I just don’t like carrying stuff around. Also, purses are girly. I want to walk around, hands-free, and still have the necessary stuff on me.
I’d love to hear from people who have solved this problem.
Let’s start with the wallet. I have a wallet that’s a little bigger than a pack of cards, and I don’t know that there’s much in there that I could safely leave behind. Admittedly, I don’t use the library card or the Costco card or the Safeway card very often, but who knows when I’ll be by one of those places and want to go in. Or should I take that chance? Should I go with a money clip or one of those magic flip wallets?
I’d like to have money, credit cards, ID, blistex, and a handkerchief on me at all times. That could all fit in big pockets, but women’s clothing is rarely made with big pockets.
Frankly, I wish fanny packs were all the rage, because they are the perfect, hands-free solution. I saw a character on TV, Fiona on Burn Notice, wearing a little leather purse-thing that was low-slung, very similar to a hip pack, and she gets away with it.
I like hands free too, but I also love my electronic gadgets (phone, iPod, GPS, digital camera) and I won’t leave my gadgets in the car when I lock it. My solution is a purse, but one with a long or adjustable strap so I can sling it crossways across my chest. Bonus - less likely to be grabbed if someone decides to purse-snatch.
This is how I always wear my purse, whether it’s my big custom-made leather one with the extra-long adjustable strap, or a little one that has room for a small wallet, comb, and maybe my sunglasses and cell phone. (When I was selling my handmade jewelry at outdoor festivals, I used that smaller purse as my till, keeping the various denominations folded differently, so I didn’t have to keep an eye on a cashbox while helping customers.) I like my purses to be rather nondescript also.
There’s also the option of a messenger-bag-type thing, or those ergonomically designed over-the-shoulder things.
Have a pocket sewn into the inside of your coat, like a gentlemans sports jacket.
Any home sewer could do this for you, it would be quite easy to do a couple of coats or jackets.
I often did this if I was going traveling. It’s very effective, frees your hands, protects you from pickpockets, and stashes as much stuff as you desire. It should be minimally concealed so you can safely drape your coat without it being obvious.
Thanks for all the info so far. This is helping me figure out what’s important and what options are out there.
I just went online and bought one of these. Hope it works.
So far I’ve bought two small, cute backpacks, one supposedly ergonomic shoulder bag, a school-type book bag backpack that’s worn crosswise across the body, a bag like the ones they’ve been selling on TV lately (name escapes me)…this is so frustrating. I still like the fanny pack best, but wearing one is akin to sporting a mullet these days.
I like the idea of sewing pockets into existing clothes. Maybe I can sweettalk mom into experimenting with that.
Could I get away with wearing cargo pants everywhere?
Totally understand that stuffed pockets ruin the look of some outfits- hell, even as a guy I have a few pair of pants that look bad if I have a wallet in the pocket. Still, I think the next great leap in Feminist achievement should be use of pockets.
“Money, credit cards, ID, blistex, and a handkerchief”? Gala Matrix Fire, you sound happily low maintenance- you didn’t even mention a cellphone. I’m sure you have a glamorour night every now and then for which you’d like to get all dudded up and fancy- in which case the right purse would serve as an attractive accessory. But it sounds like your concern is more the day to day stuff. The happiest solution might be to put together a few good “running errands outfits” that have usable pockets.
A wallet “a little bigger than a pack of cards” isn’t terribly bulky. A pack-of-cards-sized wallet takes care of the money, credit cards, and ID in one pocket. A folded handerchief and blistex ought to fit well even in the pocket of “girl pants”.
I’d happily listen to an explanation as to why this wouldn’t work- 'cause I just don’t get it. Many of my female friends rarely carry a purse (I hang out with girls who wear pants). Of course they’re all beer and whiskey gals, but they live happy heterosexual lifestyles (and the ones who live happy homosexual lifestyles? Forgetaboutit! Pockets! Pockets! Pockets!).
Step one is minimize what you carry. Compared to a girly-girl you’ve already done a lot of that. But yuo can go a lot further than you have.
My wallet (card case actually) has a drivers license, one credit card, two of my business cards and two 20s in it. That’s it. It’s about 1/8" thick & only slightly larger than a credit card.
I have a separate wallet with all the seldom-use cards (library, insurance, store credit, frequent shopper, etc). That’s the usual pack-of-cards thickness, which I hate carrying. That wallet stays in my car. If I happen to be stopping by the library I pull out the library card after I park.
My wife hates purses & has gone to this same system & it works for her despite wearing pocket-challenged girl pants.
Now you just need to break the blistex & hankie habits.
The only reason it wouldn’t work is the specific pants. I usually carry a purse- but sometimes it’s too much of a pain to carry one (amusement parks, baseball games). If I’m wearing jeans or khakis, I can fit everything I need in the pockets - money, credit card,drivers license, keys and cell phone. If I’m going to work, it’s a different story- I need to carry more keys, two additional ID cards, an extra cell phone, a blackberry, a calendar and I can’t wear jeans or khakis -which means my pants pockets are so tiny they are almost useless. The men I work with generally carry a bag of some sort - what chance have I got?
Most of today’s purses can be carried over the shoulder, leaving your hands quite free. And “cross body bags” are back in fashion. Not that you need to care about fashion–it just means that many smallish bags meant to be strapped onto your body are available. (And many purses include an extra strap to convert them to crossbody wear.)
I commute by bus/light rail, so I carry largish purses. Room for something to read. And a collapsible umbrella. Plus the wooly scarf & gloves needed when leaving the house & not needed when leaving work. (Houston winters are pretty mild.) They are also big enough for small items picked up while shopping. And a foldable shopping bag for bigger items. Since I wear sensible shoes, I like purses that are decorative as well as useful. So shoot me!
Here’s a collection of cross body bags. Warning: Some of them actually show a bit of style!
Two cell phones, a Blackberry and a calendar? I would have gone postal a long time ago.
I’m really REALLY not a cell phone guy, but my Blackberry is my calendar and cell phone. (along with my music, GPS, email, crappy camera and on and on…)
I pick up my personal emails on it and could get work emails if I wanted. You need to look at it as a PDA. I think you need to make the jump.
I used to use a wallet attached to a keychain, but with the addition of a cellphone, I decided I needed something else, so I got a backpack purse. It’s small, leaves my hands free, and is out of the way.
I have no idea (but it’s not the touchscreen ) It (along with one of the cellphones) was issued by my job. I’d love to use it as a calendar- but there are two problems. One is that I can’t type well on a Blackberry. The second is that I frequently work at locations where electronic devices are not permitted- they must be left in a locker at the entrance. I need access to my schedule when I’m at these locations, so I have to have a paper calendar.
Wow, here I thought this thread had died and now it has coming roaring back. First rate suggestions, everybody!
LSLGuy, would you have a link to the kind of card case you use? I am intrigued by your system; I think it’ll work for me.
Lynn, would you believe I already get the Cheaper Than Dirt catalog and somehow I never thought to use one of those vests that way. Man, I’m dense.
exastris, that was *just *the kind of hip bag I was looking for.
doreen, when you’re in pants, how do you distribute your gear among the pockets? And what kind of bags do your male colleagues carry?
Bridget, I have nothing against girly girls. When it comes to purses, I guess I just resent the idea that I should carry one because I’m female. I wish I’d known to look for cross-body bags. Thanks for the link!
I forgot, I have started carrying a cell phone around lately. Somehow I usually have a pocket for the cell phone and still carry the purse. I’m obviously not doing things very efficiently yet.
Actually, it was kind of a joke. However, I HAVE used multipocketed vests as a substitute for a purse, and I would still, if I didn’t overheat. I lived in Las Vegas for a while, and I’d put on my vest instead of taking a purse when I went out arcade hopping. I didn’t have to worry about setting my purse down and having some kid taking off with it.
While these vests generally aren’t terribly attractive, I think that they are very, very efficient. And nothing says “NOT girly!” like an article of clothing that has a built-in holster.
Driver’s license and credit card in one back pocket, cell phone in the other, keys and money in front pockets.
My male colleagues carry different sorts of bags- some carry backpacks, others carry messenger-type bags, and still others carry bags that look similar to laptop bags. There are even one or two who carry those old-fashioned, hard- sided briefcases.
