The proprietor of the only hardware store on Fire Island once refused to sell me a fishing pole because “You’re too hard on your equipment.”

I thought wow, this guy really knows me. It is true that I have gone through many fishing poles but what I REALLY go through are tennis bags. I literally wore a hole in the bottom of the last one, which is when I decided to treat myself to a Geau Sport Axiom 9 Pack Racquet Bag.

This thing is as museum-quality now as it was out of the box three months ago.

During that time, my bag has traveled with me to 30 different courts during my quest to play on every public tennis court in Los Angeles. I’m up to 101 out of 245 now: almost halfway there.

My bag and I have been traveling almost entirely on public transit, which is… gritty. But this bag is just fine with grit. Bring it, that’s the vibe I get. My bag goes where I go, and it literally does bring everything I need — racquets, balls, books to read while waiting for the bus, earbuds for when other passengers are cranking tunes that are not to my liking, sunscreen, clean shirt, nuts and berries, water, phone charger, elastic bands so I can stretch after playing — pretty much my entire mini-world.

And all so nice and compact that I can be a good public transit passenger and not take up more than one seat. Yeah, I’d say me and my bag are close. We sit in the way-back of these buses and trains, taking it all in, the beauty of Los Angeles and the non-beauty too, you can’t have the one without the other. This gives me a lot to think about, but what I don’t have to think about is whether my bag is gonna hold and protect my stuff. It does all that while still looking sleek and sturdy, so I am proud and honestly comforted to carry it with me.