Today’s guest post from Sam Spurlin of The Simpler Life is part of Simple Black Coffee’s Favorite Things series. Submit your story to share.

My green canvas & leather messenger bag.

My favorite thing has been with me for approximately 10 years. Considering the average lifespan of the physical materials around me, it very well may be the oldest thing I own. I received this green canvas messenger bag as a Christmas gift and it has been with me through most of high school, all of college, countless road trips, international travel, and it has survived the decluttering purges that characterize minimalism.

I love this freakin’ bag.

First of all, the whole reason I wanted a bag like this was because my father has one that is very similar that he got when he was in college. I started using his when I was a freshman in high school but it wasn’t the same as having my own. Messenger bags were the epitome of cool back then but nobody was carrying around canvas and leather. I would stick out from the crowd and all the ladies would love me, obviously.

The coolest thing about this bag is that the older it gets, the better it looks. The leather strap continues to get more broken-in and supple and the canvas is slowly fading over time. Most items show their age in a very negative way. I think this bag looks ten times better now than it did when I first received it.

Lastly, it’s very well constructed and easy to repair. I haven’t had any trouble with the strap since the day I got it. It’s high quality leather and brass construction that can withstand the rigors of being used every single day. I’ve had to patch the bottom of the bag but it’s incredibly easy to throw a patch on canvas and I think it just adds to its overall character.

As I’ve adopted a minimalist lifestyle I’ve become much more separate from my physical items. I don’t derive my self-worth from what I own any more. That doesn’t mean that I don’t care pretty deeply about the stuff that I’ve chosen to keep around. Therein lies the difference between the average consumer and a minimalist. The average consumer is surrounded by stuff that they may have consciously let into their life once upon a time, but now is ambivalent towards. A minimalist constantly reassess the physical items they’ve allowed into their life. This bag has survived countless reassessments and I think it will until the day it can no longer step up and do its duty.

Really, I just freakin’ love this bag.

Today’s guest post was written by Sam Spurlin of The Simpler Life. Follow him on twitter @samspurlin.

The next Favorite Things post will be from Courtney Carver of Be More With Less.

Previous posts in the Favorite Things series:

• Sharpie Pen by Craig Keirstead of Simple Black Coffee
• Clothing by Joshua Millburn of The Minimalists
• TUL Pen by Kevin Lemere of Ground Up Life
• Evernote by David Damron of Life Excursion
• Nothing by Dusti Arab of Minimalist Adventures
• Chrome Shoes by Seth Werkheiser of The Bike Nerd
• Work Boots by Andrew Odom of Tiny r(E)volution
• Safety Razor by Bernie Mack of Get Off This Wheel
• iPod Touch (+4 more) by Serena of The Everyday Minimalist
• Kitchen Tools by Cheryl Breuer of Peculiar Girl
• Headlamp by Jennifer Miller
• Books by Naomi Seldin Ramirez of Simpler Living
• Bicycle by Beverly Army Williams of PoMo Golightly
• Birkenstock Sandals by Robert Wall of Untitled Minimalism
• Cup of Coffee by Matt Madeiro of Three New Leaves
• Simplenote by Rob of Simple Llama