What's your favourite Manbag?

[Cryptos]

FountainPages was being expansive. I think that's the expression.

[______Zaphod_Beeblebrox]

FountainPages was being expansive. I think that's the expression.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, just a little slow today.

[NewPenMan]

This is a bag my wonderful spouse bought me, pretty much on the spur of the moment. I love it more as time goes on and the size has proven to be ideal for what I do. Bag is shown with front flap up and a hard-bound style blank-page journal peeking out of the zippered main compartment. in the front pocket are clipped all of my fountain pens.

 

Inside are assorted related items..6" steel ruler with cork backing, couple of erasers. Maybe a pencil fragment or two..a piece of masonite for a hard surface and maybe a thimble's worth of dust and fuzz.

 

 

http://coffeeonmars.com/screenshots/penbag.jpg

[gulfcoastgal]

Hubs uses a red ballistic TOM BIHN Buzz ( yay for the other poster who loves his ergonomic buzz - hubs was impressed how it distributes weight to make a heavy load feel weightless)

a Nordic dyneemaTom bihn Pilot

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/tombihn/9468474996/ ( not our photos)

or a red Tom Bihn Imago

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/08/10/ohgizmo-review-tom-bihn-imago-yin/

all in rotation w work ipad & laptop & Tom Bihn red field journal (Which holds his pens)

and has used his Nordic Tom bihn copilot for just the ipad and his field journal

 

He also heads out with just the red field journal

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/58828338853888145/?od=ZrLi94%2BO0sLgAIRt%2F10wsArgSQ0RLP1NOV26LlKaXQC%2FvZlEzpcggq2AhSO3Wyb%2FyTikdrgn0a%2BV%0AUAi3EqdpjlTjzPqPz5nMxa%2BtPrTYf743aioBWPSac%2BSw1HkQTC6Rib3phqUZ9QSABxxKFWQ8l5Fe%0AQm5McS%2BmUWgD9bA4znoFU5Yzu5CPCTuhyfDr53mZ%0A&user_id=RGp3MTg5NEBnbWFpbC5jb20%3D%0A&conversation=4737710104378345955&invite_code=95f815253ff538e1ff5e9a79354dca0a&utm_campaign=msgpin&e_t=d2512c458273466f9334108aa776caf0&utm_content=58828338853888145&utm_source=31&e_t_s=cta&utm_medium=2000

( again not our pix)

( I bought the

TomBihn goodies for him and I have a destashed Tom Bihn field journal which holds my pens & my ipad mini)

Tom Bihn stuff wears like iron & ......the Dyneema is lightweight & the strongest fabric ever made

NOT affiliated with Tom Bihn. We are fans as his stuff has life time warranty

Edited January 10, 2015 by gulfcoastgal

[wikeh2004]

 

I'll try to post some photos when I get it. :-)

 

Here's some photos of my new Tom Bihn Medium Cafe Bag. This is the Navy Blue/Olive combo. It holds almost everything that used to be in my old sling bag, and doesn't crimp the corners of the folders I need to carry. A Large Cafe Bag would have held everything, but would also have been considerably larger. I'm short, so I prefer to downsize a bit, rather than carry a large bag like the messenger bags I used to use.

 

Here's the bag, with a reading glasses for scale.

 

With the top open. You can see that the folder sticks out a little bit, but is well covered by the flap when closed. I was even able to squeeze in a letter size notepad folio in there.

 

What I put in it. That included a folder, A5 notebook, pens (Lamy Al-Star and TWSBI 540 in old Sheaffer pen case), iPad Mini, sunglasses (in a rather bulky case), biz/notecard case, iPhone charger, cable, and earbuds, reading glasses, etc.

 

Side view of the bag, showing that there's still room to hold more.

 

You can find more photos on the Tom Bihn site.

Edited January 10, 2015 by wikeh2004

[Tanzanite]

Very good looking bag. Like that navy blue. I have made notes as this would suit me perfectly. Thank you for sharing.

[dornblaser]

My wonderful wife is in London and is going back to the Barbour store tomorrow to pick up this bag for me.

http://www.endclothing.com/barbour-cotton-canvas-tarras-bag.html

Edited January 11, 2015 by dornblaser

[bogiesan]

I have carried a bag of some sort since junior high, 1969. My sister called me the Little Professor because I toted by dad's old SAC briefcase. I went through backpacks, fanny packs, lumbar packs (Mountainsmith), and eventually arrived at a selection of leather purses. My preference is for vertical orientation which limts my selection. Not too big--just enough room for an iPad (I don't carry an iPad but that gives you an idea of the size) and 2-4 inches deep.

This is a real working purse, it goes everywhere with me, carries all of my essentials and often gets overstuffed with lunch, books, or work items.

I burn through a bag in 18 months average. The leather gets all scruffy and any weak points in the construction are quickly found and destroyed. My past favorites have been from David King Leather. The #145 is a bit too large and the smaller #467 is no longer made.

http://www.ussuitcase.com/145.php?sku=145&cat=

http://www.shoebuy.com/david-king-leather-467-vertical-bag/249406

 

 

Here's my newest manbag:

http://leatherbay.com/p80209/Catania---Leatherbay-Ipad/Tablet-shoulder-bag-/-English-Tan/product_info.html

 

The bag is quite nice but the included web strap was totally useless: too short and just plain ugly. I replaced it immediately with a funky leather strap. The leather is thick, stiff, competently sewn; the assembly looks good. INternal divisions are adequate for my needs but the phone pocket is too small for the current trend in larger handsets like the iPhone 6+.

 

What do I carry? Notebook (usually pocket-sized but at the moment I'm using a 5x8 Leuchtturm), wallet, iPhone 5s in Otterbox Defender, a pair of two-fountain pen cases, keys, security badge/lanyard, Rx sunglasses case, lip balm and sunscreen, and a small Swiss army knife.

[Blade Runner]

I've found the best bag for my purposes: LL Bean's commuter briefcase.

 

I wanted a light bag ( leather is much too heavy for me), and I wanted to avoid a bag with a flap (too cumbersome for me). This bag is very light, has a zipper to access the main compartment, is very well designed with numerous pockets, and the price is good. Highly recommended.

[dematante]

I couldn't resist, and I might have even found this bag here. J.W. Hulme Correspondent Bag: Beautiful Leather with brass fittings. Regarding price, North of 600 now even though I paid less when I bought it but not by much. That's a pocket in front that very neatly carries my A5 Bindewerk journal. Okay, I"ve been keeping a journal for thirty years and I desrve both the Bindewerk (approx. 40 dollars, great paper, approx. 300 pages) and this great bag. That's called rationalization, but it's my story, and I'm sticking with it. The bag has small inner pockets that accommodate both my glasses and hairbrush. The hairbrush is a joke, but I do have fond memories. There's a larger inner pocket that accommodates my iPad Air. And the main inner compartment will handle a weighty tome. I've been carrying VAN GOGH: A LIFE there, 600 real pages. (I've included a link because I can't find a way to attach an image. I haven't posted for a while and things have changed it seems.)

 

http://www.jwhulmeco.com/Correspondent-Bag-p/66055.htm

[Tanzanite]

I think my new bag qualifies as being a manbag. I bought it recently and I am happy with it. It is a Jack Wolfskin Camden Town in Ice Blue. It has several pockets both on the inside and the outside and has a pocket that is made for a tablet.

 

www.jack-wolfskin.co.uk/camden-town/2003311-3800.html

[alex137]

I have a Rothco Urban Explorer messenger bag. I'm normally not a fan of messengers, but I can get to what I need easily without undoing the flap in this bag (without it being so easy that pickpockets can take things out). My bag is olive drab, and I sewed patches on it because I was going for a punk aesthetic. (I'm a college student. I can get away with that.) Once I enter the workforce again I'll take the patches off, and it will look more professional.

[JKelly]

I carry something like this on my outings:

 

It will carry enough dried beef, vegetables, etc. for food, flint and steel, and other small items for a weekend.

 

Retirement is so nice!

[dapv]

I carry something like this on my outings:

 

It will carry enough dried beef, vegetables, etc. for food, flint and steel, and other small items for a weekend.

 

Retirement is so nice!

 

Who makes it, and where do I get one?

[altair]

Here's some photos of my new Tom Bihn Medium Cafe Bag.

+1

 

I've used mine every weekday for 5 years now and taken it on vacations and business travel. I am still delighted with it. The thing is indestructible and shows hardly any signs of wear.

 

I did have to replace the buckle a couple months ago. One of the plastic spring tabs finally broke off, but that's just normal wear for a consumable item. Replacement parts and a ton of useful accessories are easily available from the web site.

 

I can't say enough good things about Tom Bihn, the products and the company.

[JKelly]

 

Who makes it, and where do I get one?

 

You have three ways to go. Google "possibles bag", and buy sight unseen, go to a rendezvous or other fur trade living history event and see what the traders have, or go buy some leather and make your own. The basic bag is just a pouch with the shoulder straps fastened to the back, not the sides of the pouch, and a flap which flops down over the top. The bag may have compartments inside for holding smaller, frequently-needed items. My fastener is a simple bone button, sewn to the pouch and a leather thong that wraps around it. They come in all grades, from stone simple to garishly decorated.

[NewPenMan]

personally, I would love to try my hand at making one. Not sure where to source the leather, and no experience with assembling leather items..guess an awl and a thick carpet needle?

 

I simply can't get my head around spending $600 on a leather bag, even though the styling and craftsmanship might be fine.

 

$600 is a lot of jellybeans..

[dematante]

Justification for a 600 plus manbag. I can't think of anything remotely convincing. The money is available because of certain economies, maybe. I don't have a car and live in L.A. No fuel bills. I've stopped getting haircuts. Grooming savings. Never wear a suit. No drycleaning bills. Avoid meat, fowl, fish, no butcher or fishmonger bills. Further justifications: I'm old enough to do what I damn well please. Assuming my wife approves. None of the cheaper bags I have had during my longish life have come close to the design efficiency of 600 plus. Loathe jellybeans and not just because they remind me of a president who kept them on his desk (and in his head). Because the thing cost so much I'm always aware of its location. In fact I've given it its own chair in front of the TV and always change the channel whenever there are video images of cows. So, in sum, you're right and I will never spend 600 on jellybeans. Wasn't that your point? I forget.

Edited January 30, 2015 by dematante

[NewPenMan]

that was pretty funny, dematante.

 

My point was that I myself can't feel comfortable about spending $600 on a bag. I also feel that others should feel free to do so without inferring any judgement from me.

 

At the same time, I admire some of the spendier leather bags, and would like to try to make my own. Not sure of the materials' source, nor of the skills and procedures required, but I came into the world with few skills, and have, since then, learned some.

 

that is all.

[dematante]

I understand and respect your point. Lot of money for a bag. I also greatly respect--can't emphasize enough--mechanical and craft skills. I have zero. I can fill a fountain pen and have been known to work a nib to increase the flow. I have also learned to replace a bulb in our track lighting. As long as my wife is standing behind me and holding on to my belt. Keeps me oriented. She does in other ways too--except for the bag.