Oh, and when I take the buses to work vs driving in, I stop at the transfer point and get some of those free papers (3 each). Mainly for the puzzles, but I read ’em cover to cover, too. Daily are the AM New York and Metro, and weekly is the Chronicle. Folded over, those fit into the open pocket that’s on the back of the bag. Otherwise, I’d have to hold all those papers loose (even in the rain), or stick ’em in a plastic shopping-bag and carry ’em separately. One more separate thing to carry? No thanks.
That’s why I started with my “parachute”, the Jansport, that I could stuff a small car in there and carry it home. Never had to worry about dropping anything when walking, etc. Everything was stuffed into one place.