# Men who carry purses **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2004, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509 "2004-05-22T11:51:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/1 "2004-05-22T11:51:16Z")
Some have already chimed in in [this Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=257046&page=1&pp=50), but, as a purse carrying man, I thought a separate Thread was in order. I carry a bag with a long shoulder strap, it’s cotton and of Guatemalan design. I always carry a notebook, my glasses, and my cell phone in it. There’s enough room that I can stuff small purchases in it too (CD’s etc.) so as to avoid having another thing to carry. I can fit a bottle of water and a granola bar to sneak with me into movies to avoid paying $11.00 at the snack bar. Upon occasion my non-purse carrying chick-friends have prevailed upon me to carry make-up/ tampons/ etc. (each time this has happened the friend has always tried to be very discreet in letting me know that she needs the tampon- I take great pleasure in making a public display of tossing it for her to catch.) Incidentally, I just call it my “bag”, although it also answers to “man-purse” or “satchel”. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/2 "2004-05-22T16:27:57Z")
European Travel Bag ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/3 "2004-05-22T16:51:27Z")
I couldn’t do it. Presumably “carrying a purse” means that you’ve put your ID, money, bank cards, keys, cell phone, etc., in it. So the first time you lose or forget your purse, you’re royally screwed. I know I couldn’t do it; I’d forget it someplace the first day. ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/4 "2004-05-23T07:12:56Z")
If your going to carry a purse call it a personal organizer and make sure you look real tough when you carry it…works for my dad. For me I would rather just walk around all day with my back pack on. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/5 "2004-05-23T07:21:46Z")
I carry a backpack basically all the time. It has my books and whatnot in there, and if I buy anything, in it goes. I don’t see how this is much different from a purse, except as was noted above, I would not feel safe putting my ID and credit cards in there. BTW, in Japan men sometimes carry strapless purses (Loius Vuitton, Gucci, yeah, brand stuff) that are called “second bags” (what the first bag is I can only guess–maybe the ol’ nut sack?). But these do not seem to be as popular as they used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/6 "2004-05-23T11:01:17Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > I carry a backpack basically all the time. It has my books and whatnot in there, and if I buy anything, in it goes. > > I don’t see how this is much different from a purse, except as was noted above, I would not feel safe putting my ID and credit cards in there. > > BTW, in Japan men sometimes carry strapless purses (Loius Vuitton, Gucci, yeah, brand stuff) that are called “second bags” (what the first bag is I can only guess–maybe the ol’ nut sack?). But these do not seem to be as popular as they used to be. I read that the first bag, in Japan, is a brief/business case. My husband carries a softsided business case to work with him…and I carry pretty much the same style case as a purse. He carries his by the short handles, and I use the shoulder strap. He doesn’t carry his bag everywhere he goes, though, and I do. ---
**Author:** ![Starguard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Starguard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starguard)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/7 "2004-05-23T11:18:25Z")
> [@START](#): > > If your going to carry a purse call it a personal organizer and make sure you look real tough when you carry it…works for my dad. > For me I would rather just walk around all day with my back pack on. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/8 "2004-05-23T17:25:52Z")
When I was a kid in the '70’s, I used to babysit for the children of a Minnesota Vikings football player named Alan Page. When he and his wife would go out, especially on occassions that called for formal dress, he’d carry a purse. He didn’t like his keys and wallet and whatnot to ruin the line of his suit. Believe me, when someone _that_ big carries a purse, no one says _anything_ about it! StG ---
**Author:** ![The\_Green\_Feather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@The\_Green\_Feather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Green_Feather)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/9 "2004-05-23T19:52:53Z")
I carry my palm pilot in a wallet that also carries my licence and credit cards, money, a pen and a note pad. I doesn’t have a sholder strap so I think it’s called a clutch. Which means ‘purse without a strap’. But I still call it a wallet. ---
**Author:** ![CalH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@CalH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalH)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/10 "2004-05-23T20:39:14Z")
_Men who carry purses are wusses_. Nope. Just doesn’t rhyme. _Men who carry purses, what next? Oh curses?_ Much better. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/11 "2004-05-24T02:34:05Z")
I carry a ‘purse’. Have done so for a few years now. It’s about the size of two disposable cameras. I usually refer to it as my _MAN BAG_. So far, no negative comments. ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-purses/246509/12 "2004-05-24T03:06:25Z")
> [@GrizzRich](#): > > I carry a ‘purse’. Have done so for a few years now. > It’s about the size of two disposable cameras. > > I usually refer to it as my _MAN BAG_. > > So far, no negative comments. I thought a “Man Bag” was something else…2 disposable cameras? WOW :eek: