For the sake of argument let’s say you do not use a PDA or other electric organizer. In your day-to-day work you have, at minimum a daily planner you need to carry with you. Maybe a Filofax. Your job involves you traveling around, visiting people in their homes, or maybe their places of work. Now, leaving your organizer in your car is impractical because you need to reference it. Or maybe you use public transportation. Anyway, you have stuff you need to carry. Maybe you have some paperwork now and then that you might need to carry for the day until you het back to the office.
What do you carry your stuff in? Seriously. Probably won’t use those big wheeled bags that students use (too impractical), and I’m guessing most guys won’t choose a proper purse. So what do use?
Briefcase is one, or a nice duffle bag, laptop bag or even a backpack thing. Plenty of options out there, depending on how professional you want to look, but a nice laptop bag is fantastic even if you don’t have a laptop.
It’s called a messenger bag! The one I have is all black, and looks like something a mailman would carry. If had loose papers or folders and stuff, I would use a briefcase. But usually it’s just my e-reader, wallet, ipod, keys, and a few other things that don’t comfortably fit in my pocket.
I have an old, thick aluminum Halliburton case I could use… I’m guessing that’s to dweeby to even consider. I’m liking the idea of a laptop case/messenger bag/book bag. I work as an in-home caregivers, so I need to carry some file folders as well as a day planner. Starting next month I’ll be in school, so I need room for a couple of textbooks as well.
You’d rather carry a purse than wear a fanny pack??? Wearing a fanny pack was the coolest thing in the world when I was in gradeschool!
I’m with antonio. I have the one made by Lands End. It’s light khaki canvas trimmed in leather, and I love using it. When I was single, it held everything I needed if I got lucky (which didn’t happen that often), and it makes a great carry-on.
My son told me once it makes me look effeminate, and I told him, “Son, I’m 60 years old! Do you think I give a flyin’ fuck what people think anymore???”
Suzette, my Alzheimer’s counsellor, calls it my “European shoulder bag”, like that guy’s on the Geico commercial, but they look nothing alike.
Like antonio’s it’s called a messenger bag, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I often carry a puppy bag. One should best be preprared when you drag a 7 week old puppy into a public place. A roll of paper towels, plastic bags, cardboard for soft bowel movements, Simple Solution, chew toys, literature, note book, pen, business cards, food, folding water dish, etc.
That’s pretty much what briefcases are made for. As others have said, laptop bag, messenger bag, and bookbag all work as well, depending on the image you are trying to present (if you have a job that has you wearing something like a suit, the bookbag might ruin the effect).
Though, amusing anecdote: When I was in Basic Training at Lackland AFB, we had to carry everything (except for our canteen) in a little leather pouch that the instructors called “Gucci Bags”. It was big enough for a three-ring binder, a notebook, pens, highlighter, ruler, and a flashlight with a little plastic yellow cone for the end of it (think what you see guys marshalling airplanes with at the airport. We called them “Lackland Lasers”.
Yeah, it was goofy as hell, and not quite practical, especially since we were required to hold them by the zipper, rather than tucking them under our arms. Also, it was only just big enough to carry all the stuff we had to carry.
EDIT: Nowadays, more often than not, either I will carry everything in a bookbag or a laptop bag. If I don’t have too much to carry, I tuck everything into my camera bag (for such a tiny bag, it has impressive carrying capacity) and sling it off the opposite shoulder. Tends to stay out of the way that way.
Middlebro wears handbags (in Spain there are both gender-neutral and “this one’s for dudes” designs available), and he’s a construction foreman. Some of his subordinates mocked him at first but ended up copying the idea.
A briefcase requires a free hand; a computer bag is large; cargo pockets are too small for some of the stuff he carries. A long and narrow nylon handbag is just right.
However, the grand canyon is between the purse and fanny pack, I could explain a purse: “it’s my GF’s”. Fanny pack…I’m fried, there is no quick recovery, and no witty excuse, just plain toasted.
