In the Bag: Richard Liu

You can tell a lot about a man from the things he carries.

His style. Politics. Passions. Predilections.

And so today we’re kicking off In the Bag, a series in which we ask some of the country’s most tech-savvy guys about the gear and gadgetry they like to keep close at hand.

Who better to start with than a bag man proper: Richard Liu, founder of DSPTCH, an S.F.-based purveyor of military-grade carryalls.

This is a big year for Liu. To celebrate their fifth anniversary, DSPTCH is launching a number of limited-edition collaborations in the coming months, a project that kicked off in September with a unique-to-DSPTCH Lum-Tec B25 43mm watch.

While we await the next release, we got Liu to show off his favorite bag — and, of course, what he packs inside. “I’m definitely a functionality guy,” Liu says. “Some of these items may look plain from the exterior, but often, underneath, are layers of thoughtful design and construction.”

The bag: The DSPTCH Ruckpack. “The first bag I ever designed, the Ruckpack was based off a traditional military rucksack design and then re-tooled for current day consumer items. If this hadn’t gotten the traction it did, we may have never gotten to where we are today as a bag company. This was definitely our first born.

How’s your jacket? Coldsmoke Shell Anorak jacket

What headphones? Bowers & Wilkins P3 Headphones. “I’m normally using earbuds, but over-the-ear is nice for travel when you plan on listening to audio for an extended amount of time. I like how these are a bit smaller than the larger and more well known P5 model — keeps my ears feeling refreshed throughout long flights.”

Water carrier: Liberty Bottleworks aluminum water bottle

Power source: Mophie Dual Spacestation

Power user: Apple 12″ MacBook

Magazines? B Magazine, Prodism and Hypebeast

Which phone? iPhone 6

Your wallet? Capsule Minimalist. “This one is a game changer for me. I’ve been ‘front pocket’ for a few years now, bouncing from money clip to money clip. The design on this keeps the wallet completely flat and also has enough functionality for cash, high-use cards and then some storage for the cards you need to have on you but rarely used.”

Pencil and eraser? Uni-ball Kuru Toga mechanical pencil and Tombow Mono Zero Knock eraser

Got a special pen? SKB SB-1000 in Black

Whatcha reading? Nate Silver’s The Signal and the Noise, Chris Guillebeau’s The $100 Startup Entrepreneur and The Responsible Company by Yvon Chouinard & Vincent Stanley

The flask? Snowpeak Titanium Flask

What’s inside the flask? Bulleit Rye Whiskey. “This is one of my favorite sipping whiskies.”

A cool key fob or similar? DSPTCH Paracord key chain

The camera? Fuji X Pro-1. “Our company started primarily as an accessory maker to the mirrorless camera category. It’s been exciting to see it grow over the years. The technology in this camera might seem a bit dated now, but the form factory definitely keeps it fun and exciting to use.”