Man-bag?

[Lainie]

Does anyone carry a purse--"man-bag"--in male or unisex mode?

I'm wearing an outfit today that passes for drab--polo shirt with girl-side buttons under a v-neck pullover, with woman's slacks, knee sox and trainers. My wife didn't notice that I'm dressed entirely en femme, or at least didn't say she noticed. I'm about to go out with keys, wallet & phone in my jacket, since my girl-slacks don't have pockets enough. I could carry all that in a purse, but I'm not out to the people I'll be out with tonight. Hope that made sense. :)

I'm expecting that no one will notice that my shirt buttons are on the other side from everyone else's, but I'm sure they would notice if I carried a purse. Sometimes I've carried a purse inside a back pack, or just a back pack, but that would also be odd in this group.

What would you do?

[Kate Lynn]

Lainie,I carry a fun tote,my wife got it for me because the low rise jeans I wear,have extremely shallow pockets,and make carrying a wallet,car keys,and change difficult,they fall out,it's a green camoflauge fun tote,it's really nice.

Funtotes are large enough to carry a laptop in.

[Alice B]

I have carried one for years.

[Tanya83]

I've been thinking about something like this but really can't imagine what they look like. I have a fanny pack but I can't bring myself to wear that. lol
Can you post pictures of them?

[Eryn]

There are a lot of ways to "walk the fence" on this. What I have used for a very long time is a small leather or canvas camera bag or laptop "briefcase." Google on "Leather Netbook Bag" for to see a good selection of styles that run the spectrum from manly to girly. :)

[Tanya83]

Ah yes. Could look like I have my laptop wherever I go.

I tell ya, there's a market out there for all these tablet pc's that are coming out. Think about it, It's not like you're gonna wear your playbook on a belt clip. Right?

[Chloe Renee]

I carry a huge messenger bag daily to work which is where I keep my essentials. I also do this on the weekend if I'm needing my laptop. Otherwise, I am in a state of constant cold so I'm always wearing a fleece jacket. I usually toss my wallet and phone in one of the pockets. I haven't embraced my purse yet, 3/4 of the women in my life don't carry one so I don't either.

[Jonelle]

Ah yes. Could look like I have my laptop wherever I go.

I tell ya, there's a market out there for all these tablet pc's that are coming out. Think about it, It's not like you're gonna wear your playbook on a belt clip. Right?

Ha, great point, I just google imaged tablet pc cases and there are a lot of options that look very similar to purses... this may be the in that some of us have been looking for!!

[Kelly DeWinter]

Where do you find a man bag ?

woah !

I found the motherload !

http://www.ebags.com/category/mens-messenger-bags/20030847

[Kate Lynn]

I've been thinking about something like this but really can't imagine what they look like. I have a fanny pack but I can't bring myself to wear that. lol
Can you post pictures of them?

Tanya,check out Fun Totes,you can either google Fun Tote,or their web addy is funtote.com,I like mine,it looks kind of manly because it's a green camo color,where I live,people aren't very tolerant or understanding,I was using my elk hide possibles bag,wich I use as part of my mountain man get-up when we go to pow wows and rendezvous.

[Lorileah]

I have had a fanny pack I never wore around my waist, a shoulder bag and a small shoulder bag before. Now I carry a clutch purse where ever I go (my story is sitting on a wallet hurts my back ;))

[Lexine]

Yes. I have a man bag. And regardless of who I'm with I will still carry said man bag while in boy / androgyne mode.

[msniki48]

woah !

I found the motherload !

http://www.ebags.com/category/mens-messenger-bags/20030847

Yes You did Kelly...Thank you

I'm going SHOPPPPING!!!!!!

hugs

msniki48

[NathalieX66]

One cannot be male in New York City, and not have a man-bag.....it's called being metrosexual.

I'll admit, even I feel out of place when I'm in town because I don't have one. Though I often wear a scarf tied in eurostyle knot.

I would still rather be, and have been, dressed fully en femme in town before wearing one of these. .....I don't know why.

[DebsUK]

I got one to go on holiday with last year. At that time I was in my barren "I'm not a CD" spell, so haven't used it since. But, I will be using it now.....

[kym]

I carry a "travel organizer" every where I go, even in the rare ties nowadays that I am in drab, not a thing has been said to me.

[Veronica 1]

I carry a mini messenger bag everywhere I go. It is about 10" wide and 12" tall, canvas, with an over the body strap.

[NancyTO]

It's a "European styled carry all" dammit! :Angry3:

Yup, the majority of time I carry a nylon shoulder murse.

[Detroit Molly]

I carry one of these (http://tinyurl.com/EngineerBag) every day. Holds my laptop, various tools, pens and pencils, a legal pad, and whatever I'm reading/researching. Very versatile, looks great, and wears very well. For Molly I've been considering getting something like this (http://www.seatbeltbags.com/carriagenickel.html) since they appeal to me on a number of levels.

[juno]

I've been carrying a small cross-body bag for a while. It is so much more convenient than using pockets! It is just from a local department store, and not a real "man bag". I work in science, and there are a few European men at work that have actual men's European shoulder bags, plus several guys with plain old messenger bags. But, I just call it my purse.

Unfortunately, I have run into the problem that all women have. A small purse soon becomes full. I'm going the have to upgrade to a bigger one.

[pennylee]

I gfot a small over the shoulder bag from Payless for wife and I to use at the casinos. I had hurt my butt last summer and it was very painful to sit on the wallet. It is not too girly, and holds hotel cards, keys and cash in one half, and has room in the other half for smokes and a lighter.The wife liked so much,I had to get her one,too! Good for her because she can leave her warbag in the room, and not worry about losing her wallet and other "stuff".

[KimberlyG]

I carry a man-bag or murse on a daily basis. It's more the size of a clutch purse with a loop strap. Holds every thing - no more bulky pockets.

[Edyta_C]

Yes I carry a purse! Well it is a shoulder bag, but if anyone asks I just say it is a purse. I have two that I switch between, one brown and one black. Slightly different styles. I do have a purse with a handle that I can use en femme, but usually just use the shoulder bag. I originally started using en drab because I carry a blood sugar meter and I get a pain from sitting funny with a wallet in my back pocket. Now I even carry nail files, Lippy, and powder along with all the other crap. It got dumpped by the TSA on my trip to Vegas and the guy didn't raise an eyebrow at the "extra" stuff.

Edy

[Lena Teegal]

I carry an androgynous purse all over, nobody cares.

[Amanda Styles]

I don't know if what I carry qualifies, but it is a brushed leather zippered bag slightly larger than a typical moneybag, and I carry the usual stuff in it like wallet, my spare phone batteries, other electronics stuff, and some slightly colored lippy stuff, and a tube of mascara.
It does however say Klein Tools on it.

[AliceJaneInNewcastle]

I use a small backpack all the time in boy mode.

For years I used to have a male wallet that I used with that backpack, and a much larger female wallet that I used with my girl bags (some of which are also backpacks or convertible). When the boy wallet was falling apart, I had a middle aged male customer show up carrying a similar style of girl wallet as I had, with no hint of being trans or anything being odd about it. Within a day or two (I forget), I emptied my boy wallet into my girl wallet, and it has been the wallet I've used virtually all the time ever since. The only time I used a different wallet was when I was going out en femme and needed to use a smaller one that fitted into the purse that I was using.

[Eryn]

I don't know if what I carry qualifies, but it is a brushed leather zippered bag slightly larger than a typical moneybag, and I carry the usual stuff in it like wallet...

I had a bag like that years ago, black leather with a short wrist strap. At the time I was working in an industry with a guard at the front door of the building who inspected briefcases and other containers entering and leaving the premises. The notable exception was women's purses. Women walked by with purses large and small and were never inspected. One day I asked why why I always had to open my small bag when women were exempt. The answer? "Their stuff is private."

Different times... :)

[Holly]

I carry a small purse (or large wallet :D) all the time. It holds my cash, checkbook, credit cards, photos, cell phone, keys, spare contact lenses, hearing aid batteries, eye drops, my ID, a small note pad and pen. and to think I used to carry all that stuff in my pockets. When in girl mode, I simply toss it in my purse along with my makeup bag, hair brush, hair pick, scarf, casino cards, and some other "girls only" stuff. I used to have to switch out all that stuff. It saves me a good 15-20 minutes now everytime I get ready to go somewhere. It has never raised an eyebrow wherever I have gone. I highly recommend it.

[Robertacd]

I have a little Eagle Creek bag that I carry my netbook in.

It's rather unisex and works great in boy mode or casual girl mode.

You can catch a small glimpse of just the top of it in this old post

http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?127209-Heading-out-the-door-to-do-a-little-shoping...

[Cynthia Anne]

Yes, I carry a purse always, when shopping banking, ect! While Im in male or female mode! I say if you dont like it, then shut the ---- up and buy me a new one!!

[JuliaKay]

I've carried a purse for years; it's rather plain, my wife helped pick it out (she wanted to insure it wasn't too girly!). Also have a small Fossil shoulder bag I carry occasionally.

[Sarah Doepner]

I never liked the hard leather briefcases that were standard office equipment so nearly 30 years ago I started going to work carrying a cloth briefcase that my late mother would call my purse. Most recently I found a nice messenger bag that I carried for a while until my wife decided she needed it. She moved on to another bag recently and I may try to get it back and see if my new laptop will fit in it. Even if it doesn't fit, I have enough other stuff to carry around that it would be nice to have, just to free up my hands and relieve the stress on my pockets.

[Kate Lynn]

I have had a fanny pack I never wore around my waist, a shoulder bag and a small shoulder bag before. Now I carry a clutch purse where ever I go (my story is sitting on a wallet hurts my back ;))

Lorileah,there is a lot of truth about carrying a wallet in your back pocket causes back problems,I learned years ago from a Chiropractor that a wallet is about 2 to 4 inches thick depending how much stuff is crammed in it,causes the lower vertabrae,the L-1,2,3 region as well as the S-1 vertabrae to go out of kilter,the pelvis raises on the side the wallets on causing a shift,over time this causes serious lower back problems.

I used to carry my wallet in one of my front pockets,you can't believe the difference that makes on the lower back,but with the jeans I wear having shallow pockets I have resorted to carrying,wallet,key,change,cell phone,and laptop in my funtote,they come in some real cool colors and patterns,and yes they are machine washable.

[SuzanneBender]

I found a great "leather messenger bag" a couple of years back. I love it and carry it a lot. The strap is a little larger than a purse. It isn't the same as a nice Coach, Dooney and Burke or Fendi bag but I have been known to carry it in both guy and gal mode. I have never had a comment on it even when I carry it to work. Here is a pic of me en femme with it.

[Cristi]

I haven't figured out the best solution yet. There are lots of things I carry back and forth to work (lunch, thermos, books, misc. equipment).
Sometimes I end up throwing it all into a reusable shopping bag, sometime a laptop bag looks better. So far, nobody has given me any kind of a hard time for carrying a bag to work every day.
I'm thinking of getting a messenger bag, kind of a hybrid between a laptop bag and large purse...

[Cheyenne Skye]

I would love to find something over the shoulder my wife would approve of. I have a leather fanny pack that I use sometimes, but often I feel it ruins the look I'm presenting so I end up putting my wallet and keys in my jacket. Problem is when it warms up to the point I no longer need the jacket yet still wearing the girly jeans with tiny pockets. What to do? Ive considered a messenger bag but they all seem so large to me. The only stuff I carry is my wallet, keys, cell phone, spare change and maybe a few pieces of hard candy. If I had a bag of sorts I might add a pen and small pad of paper and maybe a chapstick.

[Leanne2]

For several years now I have carried a plain black ladies zippered wallet. I have my drivers license in the pocket with a clear plastic window. The wallet is stuffed with credit cards, pictures, business cards, and a little cash. It has an internal zippered area for loose coins. When I am en-fem I simply put the wallet in my purse. When in drab I carry the wallet in my hand because it's too big for a pocket. I don't care what anyone thinks; it's none of their business. Leanne

[Eryn]

I would love to find something over the shoulder my wife would approve of. I have a leather fanny pack that I use sometimes, but often I feel it ruins the look I'm presenting so I end up putting my wallet and keys in my jacket.

Sounds like it's time for a shopping trip (either real or virtual) with your wife!

There are a lot of options out there, and now that I think about it I see a lot more men carrying bags of various sorts around. The explosion of electronic devices (that seem to be getting ever bigger) and the need to carry more credit/discount/ID cards, business items, etc. seems to be driving men in that direction. I can't imagine anyone getting flack over carrying one unless you have friends that just like to needle you.

Hmmm, now that I've discussed it, maybe I should get one... :)

[sometimes_miss]

As a guy, I don't carry a bag. I have enough room in my pockets for everything I need. At work, I have to have various tools, equipment and lunch, so I carry a conventional black cordura backpack to the site, basically like a bookbag or knapsack. I do own about six purses, though I don't know if I'll ever go out as a girl with one; but it's kind of fun to load it up with all the girl goodies I like, and go to youtube and watch the other girl's 'what's in your purse' videos and compare with what I have in there.

[thechic]

Why don't they call the man bag a hand bag because that's what it is,alot of men just hate things from the female side getting used on the male side so thay give it a manly name.I Carry a handbag and purse or woman-Bag in the me mode.
Sorry im just in a not to good mood.

[Rachel C]

Yes, I carry a bag almost everywhere I go. I have a small collection now of different size leather satchels. Most of them are coach purses. I have never got negative comments in drab. Once in awhile I will get a "cute bag" comment from a SA or stranger. My gg friend gave me a large leather purse a couple months ago that I also use regularly. I try to make sure the bags are simple, but nice quality. Sometimes I tie my scarfs around them as well.

[5150 Girl]

I have a small denum purse with flowers embriderd on it that I carry all the time. One dat at Auto Zone the cashire asked me if anyone ever gave me any flack for it, and I said no, and you wouldn't belive how handy these things are!

[sophiam]

I sort of carry one. I have a message bag that I carry my 12" tablet in along with a whole bunch of other stuff like papers, checkbook, etc. I don't carry it like a purse though because I almost always leave it in my car when I shop or go into a friend's house. I guess I use it more like a tactical bag. I wear somewhat tigher jeans, and I still prefer to carry my wallet, keys, and phone in my pockets.

[AmberM]

I had a man purse for many years (it was black) and it was ruined by wear and tear.

[Vieja]

I got one of these from my Banker. Being out of the main stream my comment was "What the H**l is this". My daughter said it's a man bag. I gave it to Good Will.


Vieja

[Christie ann]

Man bag? I just call it a purse. I have two that I use on a regular basis. For everyday I use a 'wallet on a string (http://sherpani.com/sherpani-uno.aspx?bO3FscouH=1&GQd0EjaqX=172&pmdoXJC4W=296)"

and for extended trips a regular timbuktu shoulder bag (http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/messenger/messenger-mini/click).

It is about the only girly thing I use that my wife makes no comment about

[Xandria]

i do carry my laptop around wherever i go .. i dont have anything cool though as far as a bag is concerned.

[Prissy Linda]

I love purses, always have. I have various styles that I can use depending on the situation or how I want to present myself. In male mode I will carry my leather fanny pack over my shoulder or a canvas organizer purse that is not extremely femme so nobody seeems to notice. I also carry a black leather hobo type purse that my wife bought for me on QVC, I have had a few comments such as "nice purse" so I just respond with a thank you. Another favorite is a Prada backpack type purse that is extremely functional, hmmm, aren't all purses functional?

I've only had a few comments about carrying a purse but nothing to negative, usually people get used to seeing you carry some sort of bag so it's not a big deal. I've noticed more men carrying some sort of bag. If people think i'm gay, oh well.

[Tara Michele]

I've carried one for years. When there is confusion about how people should refer to it, I just tell them to call it a purse. After all, men carried purses for centuries before they gave up the "purse strings" to women. I've even inherited a purse from my wife's sister -- she replacing it and I had always coveted it, so she gave it to me.

[the_me]

I've been known to rock my Flash man-bag (or "purse" as my idiot friends like to lovingly call it... it is far from a purse.) on trips to the comic book store.

[bumblebee]

I live in Los Angeles. Most people here carry a bag of some sort.

[Eryn]

I just bought one of these to replace a large (and mostly junk-filled) bag:

http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/retail/magnifier.htm?productId=1563871
http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/totes/top-tote-bags/racing-stripe-click-tote

And was tempted by this "customizable" model:

http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/bagbuilder/custom-eula#/customProductSetId=5&uid=76944

(click on the model and it'll take you to the page where you can change the fabrics)

[StarrOfDelite]

Chocolate, Black, Navy, Khaki and Herb Green are the current colors. Can't be beat. My first one was in service for more than fifteen years. I still have it, although it's scuffed and no longer passable as a business tool, I still carry it on mall treks and such, either in drab or dressed. Current price is $69.50, but occasionally you can get them on overstock.

[Eryn]

The Classic Lands End Square Rigger is ubiquitous and androgynous!

That's the bag I'm replacing! It's nice as a "briefcase" for work, but too large, IMO, to carry all the time. My first one lasted about a decade in daily, overstuffed, use before the metal D-rings on the strap literally wore through. As a test of the Lands' End "Guaranteed Period" policy I sent it to them and asked them to replace the D-rings. They sent me a new bag and charged me full price for it! No matter, it is a good bag and I received excellent service from it.

[erica12b]

just looking thru duluth trading and they have the fire hose field bag,( man purse) lol

http://www.duluthtrading.com/search/sitesearchresults.aspx?pg=1&p_keyword=field+bag&p_origin=Home_Feb11&processor=content

[PetiteZoé]

Depending on what I have to carry on (laptop or not, on top of the usual stuff), I wear one of these :

As an handbag, large enough to put my gym stuff, a laptop, books, whatever :

http://static.zara.net/photos//2011/V/1/2/p/3042/005/105/3042005105_1_1_3.jpg?timestamp=1291984274254


http://static.zara.net/photos//2011/V/1/2/p/3050/005/004/3050005004_1_1_3.jpg?timestamp=1295626341547

This one is very small (to carry the bare minimum : phone, keys, wallet, tissues, a book, a concealer pen, a lipbalm ...) and has a string to be used as a shoulder bag and/or backpack :

http://www.miniseri-store.com/boutique/images/petit-camel-leather-s.jpg

They all come from the men's department. I tend to prefer bags made of leather as IMO they look more urban than those made of Nylon/Cordura/Polyamide fabric.

[Eryn]

Finally got my Timbuk2 "Click!" I think it works well in either mode! Here's a pic:

[Loni]

i would rather find a not so pretty purse.as opposed to a laptop case. i did find one at macys last year...but at $90.usd i passed it by.
i did go look at that web site posted up by kelly dewinter, but the pop-up made me not care for said site. if i want to look into a site i do not like pop-ups in the way.
and yes i have carried a bag for some time now. i must carry a bunch of junk with me at all times so a bag is a must.

Loni