the Internet EVER. But you know, we love to hear from you, so please comment and chat – that’s what makes communities fun. 😉

And closing with your suggestions on what would make Carryology more awesome. We really dug this input, and believe me, we’re working behind the scenes to give every last point some serious thought… Stay tuned for our rapid improvement!!

What you’d like to see more of…

1) Longer, more in-depth, more stringent reviews.

2) Comparisons, i.e. Head to Heads.

3) Buying Guides.

4) EDC reviews, tips and hacks.

5) Maker and Brand Profiles.

6) Wallet Content

7) Video Content

8) Hacks and Tips

9) DIY / How To’s

10) What People Carry.

What you’d like less of…

Note: Most of you declined to dish the dirt here, politely stating your overall delight in the content mix… But I’ve listed a few absolute gems below:

1) The word ‘Rad’. (Hahaha, Nooooo!)

2) Interviews

3) Niceties: “Stop being so nice!”, “You never really pan a bad product”.

4) Expensive / unattainable hipster shit

These extras would make Carryology more awesome…

1) Video content

2) Competitions

3) More stringent testing

4) Exclusive Deals

5) Carryology event

6) A forum / marketplace

7) More content, more often

8) Online store

9) Better content search tools

10) More interactivity