Are you a man-bag person?

i substitute teach in a country high school. by country, i mean RURAL. when i tote my patagonia minimass (black), i get no strange looks. could be because i'm one mean so-and-so. more than likely the kids know i almost always carry a camera and other stuff. the minimass is great for a kindle/ipad user who also totes photo gear and other daily essentials.
 
I used to carry full size bags by Tundra and Tenba with SLR gear, but now I carry smaller bags that barely hold two M bodies and two lenses. The worse a bag looks, the better.
 
Marc G. said:
I'm one of these bag acquisition syndrome victims too... so many choices and so tempting ... 😱
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Ugh, tell me about it! You buy one because it sounds cool, but then it doesn't quite do what you need for certain things. So you get another that may do the trick, but it doesn't quite do the trick for another situation. So you get yet another. Then you see some cool bag on sale, buy it, and before you know it, you have 10 or so bags and wonder if your sanity is intact. 😀

I have several jansport backpacks I use for gym or travel sometimes, a nice Timbuk2 backpack which I use for primary travel and when the mood strikes, then 3 of their messengers in different sizes with assorted pockets for tablets/computers, one of their camera inserts, a Manhattan Portage bag I use when I need to be visible because its bright orange, and then 2 duffels of assorted sizes for gym or travel as needed. And my old camera bag.

I'm still not happy with what I have and want more. You guys are giving me the gots-ta-have-its with your sweet bag links here.
 
In my every day life, I never carry a bag, just a couple of rolls of film in my pocket....when I travel, then I bring a Domke and a bunch of lenses. I work at an American university out here and I always have my Leica slung over my shoulder and it just seems natural to walk around campus with my camera on my shoulder. I am lucky in the sense that I do not have to carry books home, I just leave all my teaching materials in my locker at work.

That said, I do appreciate the nice bags out there (Billingham, Fogg etc..) but I don't have a real need for them, my trusty Domke bags work just fine when I am out in the country side.

cheers, michael
 
daveleo, the versipack i tried on is for right shoulder carry. the bag hung at my left short ribs, gently curving and hugging itself in place, in perfect crossdraw position for my right hand. although i am lefthanded (throwing arm, and pistol shooting), i am a right handed camera/rifle/shotgun shooter.
 
I'm always with a bag out of the house. Not out of want, but out of necessity. I need it for med supplies and I also just happen to carry a camera or two with me in it. I just have a simple backpack, but have been thinking of switching back to messenger bag (which I haven't used in 6 or 7 years) for ease of getting things in and out without having to take the bag off.
 
My theory is that in most of the U.S., outside of a few walkable cities like NYC, people drive everywhere, so they just keep things in their vehicles. I think the macho thing applies more to small handbags & such (not book bags, messenger bags, briefcases, etc.) which are commonly seen in China & Japan, for example, but not in the U.S. (haven't been to Europe recently, so wouldn't know what's up there).

Cold said:
Mostly because, in America, it's not a 'machismo thing', it's just a cultural thing. Men typically eschew carrying a bag in their daily travels, most opting instead to carry little beyond what will fit in normal pants pockets. This is, of course, only applicable for men that can do so. Obviously, a guy who needs a briefcase, laptop, etc. will require some means for carrying it.

It gets a special qualifier because, again in American culture, it's a special circumstance. Necessary? Not really. Applicable without the 'machismo' accusation? Sure. 🙂
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^ It doesn't help things too that if you're running errands or out shopping, certain businesses won't allow bags or will require them be kept "under supervision" up front. Of course, they would never ask a woman to not bring her purse in or leave it behind the counter at some random retailer. She's got her wallet and valuables in there, duh! But a man with his own valuables, like cameras, laptops, etc. should be expected to comply with this.
 
van_d said:
^ It doesn't help things too that if you're running errands or out shopping, certain businesses won't allow bags or will require them be kept "under supervision" up front. Of course, they would never ask a woman to not bring her purse in or leave it behind the counter at some random retailer. She's got her wallet and valuables in there, duh! But a man with his own valuables, like cameras, laptops, etc. should be expected to comply with this.
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I agree with this 100% and as a scooterist who commonly carries a bag with me into a store to carry home my purchases, I have been harassed for the bag. It has only become less of an issue in recent times as more and more people are bringing their own bags into the store to be "green" and bag their groceries.

I personally would never let any store hold my bag, regardless of the contents. I tell them they are welcome to follow me around the store in person or with their security cameras but my bag is my bag and that is that.
 
When I out snapping away, I do not carry a bag. IF, I say IF.... I want a 2nd and/or 3rd lens (rare), I have a National Geographic waist pack.. very tighty and compact..

I do have bag I use for on location stuff... in someones home to carry an assortment of gear. Film and Digital.. a cheap canvas copy of some brand.

But really, no.... 1 lens and 1 camera and no bag when I am out 98% of the time. be it film or digital
 
Yes. Been carrying bags for years, and today it is a black canvas Jack ***** shoulder bag. Started with musettes, the cotton feed bags used by bicycle racers in stage races to transfer food into their jersey pockets: I collect bike racing musettes and started when I got my first ones at the 1985 Tour de France. I also use small back packs/day packs; current favorite is the Nau Motil pack. Cameras and bags/pack share the same allure of industrial design and elegant solution possibilities to me.
 
I've always got some kind of shoulder bag. My current one is the Saddleback satchel. Nicely scratched up at this point, fits a Moleskine and my Mamiya 6 no problem. I added a bit of closed-cell foam on the bottom to protect the camera.
 
Not normally. What are pockets for?

That said, I had a satchel made to measure in about 1970 when I was at university. Black leather, chrome trim. Big open space in the back (notebooks, law books), front pocket divided in two. Each half of the pocket will hold a screw-mount Leica with a collapsible lens...
 
If I've got to carry a bag for camera gear, paperwork, tools or whatever it's going to be something I bought at my local Military Surplus store...gotta make it as manly as I can...
 
I would be lost without my man bags (yes I have several) dependent on the need. Today I have a leather "dothebag" which accomodates my phone, iPad, GRX-1, Summilux 1.4, 7-14, a flash, about 1/2 inch of papers, and a couple of phones. My wife refuses to carry cameras in her voluminous bags so there is no option for me. I have a colleague who prays regularly at the shrine of St Louis Vuitton, and would not be seen without a fetching little chequered number for his needs!
 
I am a BagMan as well...

I am a BagMan as well...

However, in my case it's a moniker that comes from carrying bags of money between bookies.

Can someone answer a question for me. In most of the references I have seen with regard to these "bags" we are all drawn to, I have heard that the affectation is referred to in certain parts of the world as toting a "man purse".

Is there a difference, or is referring to these items as a "man purses" simply too effeminate in general conversation.

Should I consider my manhood diminished by carrying a "man purse"?
 
kuzano said:
Should I consider my manhood diminished by carrying a "man purse"?
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IMHO it takes a bit of confidence to make the jump to feel comfortable. Definitely I also side on equal rights for women and GLBT. I'm proud that gay marriage was finally approved and made legal in New York State.

Know that although I'm a skinny lanky man with a boyish body (5' 10" and 153 pounds) that it would be a fatal error to attack me, and I have a deep respect for the courage that gay people proudly display, knowing the dangers and oppression that they face every day.

Also know that I like nice clothes (big fan of Paul Smith), have a gym body, could readily be mistaken for gay (I'm O.K with that), and although I'm 55 years old I'm still a "pretty boy."

Cal
 
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