What's In My Bag: The Complete Guide

Where WIMB came from

The "What's In My Bag" format didn't start on YouTube. It started in the everyday carry (EDC) community — forums and blogs where people photographed their daily pockets and bags, laid everything out on a flat surface, and shared what they carried and why.

Then it spread. Tech reviewers started showing their travel bags. Photographers laid out their camera kits. Designers showed their workspace essentials. The format resonated because it's inherently interesting: people are curious about what other people actually use, day to day, for real work.

YouTubers like Peter McKinnon turned WIMB videos into a staple content format — millions of views on "What's In My Camera Bag" alone. MKBHD's desk setup and gear videos consistently rank among his most popular. The "What I Use" page became a standard part of every creator's website.

The format works because it answers a genuine question: "What does someone I trust actually use, and why?"

Why WIMB content resonates

There are a few things going on:

Trust through specificity. A generic "best cameras for beginners" article could be written by anyone. A WIMB post can only be written by someone who actually owns and uses the stuff. That firsthand experience is what people want.

Decision shortcuts. Buying gear is stressful. There are too many options, too many reviews, too many specs. Seeing what someone you respect actually chose — and hearing why — cuts through the noise. It's not about finding the objectively best product. It's about finding a good one, recommended by someone whose taste you trust.

Personality and identity. Your gear choices say something about you. A minimal EDC says something different from a maxed-out photography kit. People enjoy seeing how others approach the same problems with different tools.

Discovery. The best WIMB content introduces you to products you didn't know existed. Not "here's the obvious choice" but "here's the thing I found that nobody talks about."

What makes a good WIMB page

After seeing thousands of these — on YouTube, Reddit, blogs, forums — the good ones share a pattern:

Tell the story behind each pick. Don't just list "Sony A7IV." Say why you chose it over the A7III, what you upgraded from, what you'd change about it. The context is the content.

Show your actual stuff. Stock product photos are fine as supplements, but nothing beats a photo of your actual gear, in use or laid out. The wear marks, the stickers, the modifications — that's what makes it real.

Organize logically. Group items the way someone would look for them. A camera bag page should separate bodies, lenses, lighting, audio, and accessories. A desk setup should group by function: computing, display, audio, peripherals.

Include links. If someone sees your headphones and wants them, make it easy. Link to where they can buy the exact thing. Multiple retailer links are even better — not everyone shops at the same place.

Keep it updated. A WIMB video from 2022 is frozen in time. The best gear pages reflect what you're using right now. When you swap something out, update the page. Your audience wants your current setup, not your historical one.

The problem with WIMB as video-only content

A YouTube video is great for the initial showcase. Good production, personality, the ability to demo each item. But videos have a shelf life problem.

A WIMB video from six months ago is already outdated if you've changed anything. Someone finds it through search, watches it, then has to wonder if you still use that lens or if you've switched. There's no way to update a published video.

Videos also aren't scannable. If someone only cares about your audio setup, they have to scrub through a 15-minute video to find that section. A written page with sections lets them jump straight to what they need.

The best approach: make the video for engagement, then link to a permanent page that stays current.

Creating a living WIMB page

This is where having a dedicated tool helps. On Teed, you can create a WIMB page that works alongside your video content:

Structure it with sections. Create a bag and organize items into logical groups. A travel bag might have sections for Tech, Camera Gear, Clothing, and Toiletries. Drag items to reorder by importance or frequency of use.

Add context to every item. Each item has a "Why I chose this" field. This is where your personality and experience come through. Short and honest beats long and salesy.

Use the hero item feature. Mark your favorite or most-asked-about item as the featured item. It gets visual prominence at the top of your page.

Upload your own photos. Take a quick photo of each item and upload it. AI identification handles recognizing the brand and model, so you don't have to type everything manually.

Link it everywhere. Your WIMB page gets a permanent URL like teed.so/u/yourname/camera-bag. Drop it in your YouTube descriptions, Instagram bio, Twitter/X, and anywhere people ask about your gear. One URL, always current.

Export when you need to. Creating a new video? Export your bag as a formatted list for the video description. Writing a newsletter? Export it in a format ready for email.

Starting your first WIMB page

Pick one bag — the one people ask about most. For most people, that's their work setup, their camera kit, or their everyday carry. Don't try to document everything you own at once.

Add 5-10 items. Write one or two sentences about each. Upload a photo. Share the link.

You can always add more later. The page is alive — it grows and changes as your gear does. That's the whole point. Your WIMB page isn't a snapshot. It's a living document of what you actually use.

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