The Elephant in the Room - Man Purse

[Plumbline]

I have a number of bags .... a Fossil messenger type bag in oiled steerhide ( which doubles as a laptop bag) ... an orvis Battenkill bag which again doubles as a laptop / overnight bag ..... an old oiled leather briefcase type bag which I used to bungee to the back of my motorcycle when nesessary .... some have handles and the fossil just a shoulder strap. My wife will often refer to them as my "manbag" but to me they are just a bag to be used to carry stuff when I need them to

I also have a leather cartridge bag ... which has carried nothing other than cartridges

 

[SGT Rocket]

How about if you call it a haversack?

I hate to admit it, but I'm looking for an every day carry bag that isn't too big. The bigger it is, like a messenger bag, the more stuff I'll put into it. I really can't afford anything "nice" right now, and I don't want anything that looks "tactical."

I'm not worried too much about it not looking manly because men in Asia, S. America, and even in Europe seem to have realized the practically of carrying a bag.

What will I be carrying in mine? Extra rounds, as I use on the body carry for my CCW. Wallet, cell phone and keys, A small flask of whiskey, bandaids for the kids, headache meds, etc...

One of the problems I have with carrying all of this in my pocket or on my belt is that I currently have three broken ribs. I can't really tighten my belt too tight or it hurts more when I breathe. So, I just keep my CCW weapon in deep conceal on my belt and have been carrying my other stuff in a coat pocket or in my hand. The problem is, without one place to always keep this stuff, I seem to lose it often.

Here is what I've been thinking of for my bag ideas:

http://http://www.woodsmonkey.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=603:blackhawk-tactical-handbag&catid=38acks-bags-a-pouches&Itemid=58

Here is my second idea:

http://http://www.tombihn.com/messenger_bags/TB0203.html

And I was thinking of a Timbuk2 bag, with a Napoleon pocket, but I can't find any dimensions on their website. How in the world would I know what size to get?

 

[Stearmen]

It's OK to carry a Man Purse, just as long as you don't put a small dog in it! [video=youtube;Zf0dnbWrpmw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf0dnbWrpmw[/video]

 

[SGT Rocket]

Good point Stearman,
I figure if it's under ten pounds, it isn't a dog, it's a rat.

 

[Hamlet]

Was getting tires put on today. The guy looks at me and asks "Is that a purse?"

 

[gtdean48]

I'm looking at one of these to take to the shooting range = Sling Tactical Bag.
Basically, half a backpack....
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/red-rock-rover-sling-bag.aspx?a=704999

 

[SGT Rocket]

Well, I ended up getting the BlackHawk tactical handbag. Yes, it is a man-purse. However, I like it that it isn't too tactical. I think that if it was too tactical, I would probably get too much attention. I'm going for the whole Gray-Man thing. I know, dressing the way I do makes me stand out, but as it stands now, this won't make me look any more eccentric than I already am/do. LOL.

 

[Stearmen]

The King Of Cools Purse

All right, I'm going to put the whole Man Purse controversy to bed once and for all! Here is the King Of Cool, Mr Steve Mcqueen, with his then high tech Man Purse. Nough said!

 

[SGT Rocket]

Awesome!

 

[Jack Patch]

I have an old army style canvas shoulder bag I keep in my car as an emergency kit. Flashlight, poncho, first aid etc. Saving my nickles and dimes for this.....

http://www.saddlebackleather.com/Classic-Briefcase?sc=8&category=301406

 

[Shangas]

Keep counting those pennies, Jack. It looks like a humdinger.

I'm still drooling over this:

I saw something similar once in a movie. And I just fell in love with it ever since. I'm currently in the process of hunting down something in that style. I've seen several online so far, but as yet, nothing that has made me go "Ooooooh...". I can afford it, but it's no sense coughing up if it ain't *perfect*.

What I don't want is one of those stupid modern ones with the magnetic snap-clasps and the fake buckles. I know from experience - once those magnets fail...it's buggered.

The current bag I have is just useless. It's far too small for what I carry around with me, and truth be told, it's getting worn out. I'm surprised there aren't any holes in it yet. The lining is certainly giving up, and the corners and the strap are beginning to fray and split.

Alternatively, I was wondering if I could try making my own bag of that style. Out of something just a durable. Denim comes to mind. I have a friend who made her own shoulder bag out of denim. She used a whole heap of old jeans that were gonna be chucked out. She sliced them up and sewed them together.

I know a place which has OODLES of old jeans and denim for pennies a pound. It's a possibility...

 

[David Conwill]

Shangas, why not just order it if that's what you really want?

Custom Hide 1945 US Army leather brown briefcase.

I've had mine for years now (just had it serviced by them, in fact), and don't regret it in the least. Or will they not do overseas sales?

 

[Shangas]

I would like to, but at $400 I doubt I could afford it. But I'll keep the link anyway.

I think there's a company in Australia which produces something similar (and at a much more affordable price), I'm keeping that open as an option.

 

[Dinerman]

 

[tropicalbob]

That would be the ideal bag to carry my William Burroughs novels in next semester!

 

[IXL]

Shoulder bags by Maxpedition. Concealed holster for a large handgun. Pouch for spare magazines. Pockets for OC canisters, cuffs, radio, cell phone, and a Zagnut bar. ALICE clip loops. Yeah, it's a purse.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I need two of these.

 

[Stearmen]

Shoulder bags by Maxpedition. Concealed holster for a large handgun. Pouch for spare magazines. Pockets for OC canisters, cuffs, radio, cell phone, and a Zagnut bar. ALICE clip loops. Yeah, it's a purse.

You had me right up to Zagnut bar!

 

[SGT Rocket]

Ok, I have a question about this elephant. I have had a few man-bags recently. Mostly they carry an extra diaper, extra rounds, small first aid kit, pens, paper, and the general stuff. However, I’m about to move up in the world and I will soon be wearing suits as daily work wear. What do y’all think about a regular square leather briefcase? The basic kind with a handle on top, and well, just square.

 

[Abraham]

MissQueenie's desert wear thread got me thinking of something about which I've been curious for some time.

Indiana Jones (and the COW Gearhead) carries a gas mask bag as a bag to stash equipment while adventuring.

That bag on a shoulder strap is just one tissue away from a bag to be carried over the shoulder by men for everyday use.

In 1930's issues of Esquire, a bag over the shoulder is sported by men in many of the illustrations, usually holding a camera or binoculars.

Briefcases these days often come with some kind of shoulder strap.

So: How many men here carry some kind of bag? And do you find the term "Man Purse" or worse, "Murse," as repugnant as I do?

I carry a leather briefcase-style bag to the office every day, sometimes on a shoulder strap. Weekends, I carry a "messenger bag" in olive drab canvas and russet leather from LL Bean. You have to have someplace to stow your gear - digicam, iPod, Nintendo, book, Moleskine, cell phone, snacks, smokes, gum, pens, sunglasses, pistol...
Look at this. I'd carry this without a second thought:

How about this?

What are you carrying, gentlemen?

I carry two pieces. One is a leather briefcase that holds my laptop, a writing slope, a couple of pens/pencils and some paper files. The other is a nylon messenger bag that holds: Wallet, keys, phone, MP3 player, Chapstick, change holder, gum, handkerchief, pen, pencil, multi-tool, large folding knife, small flashlight, ear plugs (really), mechanics gloves, Glock 17L, and two extra magazines.