I need a corporate manbag.

Drez

So I currently carry my stuff to work each day in a NERV (Evangelion) courier bag, which is kind of...well, dorky I suppose. I don't really care about that too much but I'd like to try and integrate toward becoming a dull, corporate, hive-minded non-entity as much as possible, and what better way to do so than through superficial, cosmetic means?

So the anime bag is out and a leather-y man bag is in. The question is, what should I get? I have no idea how much these things cost. I guess I want something in the $50-$100 range, but the less expensive and the more durable/awesome, the better. I'm not one of those brand elitists. As long as people see a nice, clean bag I'm good.

So here's the kind of information I am looking for:

- Price-Ranges I should expect to see.
- Capacity.
- Where I should buy one in person (not a fan of internet purchasing...I'm a "gotta have it now" kind of guy), though I'll welcome suggestions online too. I'd just prefer to buy it in person.

Also, I should note that I expect to carry the following each day, so I should at least have room for these items:

- Nintendo DS
- Cell Phone/Wallet (safer to put in my bag on the bus and train)
- My work's photo ID
- My house keys
- Spiral or Perforated Notebook
- A few pens and pencils
- A banana or two
- A TV dinner or two ($1 for lunch as opposed to $6-$10 for lunch)
- A couple of DVDs (in case I go shopping during the day)
- A portable DVD player (in case I spend my work day in the bathroom)
- My Zune
- Possibly a newspaper (that I can use for kindling in case I get stuck in the wilderness somehow)
- A 50" 1080p HDTV
- Xbox 360
- Shaquille O'Neill

I'm kidding about the last three. Basically I need your run-of-the-mill business-y kind of manbag that can hold stationary, pens and pencils, and my Nintendo DS plus the other obvious items. Any suggestions would be grand. I'm looking for durability, capacity, inexpensiveness, and aesthetic, in that exact order.

(And Thanatos, please don't call me a hypocrite. The truth is, my bag is disheveled and I'd rather get something of decent quality as a replacement. I couldn't care less about advertising the anime thing, really. A disheveled bag, though, is another matter entirely.)

Alpine

Timbuk2 Bags

It's online only I'm pretty sure, but I have been thoroughly impressed with both bags that I have ordered from them.

They have a high quality line of premade stuff, with really neat designs, as well as having a section where you can custom design your own messenger bag, with the colours and materials of your choice.

Oh, and 50-100 dollars seems to really be low-balling it for a quality bag.

mastman

I love the hatred and futile acceptance of your corporatude. If you go to work looking baller, your bag better be baller as well IMO.

naporeon

I work in a pretty standard, corporate-style office environment, and I had the exact same problem about six months ago. I felt a little awkward hauling my old college backpack, ratty and stained in places, to an office job with other adult professionals.

Influenced partly by the area I live in (Seattle), I ended up choosing a Timbuk2 Messenger Bag. They are durable, waterproof, have plenty of divided storage space, and are reasonably adult and professional looking. Actually, I can't stress the durability and waterproof aspect of these bags enough; they are of incredibly sturdy construction, and have a high-quality lining throughout. You could carry an angry wildcat in one of them, and it would not be the worse for wear.

You can definitely get one in your stated price range (although at the upper end), with the capacity to hold everything you mention. I have a Large (they go to XL), and it is more than spacious enough to hold two meals, a change of clothes for the gym, and all of my personal electronics & chargers (cell, iPods, PDA, etc.). They also come with an optional laptop sleeve, to secure laptops of fairly large size (mine would fit at 17" lappie). All of the individual product pages, such as this one, feature detailed internal and external measurements. Personally, I enjoy their in-house TPRCV metric, which is the number of two-ply toilet paper rolls they can fit in each bag. Mine fits 16!

I don't believe that they're sold in stores anywhere, but they have great shipping.

I can't recommend them enough!

naporeon

Haha.

What Alpine said!

LaPuzza

Depending on your line of work, you'll be making this same post in a few years when you decide that your cool man-bag has turned into a dated, childish man-purse.

Consider doing it right the first time and getting a quality briefcase. If a quality leather briefcase has ever been out of style, I don't know when.

Drez

Sadly, my ability to web-browse is constricted here. I'll check out the Timbuk2 site at lunch if it's not blocked - thank you for that suggestion.

Someone mentioned briefcases. Any suggestions on that front? What kind of price range do they fall under?

Hlubocky

If you are looking for something that looks professional and is a little more subdued in terms of colors, check out the line of Jack Spade messenger bags. They are a little on the expensive side, but look and feel great. This is the one I have ($125 I think):

http://images.barneyscoop.com/images/barneys/product/PG_06369.5859_FS.jpg

drhazard

The waxed canvas bags Timbuk2 sells now are particularly nice looking for an office environment.

I personally made a custom Timbuk2 bag (burnt orange/gold/coffee panels) and have had it for over two years. Yeah, it cost me $100, but I also don't have to buy a new bag every few months. This one is sturdy as hell, and I imagine I'll be using it for a good portion of my life.

LaPuzza

Briefcases come in a huge variety, with genuine leather starting around $100. If you go to any luggage/travel store you will find a huge variety - which is another advantage over the limited choice or Internet shopping for other kinds of bags.

Ebags has a pretty solid selection, and they run pretty good deals if you have a Discover Card and use their shop center thing. Here's a good brand, decent size, even-has-a-shoulder-strap-but-doesn't-look-like-a-purse option:

http://www.ebags.com/samsonite_business_cases/5_double_gusset_full_grain_nappa_leather_flapover_portfolio/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=82233

Drez

LaPuzza wrote: »

Briefcases come in a huge variety, with genuine leather starting around $100. If you go to any luggage/travel store you will find a huge variety - which is another advantage over the limited choice or Internet shopping for other kinds of bags.

Ebags has a pretty solid selection, and they run pretty good deals if you have a Discover Card and use their shop center thing. Here's a good brand, decent size, even-has-a-shoulder-strap-but-doesn't-look-like-a-purse option:

http://www.ebags.com/samsonite_business_cases/5_double_gusset_full_grain_nappa_leather_flapover_portfolio/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=82233

Actually, yeah, that was kind of the "bag" I was looking for - I think I just called it the wrong thing. I checked out the Timbuk2 site and I think I might grab one of those in the future for sporty or journalistic events/conventions but I was thinking of something more in line with this when I made this thread. Thanks to all for the messenger bag suggestions: I'll keep those in mind for the future.

So in line with the thing you just posted, is it spacious enough to hold everything I want?

LaPuzza

Judging from the pictures, and the lack of nonsense laptop dividers, it looks like it is plenty of room unless your DVD player (with battery, as applicable) is big. You might want something with a large exterior pocket to put non-valuables in (notebook, newspaper, etc) so that the insides can be reserved for more important items.

I would strongly suggest a luggage store as opposed to online if you know what your standard kit is for the business day. A good store will let you stuff the floor model and make sure it will work. From there, you can either buy that case (online or in the store) or use the demensions as a benchmark to handle online bargan/style shopping.

MichaelLC

A 5th...6th? shoutout for Timbuk2

Also more "Hi, I have a laptop," Swissgear by Wenger are some nice sturdy bags.

For the "Fuck, I make a lot of money" look, can't go wrong with Zero

IreneDAdler

I like the picture LaPuzza linked. I would be in favor of a leather briefcase-ish shoulder bag over a TimBuk2-style bag, but maybe I'm just stuffy and old-fashioned. One thing to keep in mind is, what color are your shoes? The color of the leathers in your attire should all match, so don't get a black briefcase if you always wear brown shoes to work.

gneGne

The obvious laptop bags get stolen so quickly

iolo

MichaelLC wrote: »

For the "Fuck, I make a lot of money" look, can't go wrong with Zero

Or Tumi.

Boutros

naporeon wrote: »

I don't believe that they're sold in stores anywhere, but they have great shipping.

They are sold in lots of stores. REI, bike shops, running shops, etc.