My bike commute to work used to be this time for me, though it was pretty short by the clock (25mins each way), and obviously was lost with the pandemic/WFH. In the last few months I've reclaimed that space somewhat with recreational evening walks, and that's been really great— sometimes with a friend, often on my own, usually in silence. Currently these are around 40-60mins, but your post is for sure inspiring me to step that up.

I'm a fan of the small backpack when I'm out with my kids, particularly for a water bottle, tubs of snacks, a place to put that pinecone they found, etc. But just me? A wallet and phone in my pants pockets is more than enough.