"Man" Bags?

[trainman]

OK.

I'll admit it. I hate carrying things in my pockets! Hate it with a passion!

I gave in about 3 years ago and started to carry a camera bag all the time to keep my wallet, phone and LOTS of other useful junk in while I was out and about (including a Film SLR camera!).

Finally gave in today, and decided to get myself a smaller more sleek bag to carry when going out to dinner or similar (Olga Berg satin clutch). I also use a woman's purse to instead of a wallet, as it has so much more room for coins and cards than any wallet I have ever come across.

So, does anyone else out there carry a Man Bag?

[kiltair]

Yes, I had several for the last 10 years or so. They are usually black leather bags that clip to the belt or have a belt included. I used to have one from Samsonite, and now I have a leather one from Arthur&Aston. I carries my wallet, cell phone, car keys and pocket knife.

Jan

[r.m.anderson]

I also detest pockets and since most of my clothing does not have pockets
I use a Fanny Pack/Bag. It has all the room I need for essentials.
I have two spoorans - one for formal dress and the other for ordinary
use.
Have several fanny bags - leather types for dress wear and nylon for
everyday wear.
I made up one special belted clutch bag for carrying just the minimum of
essentials (cash; credit cards; small pocket knife; drivers license and
insurance/medical ID).
Take a 3 inch wide black belt and fold the clutch bag over it near the
buckle closing and wear it in front waist high. Sort of like a high riding
fanny bag. Slim design - does not interfer with wearing a seat belt in a
car. When worn with a kilt - no kilt belt or spooran is needed. Looks to be
a very large leather belt buckle about half the size of a fanny bag.

rma

[alexthebird]

I don't carry a "man bag," but I do carry a purse. I have two - one brown and one black and they are both shoulder type with multiple pockets. Keys, wallet, address book, portable umbrella, kleenex, portable camera (which I take nearly everywhere) and a little makeup bag that has some aspirin, a comb, mirror, chapstick, Tums, and various other things that would rattle around at the bottom of the purse.

I also found that "women's" wallets carried in a purse are far more efficient for dealing with all the credit cards, ID cards, frequent buyer cards, drivers license and coins than a "man's" wallet. For me, anyway.

[ChristopherJ]

Did you know how pockets came about? Well, neither did I until a few weeks ago when I went to the Museum of Costume in Bath (UK). Part of the museum was an exhibition of pockets. Basically, it seems that they were invented for women and comprised of a single or double bag(s) that were held on a cord underneath the outer layer of a dress. The dress would have a small slit in it so that the woman could reach inside her skirt and put her hand in her pocket.

These pockets were often heavily embroidered. Take a look at some:

POCKETS - Victoria & Albert Museum

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashio ... index.html

All right . . . I'm a nerd . . .

[WSmac]

...it seems that they were invented for women and comprised of a single or double bag(s) that were held on a cord underneath the outer layer of a dress. The dress would have a small slit in it so that the woman could reach inside her skirt and put her hand in her pocket.

These pockets were often heavily embroidered.

AHEM... Christopher... you aren't suggesting that men have been wearing women's clothing all along and never knew it, are you?

Hmmm, pockets were a feminine accoutrement?

I swear I read somewhere that Joseph, "...dug deep into his pockets..."

Must have been some 'other' book

Thanks for the lesson. I like little tidbits like that.

ANOTHER REASON FOR MEN TO WEAR SKIRTS... NO FEMININE POCKETS!

Back to the original post... I also carry a bag of differing sorts, depending on how much I want to carry.

I found a really nice bag that can hold a couple of mid-sized texts for school along with pens, notepad, and other assorted items.
http://www.amazon.com/Ellington-Multi-T ... 74&sr=1-39
Mine is black with an orange interior.
I don't use it much outside of school, but it is a great bag.
I see that Ellington makes all sorts of bags.
I found mine in a local shop and it was around the $60-$70 price.

[JeffB1959]

WSmac: Having clicked on that link, I found they style you chose interesting, but I like this one more:



If I were ever to go out in a skirt, short of carrying a purse, I'd love to have a bag like that as it's both practical and stylish.

[crfriend]

"Man bags" aren't a new invention by a long shot. I recall back when I was just getting started in my career noticing that the manager of the computing center in London (the counterpart to ours in Massachusetts) routinely carried one when he was visiting us. It looked like a large clutch, and he'd carry it sort of like a book. This was in 1980, so there's really nothing new in this.

I suspect they come rather in handy if you need to carry a lot of "stuff" around all the time. I took the path of shedding what I didn't absolutely need (or want). I now have a fairly thin wallet (down from a ridiculous one) that fits in my shirt-pocket and tend to carry my keys on a lanyard around my neck that's long enough to hide the keys under a waistcoat.

Had I discovered skirts ten or fifteen years back I probably would have looked up a clutch of some sort as I carried a lot more stuff then than I do now (for instance, I don't carry a computer everywhere with me any longer, nor a set of chop-sticks), but having solved the problem via other means don't particularly need one now.

[sapphire]

I love pockets! Can't have enough of them. They are a great place to shove your hands when you really feel like strangling someone.

But really, they are useful for when you pick up a note or a receipt and don't have your purse with you. Of course that usefulness is ruined when you forget to empty your pockets before washing the garment.

But, back to man bags....

Years ago I worked for an American who had spent many years working in Italy. He caried a very nice, masculine bag. It was about 9 by 4 inches and about an inch deep. It had a narrow strap and could be worn as a shoulder bag, but he preferred to carry it. This was a bag that had been made specifically for men. He had gotten it in Italy.

Of course there has been a traditional form of man bag that has been around for a long time, the briefcase. With the advent of laptops, a computer bag also serves as purse and there are messenger bags for those who feel compelled to tote around a lot of stuff.

But, small, simple purses do abound. Ii could probably go to Wal-Mart and easily find one or two.

So man bags aren't new and if you really look, you probably will find more than you realized.

Diana

[iain]

I have a soft brown leather bag about 11" square and 3" deep with a long shoulder strap. I got it in Monsoon, I think, or maybe it was Diesel. Anyway, there is no way I would get a flight unless I have that bag!

About 6 pockets on it, inside and out, enough space for passports, mobile, tickets, itinerary, currency, driving licences, bottle of water, magazines, phone charger, earplugs, spare socks, and all the crap they give you in shops -- stupid little irritating bits of paper from tills, card readers, cash machines. All the junk that the commercial systems spew out.

You simply have to have one when travelling, I don't see how anyone can do without it!

[Me?inskirts?]

I too carry a "man-bag", soft leather, about 12x7x3, bought it in Mexico. Carried it long before kilts or skirts. Too much stuff to carry around to fit into pockets; besides my wife refuses to carry my stuff anymore.

[WSmac]

Mountain Men... perhaps the 'MANLIEST MEN OF ALL', carried pouches which were nothing more than purses minus the extra junk modern folk carry.

JeffB, this companies products seem to be very well made.
Normally I just buy stuff from the backpacking suppliers because it is so cheap, but holds up pretty well.
Trouble is, Eagle Creek and the rest make stuff that looks like it belongs with jeans or shorts and out on the hike.

You picked out a nice looking bag. If the internals are like mine, you'll find it hold quite a bit of stuff in well designed pockets.

I think these are worth the price.

[JeffB1959]

JeffB, this companies products seem to be very well made.
Normally I just buy stuff from the backpacking suppliers because it is so cheap, but holds up pretty well.
Trouble is, Eagle Creek and the rest make stuff that looks like it belongs with jeans or shorts and out on the hike.

You picked out a nice looking bag. If the internals are like mine, you'll find it hold quite a bit of stuff in well designed pockets.

I think these are worth the price.

Another option (at least here in the States) is Wilson Leather, a national chain store that carries some nice looking bags. I was recently in one of their stores in search of a belt pack which might also be a good option for skirting adventures. Having swung by their website, Wilson has some sharp looking messenger bags that could work well too. FYI.

[bmaxim]

I would also recommend Wilson's leather. They have men's travel bags (if gender is an issue) and also nice "plain"" shoulder bags on the women's side. Most are leather and fairly well made.

[AndrewH]

I have two shoulder bags I use. Actually, they are women's bags (maybe what the American speakers here call "purses"? In the UK, a purse is just for money, American word is probably wallet or coin-purse).

However, both are acceptable as a man's bag in colour and decoration, and I use one or the other every day. Got a few comments from friends at first (joking, not nasty) and now it's just ignored.

One came from the english National Trust shop, the other from a bag shop in Mallorca whilst on holiday.