Guy Gear or: How Manly Men Can Carry a Small Bag and Still Be Macho

Okay, guys: I’m going to talk you into carrying a small bag. Or try to.

“No way,” you may be thinking. But hear me out: a small bag is practical, and once you try it, you’ll probably like it.

First, some historical perspective. Women carry bags—purses, handbags, totes. Why? Because dresses and other close-fitting clothes that women tend to wear don’t have usable pockets.

But being every bit as practical as men, women carry bags for their stuff. This is a happy turn of events because women can indulge both their practical side and their aesthetic side and in the process, buy lots of bags. Tens of thousands of people worldwide work in the multi-billion dollar industry of satisfying women’s needs and wants relating to their bags.

Men, on the other hand, carry one bag—either a briefcase or a backpack, or sometimes a messenger bag. And—here’s the crucial difference—we carry our bags only when we’re working.

But what about on weekends, or evenings, or when we’re on vacation and there are things we want to carry? Things like a camera, notebook, book, sunglasses, foldable hat, parts to the kitchen sink we broke while trying to fix it and now have to replace at the hardware store?

Taking stock

Men do have a few options.

If we’re wearing a jacket, we can often make do with its pockets. But, of course, we’re not always wearing jackets.

Or we might be wearing cargo pants. That can work. But most of us wear jeans more often than cargo pants.

Another intriguing possibility—at least to me—is photographer vests. I have two of them in my closet. After wearing them around town and on trips, I found that photo vests did, indeed, let me carry stuff, but they were kind of floppy and ungainly, especially when sitting down or driving. After a while, I concluded that photo vests were probably really useful if you were an actual photographer, but kind of awkward if you weren’t.

So where does that leave us?

Holding a bag

Men in Europe and Asia have carried small bags for at least as long as I’ve been traveling to those parts—some 30 years. Yet American men view such small bags as feminine. An Italian film director can carry one, but not a regular guy.

But hey, aren’t we supposed to be practical? Aren’t we supposed to care more about function than fashion? Shouldn’t we be able to say, “I don’t give a damn what it looks like, it works so I’m carrying it”?

Well, yes, we should be able to say that, but I understand your hesitation. It’s my hesitation, too. For one thing, a small bag would really have to look like it’s a man’s product—if that’s possible.

Turns out, it is.

The first small bag for a man I saw that I actually liked and wouldn’t be embarrassed to carry was one in England. It was made by our leather casemaker there for the British market. You carry it over either shoulder on a single strap.

After trying it out, I fell for its easy practicality.

There was some skepticism at Levenger when we first considered selling the bag. We modified the bag, making it more useful inside with pockets and pen holders, and dubbed it the Saddlebag Sling. It does, after all, look like a saddlebag and it slings over your shoulder. We tried it in catalog and stores, and I’m happy to report that we’ve sold thousands of them over the last few years. 

That success encouraged our second offering: our Bomber Jacket Messenger Bag. It’s the bag I use most often now when not carrying my briefcase. As I write this post, I’m at the end of a trip to China and have been hiking around Beijing with all the stuff I need, totally hands-free—in stores, taxis, packed subways.

Read the reviews on our product page and you’ll see that the Bomber Jacket Messenger is a hit with lots of our guy customers. Women are buying it as well, liking the masculine look and practicality. (I guess they wear our shirts sometimes, too.)

More recently we’ve added another guy bag based on a centuries old angler’s bag design. It’s called the Livingstone Gear Pack.

Via Appia comes to Main Street

It used to be that scooters were what people rode in Europe (think Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday). Now gas-sipping Vespas and their lightweight cousins are commonplace in American cities, and for good reason. They’re practical.

So are small bags for men. And, once we get over our prejudice against them, this is good news indeed for American guys.

So…are you a convert yet, my friend? Let me know. Just click on the Comments link below. (If you’re reading this as an email, click here and you'll connect to Comments).

And if you already deploy some of our Guy Gear, send us a picture—better yet, a video—of your practical self using our Saddlebag Sling or Bomber Jacket Messenger. You can upload them as part of your product review on our Web pages.

Comments

[Diana Raabe]

Well, it just makes sense! Why would anyone want to lug around an overstuffed briefcase or heavy backpack when there are so many attractive options?

[Bruce Garlock]

I use the Bomber Jacket Messenger as well, and I love having this practical, cargo pocket. Being a father of two young girls, it is a necessity. I am also the go-to guy, for when someone needs something small fixed or a band aid, or any number of obscure items that I carry in my bag, including tools.

When someone comments on the masculinity (or lack of) I usually say something to the effect that I am more than comfortable with my masculinity, and it is *you* who has the problem, since it doesn't seem to bother me one bit. This is usually followed by a pause from the person, some obvious thought process going on, and then something along the lines of "yeah, I guess so, so what do you keep in there?" I then show them what I keep in my bag, and most people are stunned at how much stuff it holds.

I rely on my Bomber Jacket Messenger daily, and usually don't leave home without it. Sometimes it is a diaper bag, sometimes a tool bag, or electronics depot, or sometimes a little of each :-)

[Chip Dietrich]

I carry a man bag all of the time. It is too cumbersome to put all of my "stuff" in pants pockets. Everything is ready without fail. A very nice wallet that I bought from you years ago would not fit into a pocket so I began using the bag with sections to accommodate all of the needed contents.

[Ivy]

You scared me for a minute. I thought you were trying to convince us females to stick to one small bag. I was about to protest about my notebook (Circa, btw--I'll use nothing else), my book, my date book, my iPod, my wallet and keys and glasses and knitting

...and I realized you were talking to the men. Here in New York, school-style back packs are the normal bag for the casual guy, most of whom carry more junk around than the females.

[J.H. Schick]

Some bags are too big -- the more STUFF you're going to haul. I've
used a small Coach leather bag 9-1/2" inches high, 9 inches wide with fold-over cover (a slim shoulder strap,easily removed/stored,as well as a full handle, 3-inch width bag) -- handles small cameras,cell phones,glasses; small water bottle-- whatever. It has a manly look and can easily be stored in carry-on luggage. This bag, now 20 years old, is no longer available.It looks better than when it was new, as do most well-made leather products.Can be easily carried in same hand with a lap-top handle. The big bags look like you're week-ending at the office or bar.

[W. Naylor]

Have carred various bags for 10 years, as a Pastor of church I always have had a need for more than pockets-- mail, couple books, iPod, Circa, etc. Have used backpacks, messenger bags, etc., recently traded a friend a Video iPod for a Levenger Saddle Bag Sling, Best Bag yet!!!

[Harry Palmer]

While I do not carry a messenger bag, I have carried different "man bag's" for about 20 years. It was not always convenient to put my wallet, check book, glasses, and keys into a brief case. When I wasn't working, I lugged all of this stuff around in my hand. What a pain. Speaking of pain, the worst thing that a man can do for his back is carry a wallet in his back pocket!

I eventually realized that if I was man enough to carry a rifle in Viet Nam, my manhood wouldn't be threatened by carrying a "man bag." I think that carrying your personal items in a bag is extremely practical, and convenient.

Oh yah, did I mention that I live in Texas. Real men don't have to worry about "what a real man" does...he just does it.

[W]

Yes, please carry a bag of some sort instead of a backpack (unless you're hiking, etc.). A backpack is fine if you're a college student. After that, I strongly encourage men and women to grow up, dress like adults, and carry a real bag.

[H P Burstyn]

I'm a small bag guy myself. Like some of the other posters, I carry some pocket tools, a notebook and a number of Levenger writing instruments (fountain pens, pencil/ballpoint combo etc.).
Carrying a bag not only keeps clothes neat (no "baggy" pockets), but they contribute to the environment -- small purchases slip right in. Don't need to carry an extra shopping bag or waste a plastic bag.
As much as I love the look of the Levenger leather bags, I opt for nylon ones that aren't as classy, but are definitely lighter.

[J Epperson]

Hey Steve,

The Bomber Collection is not just for guys! I'm from Rhode Island, so the soft leather and plaid does give me fond memories of my grandfather. It's a little taste of home now that I live in Florida.

I manage a radio station and am a doctoral candidate, so my Bomber Slim brief hauls everything from my Bomber Junior circa for work, to text books, to my Circa school notebook. I have a relatively new smart phone, but still love to write, and Levenger fits the bill nicely.

While I loved the full-sized padded Laptop Bomber, I found that it became too heavy for me to carry. The Slim Brief is just my size. Thank you!

[Bruce]

The Bomber Jacket Collection is . . . how should I put it? "Da Bomb!" Aside from the all the great things you've described, it is the ultimate in men’s style!

Everywhere I go, someone comments on the Slim Brief or the Zip Folio (Naturally, seeing how the Circa system works blows their mind but, back to the Bomber Jacket Collection.) Just like you said, it's comfortable for a man and yet it's not overstated. It looks like something a guy would use and it doesn't look like it's being used to make a statement (like, "look at me"). But it does make a statement.

And as for carrying these tools outside of the office -- you bettcha! Even in the conservative Midwest I've not been challenged. The leather is masculine enough I now get to take whatever I need with me, without schlepping a "Beach bag"-look-alike wherever I go.

People notice and they are impressed. I will purchase more items because the quality shows but it doesn't look like I'm being pretentious. It’s nice to coordinate the desk accessories with the briefcase without being too flashy. Subtle style makes a bigger impact than anything else!

Bruce

[Paul]

Another small bag guy here. My personal EDC (every day carry) bag is a waxed cotton Timbuk2 Metro, one of their smallest bags. I see lots of women with this bag too but the waxed cotton in brown is great for a guy. Perfect size for my Circa Junior, the slew of mobile electronics I haul around,and various sundry items. I can easily fit my Eee PC in it with just a little arranging.

The people who smirk at a man with a small bag are usually the ones who end up needing to borrow your knife/leatherman/phone charger/ibuprofen etc. Then they get it.

[Diaper Bag Macho Man Style]

This post was excellent. It took a lot of work to get my husband to carry around a diaper bag when we had our first child, and after some hemming and hawing, he agreed once I got him a "macho" diaper bag. I'm definitely going to pass this post on his way so that he'll consider getting a small bag rather than always giving me stuff to carry in my purse now that our son is past the diaper bag stage.