From the Suspiciously Close To a Purse Department: The Man Bag Review

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2004/09/the_man_bag_its' target='_blank'>http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkonthe...the_man_bag_its</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20041004_manbag.jpg" /> <br /><br /><i>"A lot of you are familiar with my quest for the perfect gadget bag. Well to tell you the truth I'd settle for a bag that will carry all my stuff and passes my wife's "manly" test. You know, a bag that she won't laugh at and call my man purse. So, when I had the opportunity to review a bag called appropriately The Man Bag, I jumped. After all, if the slogan is "if it's not a Man Bag it's a purse!" it must pass my wife's manly test, right? The Man Bag is manufactured and sold on the Man Bag website. Actually the official name is the Man-n-Bag but they are known throughout as simply the Man Bag so that's what I call it. They offer several bags of different sizes but the one that interested me most was the smallest- the Axible. Strange name but, well, manly."</i><br /><br />Unfortunately, I think that even the subtle application of a few spikes and Metallica stickers would not be sufficient to take the purse curse off of this bag. The closest I've gotten to a manly bag is a briefcase sort of thing that looks <a href="http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/PRODIDPG.ASP?Params=Level=2-3|PageID=1614|Category=11-73|special=search|ID=SearchClicked|i=3">kinda like this.</a> For trips where I need to take equipment but don't want to haul around something large, I rely on the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17566&amp;start=0">fairly butch Podzilla.</a> Who else here has this problem? Have you found something that works for you and passes the "Doesn't Look Like a Purse" test?

[surur]

Can I say your Stanley Traveller (http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/PRODIDPG.ASP?Params=Level=2-3|PageID=1614|Category=11-73|special=search|ID=SearchClicked|i=3) does not pass the manly test either :)

If its not hanging around your groin (by a belt clip of course) it just cant be considered manly :twisted:

http://www.levimage.com/IMAGE/PRODUCTS/BRIEFCASES_BAGS/AL4770E_0403.JPG


Surur

[Jonathan1]

:rofl: The MAN bag. Is this sort of like the bro? :lol:

[kosmicki]

I use a WWII gas mask bag. Did not actually connect it with indy till I tried to find a picture... Damn, now its manliness went up another notch!

http://www.indygear.com/gear/bag.shtml

[NeilE]

It's not a purse, it's a European Carry-all!

[rzanology]

im sorry to say, but men shouldn't be using bags maaaan. stuff that sht in your pocket and get on with the getting on!

[Pat Logsdon]

Can I say your Stanley Traveller (http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/PRODIDPG.ASP?Params=Level=2-3|PageID=1614|Category=11-73|special=search|ID=SearchClicked|i=3) does not pass the manly test either :)
It's actually not a Stanley Traveller - it's a Franklin-Covey look-alike (please excuse the crappy camera phone quality):

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/mymanbag.jpg

:mrgreen:

[Pat Logsdon]

im sorry to say, but men shouldn't be using bags maaaan. stuff that sht in your pocket and get on with the getting on!
Sadly, while my clown pants CAN in fact accommodate a laptop, they remain inappropriate for work. ;)

[Sven Johannsen]

How about something like this? http://www.eaglecreek.com/40242.html or http://www.eaglecreek.com/40241.html

Those look more like small briefcases, than that purse.

[Shuushin]

Yep. thats the most manly purse I've ever seen. But hey, if you are confident in your manliness you can wear anything.

Goes well with my Man-Girdle (tm), Man-Nail-Extensions (tm) and Man-Skirt (okay, the last one is a kilt and that's okay cuz I never wear it with my Man-Blouse or red paten leather high-heeled hiking/work/steel-toed Man-heels).

[pivaska]

Bag = woman Case = man

Like in gun case, video case, brief case, even case of beer.

[kosmicki]

In that case I have a gas mask case. :mrgreen:

[jkendrick]

I guess this case would be more manly:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/9109/harley%20bag.jpg

:D

[surur]

Can I say your Stanley Traveller (http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/PRODIDPG.ASP?Params=Level=2-3|PageID=1614|Category=11-73|special=search|ID=SearchClicked|i=3) does not pass the manly test either :)
It's actually not a Stanley Traveller - it's a Franklin-Covey look-alike (please excuse the crappy camera phone quality):

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/mymanbag.jpg

:mrgreen:

Can I say your Indiana Jones bag gives you more credibility. Just make sure it is really scuffed up and dirty.

Shiny, clean and expensive looking= womanly
Plastic, cheap, dirty or scuffed leather =manly :)

Surur

[rzanology]

How about something like this? http://www.eaglecreek.com/40242.html or http://www.eaglecreek.com/40241.html

Those look more like small briefcases, than that purse.


I refuse to wear something called a "VAGAbag" are you sure its for men? lol.

[kosmicki]

Can I say your Indiana Jones bag gives you more credibility. Just make sure it is really scuffed up and dirty.

Hey, I'm the one with the Indiana Jones bag... That is the Doctor Jones bag...
:mrgreen:

http://www.indygear.com/gear/images/Indy_bag2.jpg

[stevew]

If I can't wear it on my belt or put it in my pocket then I ain't carrying it. No way I'd ever walk around with something like that.

[Sven Johannsen]

I refuse to wear something called a "VAGAbag" are you sure its for men? lol.

That's vagabond, as in bum, gypsy, rover, ruffian.

[GoldKey]

I've been using this for a while and it really works for me. I have one in black and one in blue. Plus I recently bought a similar sling at Old Navy for around $10 that has a more retro military look.

http://a1480.g.akamaitech.net/f/1480/124/60m/images.ebags.com/images/products/15028_axlrg.jpg


The bag was $39.99 at ebags and I got this link from a business associate that works at ebags that should get you 25% off.

www.ebags.com/friends/tony

[David Prahl]

P...U...R...S...E

:roll:

[tzirbel]

I've been using a yellow Jansport backpack for the past 7 years. I only sling one strap. I tell everyone it's the only purse I could find with a holster for my Glock built in. :twisted: I've tried hooking all my toys to my belt but it didn't work for me. The man bag if beat up enough would be considered cool.

[antiphon]

I use a Jack Spade messenger bag. It's the perfect size for me- big enough to carry a book or 2 if needed, although I usually fill it with all my gadgets. :)


http://store.nordstrom.com/product/product.asp?styleid=2806033&category=2376777~2374612~2380967&PrevStyleID=none&NextStyleID=2805905

[Jason Lee]

It depends on what i'm carrying.
For everything I use a travel pro back pack. I can fit my laptop, school books, ppc stuff, and other things including my smaller bag in it.

http://batcave.smsu.edu/images/bag1.jpg

For when I only need a few things I use a jansport cross sholder back pack that i found on clearance at target. Nice an small, one big pouch and one little one.

http://batcave.smsu.edu/images/bag2.jpg

And when I only need my ppc and phone i just clip them to my pockets.

Or depending on the weather i may not need a bag cause i have coat pockets...

:wink:

[PeterLake]

Poll time. The responses can be:
1 - Manly.
2 - Unmanly.
3 - This poll is sexist in its inception.

Remember, of course, that anything over 25% on the unmanly scale means that you can't use it, because if 1 guys says it is girly, the other 3 certainly aren't going to disagree with him.

[kosmicki]

I dunno, that things shape is sorta neutral.. I suppose it depends how its worn. And what goes in it. (Tip: draw the line at storing wifes/girlfriends makeup in it. If you had that and it spilled its contents....)

:devilboy:

[Glisson]

Didn't Indiana Jones have a leather shoulder bag at one point? That was kinda cool. I would like to find one of those somewhere.

Most of the other bags have looked pretty girly.

Glisson

[Yorri]

Look at the steel/Crimson color. It is difficult to find something this small to be "manly" but I have to say that because the flap doesn't cover the bag completely and this color combination really separate it from the "purse" look.

http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/TBP/TB0202

[mashtim]

Here is the bag I use: the J. Peterman Counterfeit Mailbag. http://www.jpeterman.com/cgi-bin/sgdynamo.exe?UID=!+USID!&HTNAME=html/jp-products/om26/1005.html

Yes, it is kind of amorphous and doesn't have any slots for pens/PDAs/cell phones, but it is REALLY versatile. I just use a Pocket Office from Levenger to hold all that stuff and therfore only have to transfer one item when I switch bags.

And it only gets better and better looking the more I scuff it up!

Oh, yeah, it holds a laptop w/ 15.7" screen in a laptop sleeve, too!

[ctmagnus]

I just use a Pocket Office from Levenger to hold all that stuff and therfore only have to transfer one item when I switch bags.

Good idea! I really need to get something like that, preferably that can deform from a briefcase-type shape to a Podzilla-type shape. Is this (Levenger tool shuttle) (http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/PRODIDPG.ASP?Params=Category=11-235|PageID=1339|Level=2-3#) what you have?

[JvanEkris]

I use this bag:
http://www.saundersphoto.com/assets/images/D27.gif
Or more schematic:
http://www.saundersphoto.com/assets/images/D32.gif
It's made of tough canvas, it saved my PocketPC a couple of times.

It is used by journalists of AP and Reuters all around the world, including the types that are shot at on a regular basis, so i guess that makes it manly for me. I agree with some previous posters that it should be dirty and scratched....

Jaap

PS: It is a Domke F806 Bureau Chief Satchel

[Yorri]

Links people Links! :)

[juni]

If you are really confident in your manliness, try this:

http://www.moonkingdomproducts.com/hellokitty/purse-167040pl.jpg



Just kidding :D

[Jason Lee]

Kittychan!! Kawaii desu yo!!

:lol:

[MikeUnwired]

I can't bring myself to wear a fanny pack (have you seen The Inlaws?).

I can't bring myself to carry a man-bag, "case" or purse.

I can't stand wearing any more layers than necessary so the Scott eVest is out for a majority of the year for me.

So, when I'm carrying, I'm using a back pack. A back pack can be pulled-off by the manliest of manly men and the girliest of girly girls. That said, when I'm going back and forth to work, I use a Kenneth Cole balistic nylon large laptop bag. I have a 17" Monster Toshiba Media Center "laptop" that I shlep back and forth each day. The laptop doesn't fit in my FranklinCovey laptop packpack.

Seinfeld did a show on the man bag years ago -- I saw the rerun the other night for a moment when Jerry was getting something he was carrying out for his girlfriend of the moment (she didn't want to carry her purse.) Anything smaller than a messanger bag or regular sized backpack is a purse or a gender faux pax for men -- Hello Kitty pink or manly olive green. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a purse... :D

[Kati Compton]

So, when I'm carrying, I'm using a back pack. A back pack can be pulled-off by the manliest of manly men and the girliest of girly girls. That said, when I'm going back and forth to work, I use a Kenneth Cole balistic nylon large laptop bag. I have a 17" Monster Toshiba Media Center "laptop" that I shlep back and forth each day. The laptop doesn't fit in my FranklinCovey laptop packpack.
My concern with backpacks is when I'm traveling to places with... er... more adept thieves. The backpack is behind me, so I can't watch it as well as I'd like. :(

I need to find a good convertible backpack/side sling at some point, but I don't have an immediate need.

[JvanEkris]

I need to find a good convertible backpack/side sling at some point, but I don't have an immediate need.But you are a woman, you do not have to worry about the bag nihilating your reputation as a man......

;)

Jaap

[mashtim]

Oops! Yes, CTMagnus, you are correct. It IS the Tool Shuttle thtat I was speaking of. That lil puppy is wonderful. A real time saver!

[disconnected]

I've also seen that Levenger Tool Shuttle in their catalogs. I think they might have reduced the price since the last time I looked at it. The one thing I wondered about is the weight. I'd carry it inside a large purse (female :) ), so I wouldn't want it if it's too heavy. Do you have any idea how much it weighs?

I just looked more closely at the description, and it says one pound. That seems like kind of a lot, unless that's just a sort of estimated shipping weight or something.

[ntractv]

I feel the dilema, but, I just found the perfect bag for all my day to day work stuff plus my gadgets. A bike messenger/courier bag. Chect out www.timbuk2.com. They have a very large selection and you can design your own bag. The one I have "classic black bag" is still professional looking to get by. You can also find them in bicycle shops or sports stores.

[Kati Compton]

I need to find a good convertible backpack/side sling at some point, but I don't have an immediate need.But you are a woman, you do not have to worry about the bag nihilating your reputation as a man......
True, but I don't want to be a "big purse" woman, and backpacks are more ergonomic than a heavy purse. ;)

[mashtim]

I know this won't really answer your question, but the weight of the Tool Shuttle depends mostly on the weight of the tools that it is shuttling at the time.
Empty, the weight is negligible. I think they had it listed as a 1-pound shipping weight simply because that's as low as they go.

[Intrigue]

I just have this to say: *Poor Boys*!

I have *lots* of bags...small bags, big bags, shiny bags, fuzzy bags, bags with long straps, bags with no straps... I &lt;3 bags!

And the thing I &lt;3 most about them is that they carry all my geekbits so easily (Jornada PDA, CF card for GPS, camera, spare battery &amp; card for same, cell phone, iPod, headphones *and* wallet, business cards, lipgloss, etc. etc.)!

I've always said women were better suited for the techno resolution! ;-)

[gliscameria]

I found the best bookbag/laptop holder ever, and it was 15$

They always sell computer bags at the computer shows around here, and I found the sweetest black kensington bag ever. It looks kind of like one of those new man purses, but it's a tad bigger, with a big clip on the front and super rugged metal clips and reinforcement in the handle).

http://appleclub.com.hk/giftguide/images/kensingtonbag175x108.gif&imgrefurl --the same thing, sans the apple logo, and like a few hundred dollars cheaper. (520$ EEK!!)

This is it!!! http://www.carryingcase.net/kensington/saddle.html 50$

I've been using this bag for years, and the only sign of wear is that the annodation on the metal clips is wearing through. (and I cut the silly bookbag straps out of the back compartment)
I do like that the 'pro' version has a sliding drawler in the bottom, all my stuff tends to settle in one black in the bottom of the main compartment and it makes the bag thick.... but I carry around a bunch of crap I don't need. (15 sharpies, a camera, a palm, a ppc, a bottle of ibuprofin, depderant, axe, altoids, quick reference for physics and calculus, a checkbook with no checks, a wallet with no money...)

[GadgetGirl]

:lol: This thread is funny. I think my hubby stopped using his PDA for fear of needing a Man Bag. FWIW, the bag in the story is soooooo a purse. :twisted:

Kati, I know what you mean about the giant purses. Unfortunately, I accidently bought my way into the big purse category. (Wilson's Leather has a whole section of giant purses for business women with tons of gadgets!) However, I try to use my clutch purse often to offset the giant purse stigma. :D

[disconnected]

Thanks Mashtim; I think I'll order a tool shuttle.

I'd love to only carry a small purse, but can't seem to manage it. I often take public transportation, rather than driving, so I feel I need to carry most of my life with me. I am constantly looking for the perfect bag, but haven't come close yet. (It needs to be enormous on the inside and small on the outside :D )

[gry]

I use a Tumi Leather Small Travel Tote #TU912
http://www.luggageonline.com/product.cfm?productID=825&amp;catID=0&amp;brandID=34&amp;tab=1

http://img5.exs.cx/img5/5582/junk1.jpg

[Steve Jordan]

Q: What's the difference between a purse and a man-bag?
A: 1 chromosome.

I've been using Eagle Creek bags of various sizes for years. From one just big enough to carry my PPC, cellphone and sunglasses (http://www.eaglecreek.com/40231.html) to one like this, but smaller (http://www.eaglecreek.com/60100.html), which I carry to work in lieu of a briefcase (thanks to my PPC, I've cut the amount of stuff I lug back and forth to work in half, allowing me to use this bag which is 1/2 the size of a slim briefcase).
Eagle Creek has so many bags, from fairly businesslike to casual, that I've never had a need for others. And I've never heard a comment about them looking girly.
(Well, there was that guy at Safeway, but he stopped talking when he had to stop to PICK UP HIS TEETH...) :mrgreen: