Alpaka

Not sponsored or endorsed, but if alpaka see this please feel free to reach out via the contact me page.

When in early 2024 just under a year since my stroke I /we were giving serious thought to returning to work in some capacity. I was driving and had my adapted car so that was one issue covered. While I knew I couldn’t do clinical work anymore there was a big chunk of my role that was management based and I could do that both on and off site to start, we even built me a little home office space which I took great joy in filling with trinkets. I’d covered getting into work. Clothing wasn’t an issue for now, I could wear my own clothes to start with and order some scrubs with elastic waist not a tie string, tops would be fine. Keeping on track with essentials: food. Pre stroke I would walk to the canteen, grab something or if I had time run down to a local shop or sandwich place. These options were now gone: speed of moving and carrying both not fitting.

So I would take lunch with me, if Rich made me a sandwich. A few months prior to my return when speaking with an Occupational Therapist about the return they recommended a cross body bag to carry things. I set a challenge to my family, find me a cross body bag, easy to open with one arm . Claire came through at Christmas with a great bag, fitting the brief perfectly.

It wasn’t until a couple of weeks of use that I noticed it was on the small side. If I had lunch I couldn’t carry things like my work iPad or a notebook. So I set about looking for something a bit bigger. After chatting with my team someone suggested a tote style bag: large, goes over one arm/ shoulder, wide opening.

However they are traditionally made tfor women. So I set about looking for a masculine version.

I somehow fell across a brand called Alpaka who make a series of different bags and accessories, masculine and pretty cool too.

I ordered their tote. When it came I was thrilled. It’s big, big enough to even fit my MacBook if I wanted, plenty of pockets on both the inside and out none of which are stitched, zipped etc so super easy to get in with one hand. The main compartment does close with a magnet which is fine. It’s a really thick high quality water resistant material and the dark blue looks masculine and classy.

I was so thrilled with it that I spent time looking for other products they sold. Doing a large amount of self guided physio in gyms has lead to a lot of headphone wearing. I would always put them around my neck as I was leaving the house but aware they were loose and expensive.

Alpaka do make a tech bag primarily for headphones, I ordered one in a nice deep green; it has a strap or a carry handle so I can always carry it somehow. Inside there’s a deep pocket perfect for my headphones (I wear Beats Pro for size reference) it’s got a couple of small pouches in the front and back one I keep a charging cable in, just in case, again accessible with one arm.

Appalka certainly didn’t design these products for people with limb issues but it’s a great by product for them and one I’m very happy to recommend.