An unexpected tragedy leads to long-awaited upgrade

Many of you have heard of the unfortunate and extremely frequent vehicle break-ins on Oahu, especially in Waikiki and at popular tourist attractions. That's why each time we deliver one of our detailed MINI Coopers to a new rental customer, we caution them to keep valuables either back at the hotel or in the secure trunk of the MINI, out of sight of potential thieves.

Well, on a gloomy day last January we didn't follow these suggestions, which resulted in a broken window and a stolen computer bag (luckily sans computer). So after quite a bit of online research, we decided to go with The North Face Striker sling backpack as our new official company bag.

The striker has everything we need in a bag, and then some: an uber-comfortable shoulder strap with Velcro & clasp closures, elastic cellphone pocket, mesh zippered hip pocket, padded & insulated laptop/lunch compartment, water bladder hook & hose outlet, headphone flap, waterproof nylon fabric, waterproof zippers, side compressions, stitched foam back panel, tons of inside pockets (including one for our tire pressure gauges), and even a built-in safety whistle for the next time I see someone trying to break into a car. And for only 70 bucks, it's a great deal.