Ask Dethroner: Where Can I Get a Cool Bag?
18 Comments Published by Joel September 26th, 2006 in Ask Dethroner, Clothes. Share This
Mike S. asks:
Where can I find a good man bag? Every time I go shopping I get ran over with women’s bags but no good man bags for me.
Manhattan Portage is a go-to here in New York, although I’ve never actually owned one myself. Nonetheless, their gear ranges from understated to retina-squeezing, visually, so if you’re looking for something in a messenger bag, take a gander.
eBags is a surprisingly good place to purchase luggage online and they have the type of man purses I suspect you may be looking for, as well as more traditional laptop bags. Their prices are very fair.
Brooklyn Industries sells their bags online, too, including custom-made one-off bags, like the one on the left up there, for under a hundred dollars.
Why even good ol’ eBay has several nice options right now, including a vintage leather number that you will all not be buying because that bastard is mine! Vintage military stuff, especially from Eastern European nation-fragments, is always a winner, but high in demand. Bags designed to be used with professional camera gear are often quite fetching, as well, with plenty of loops and velcro and places to be written on with grease pencil.
Try to buy small as you think is necessary. If it can hold a camera, your phone, a deuce-deuce and a Helm’s Manual, then you’re probably doing just fine. You’re trying to keep your pockets free, not carrying around a mobile office.
One last thing; What’s the difference between a man bag and a woman’s purse? The strap. That’s not a punchline; Get a thick one.
I swear by my Jack Spade. I’ve had the Greene St. line’s canvas field bag (around $100) for nearly 2 years and it’s just barely showing wear and tear. There isn’t a day I don’t have it. It’s cavernous, but not huge, has a great zippered space for an iPod or mp3 player to hide out, and the design is clean but definitely masculine.
The two product lines – Warren Street and Greene Street – have enough options in terms of size and fabrication that you should be able to find something that suits you.
Stop by Filene’s and see if they have any end-runs of Cole Haan or Coach goodies. You can often score a top notch, brand name bag there for about half of regular retail. Century 21 usually gets in on the act, too, so both are worth a visit.
Conran’s always has nifty stuff downstairs and I’ve scored eurotrash Marc Newson luggage there as well as Knomo’s oh so swanky Tobermory laptop bag. The latter is a monster and you can happily live in in between apartments.
Then there’s Takashimaya. Usually lots of Ro bags but perhaps they’ve branched out in the past few months (note to self: Go this weekend and find out).
Finally, if you’re willing to a) part with a kidney; b) pay retail; and c) schelp up to Madison and 60th, you can be strolling around Manhattan sporting a Ghurka Examiner bag. Spring for the chestnut leather you cheap bastard. After all, how often do you go through elective surgery?
Manbag? Hands down Timbuk2… get the small bike messenger. Nuff said.
I own a Manhattan Portage expandable messenger bag in black. I worship this thing.
Manhattan Portage? Done.
Tibuk2? Over.
Crumpler is the way to go. They have the ugliest, noisiest website on the tubes, or you can go to their store at 8th and Jane in the West Village, where they have an annual beer-for-bags sale.
And if you don’t like the colors they have in stock, you can custom order one.
http://www.freitag.ch/ Cool bags and you can build your own.
Men have been toting “man bags” around for ages, they call them briefcases. When necessary, which is next to never, that is what I use.
Point is I simply can’t bring myself to carry a murse. It doesn’t feel natural to me. Then again, I’m not sure what the heck I’d carry in it anyway. My daily belongings include wallet, keys, phone, lighter and cigarette case and perhaps some mints and/or gum. Pockets are king.
I’ll second the Timbuk2 bags. I’ve had a messenger for about 8 years now and it still looks great. I used it most when I was commuting on my motorcycle. Now that I home office, it does duty as carry-on, and for day trips. The interior wipes clean with a damp sponge so any spills or funky smells from your skate pads/bike helmet are easily cleaned up.
Timbuk2 is yesterday’s news, and Crumpler is overpriced.
Tom Bihn makes a wide array of bags at very attractive prices, in masculine (or at least unisex) colors. Yes, the straps are wide (and include your basic rubber shoulder grip for further differentiation. I own and would not be without two sizes of the Café Bag (http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/200/TB0203).
http://www.tombihn.com/
If you want something a little more hyper-masculine and utilitarian (read: quasi-military), Maxpedition Versi-Packs (http://www.maxpedition.com/product/catalog_versipack.htm) are a good choice. These aren’t office-type bags, though. I use a FatBoy (http://www.maxpedition.com/product/product_vp_fatboy.htm) to carry my work gear from office to office.
(The last two sentences of my previous comment sounded stupid.)
How about revising that: These aren’t “office casual” or “sort-of-briefcase” kind of bags. They look like they’re designed for guys who need tools, and that’s what I use mine to carry (in a geeky way…hard drives, CD wallets, minidrivers, screwgun, etc.).
These bags are an excellent buy as well: http://www.courierwareusa.com/ I have had a couple of them in different sizes and they last. and last. and then do some lasting. They are comfy, non too girly and affordable. Hurray for local merchants!
http://reloadbags.com/
and http://www.crumplerbags.com/home.php
How about this: if you’re a ‘retrosexual’ (like myself: into being a dude, no extra primping beyond the shower, and you don’t care about fashion trends) then Timbuk is the way to go.
Reasons: doesn’t look like you’re carrying a purse; just the right size for your gadgets & book/magazine so they’re perfect for plane carryone or a long day out; shoulder & waist straps for those times you’re actually on your bike; lots of pockets & key-thingy; they take a beating; they clean easy; and AGAIN they don’t look like purse!
Fashion is over men so there is no “yesterday’s news”…
Those are the ugliest bags I have ever friggin seen. That beige half moon thing made me want to throw up in my mouth. I have to say that whoever “Custom Designed” this bag should custom make a garbage disposal that can fit that heinous thing in it. That leather one’s picture is spooky. i know that it is vintage and what not, but it looks like a “vintage” serial killers bag.
The only way to go is Freitag. You will get a solid bag that you can beat the hell out of, and people will come up to you and ask where you got your “cool bag”
Also, if you want to spend a ton of money at least invest in one black leather briefcase. It will never go out of style. As much as it PAINS me to say this Jack Spade makes a very classy one.
Oakley! http://www.oakley.com. They make some great looking bags, very functional, last forever and have great warranties should something rip along the seams. =D
Well eveyone mentioned what I would have suggested, freitag, tombihn, portage, crumpler, but they missed Chrome Industries. They make some really nice – superior to timbuk2 in my opinion – messenger bags and backpacks. Very “urban” looking…
http://www.chromebags.com
from the gay :
regardless of brand, here’s some manpurse advice :
stick to the basics. any leather or black canvas is a safe bet. unusual colors, bizarre patterns or appliwues have littl lasting power.
avoid high fashion names. chanel, louis voitton or marc jacobs say “im a slave to the current trends” not “this bag shows how i ‘m able to make decisons and stick to them”.
weathered is good. it’s not a fabrge egg, it;s a tool in your assualt on the city. revel in the war scars even if the scarring was pre-made.
your “mampurse” shoud say “i’m here to do something” not “i’m here to be fauned over”. even if you’re waiting for the fauns, you’ll ger more results faking you’re ready to rumble.