A reader emailed me about finding a man bag that can accompany him on everyday errands. In the interest of preserving his masculinity and yours, from this point on the word "man bag" will be in quotations.
The demarcation between a woman's bag and a "man bag" is a fine line so if you're not yet ready to cross it, here are my two rules for safely navigating that tricky route. All "man bags" should have shoulder straps and optionally thick, wide, and/or rounded hand straps. If it has those two things, everything else on it is just commentary and you can choose what you like, from stitching, hardware, to materials.
If you're ready to ditch that plain jane boring messenger bag I know many of you are holding on to, take a gander at my top 15 "man bags." They're all a little more fashion forward and can wear easily from work to everyday life.
Diesel BROMO $684.00
Love the perforated leather, the soft briefcase like appearance and it comes with feet detailing so you can set it down.
D&G Nylon & Leather Messenger Bag $435.00
The silhouette is simple but the distressed and washed leather, ash black color, and multiple hidden pockets for all your gadgets make it a real "man bag."
Hudson Leather Bag $264.16
Clean, simple, modern. Hudson leather is soooo soft. This is one of those bags that look good flat or fully stuffed.
Hosachi Style Bag $70.00
This bag is a STEAL. The leather is top notch synthetic. The whole look and feel is biker meets bomber jacket. It even has straps to convert into a backpack.
MATTBLACK $68.00
It's really a tote but designed to collapse the upper half into a messenger. I love the tight woven look mixed with leather and a bit of metal.
CARGA 02 $245.00
I own several bags from CARGA and I love them all. Everything is handmade. The rivets are pressed using old school industrial machines and the wool felt is luxuriously soft yet strong. It's minimal and industrial at the same time.
Y-3 Mobility Messenger $320.00
I own several Y-3 bags, the collaboration between Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas. I'm never disappointed with the quality. If you want a bag that has storage up the ying-yang, this bag is for you.
Samsonite Black Label Waifer Tote $143.00
I'm always impressed by Samsonite's Black Label. They pump out some seriously good looking bags. The name is already synonymous with quality but the Waifer collection pumps up the luxury. This might be a future purchase.
Blackbird Bobby Work Bag $228.00
It looks like leather but it's actually heavy cotton. I love the simplicity and detailing. It's good enough for the gym and sexy enough keep up appearances when I'm out.
Blackbird Chausser $705.00
If you want something a little more traditional without sacrificing style, you can't go wrong with this bag. There's an antique finish and I love the pocket to tuck in any excess shoulder strap.
Surface 2 Air Classic Bag $375.00
Love love LOVE this bag. Love the grey leather, the gun metal snaps, the tartan check lining and yes it comes with a shoulder strap. Big enough for travel, laptop, DS, iPhone, extra socks.
Surface 2 Air Small Weekender $375.00
It's similar to the classic bag but more fashion forward. The irregularly grained Borrego leather direct from Italy looks like a whole village worked 60 hours to beat it into submission so its ridiculously soft and DAMN does it smell good!
Fox Messenger Bag $330.00
Another felt entry in the list but this is more utilitarian with pockets galore. I love the clean minimalism and that cute logo branded in with a hot iron really takes the cake. It even comes with a sleeve big enough for a 15" laptop.
Hard Graft 2UNFOLD $450.00
This is DEFINITELY my next purchase. This bag is handmade in Italy with the supplest leather, hand tanned, hand finished, in eco-friendly vegetable dyes. The craftsmanship is AMAZING but that's only the beginning. This bag transforms into 7 other kinds... a briefcase, safecase, rucksack, courier, backpack, clutch, shoulder bag and depending on how you configure it - can fit laptops from 13-17". That's a whole lotta bang for your buck.
Diesel 2 Tone Leather Bag $310.00
You can never go wrong with Diesel bags. They're all great quality, and come with a lot of varied style even a conservative man could pull off. I love this particular one because of how worn in it looks. It's the perfect combo between 2 colors of leather, suede, and nylon.
I kinda like the look of the Fox bag, but really, how weather-proof is felt?
I'm also surprised that you didn't at least give a mention to the Crumpler range (can you even get them in the States)... not as subtle and monochromatic as the ones you've listed, and they take a little while to get used to, but they're a hell of a bag...
Dude, the Blackbird is my favorite it looks awesome. The Mattblack and the Hudson are cool too. I am not down with that Carga 02 at all.
Hmmmm, me personally.....I'm sort of over conventional looking messenger bags.
Of these, I'd go for (in no particular order)....
1) Hard Graft --The aesthetics are ok (minus shoulder strap), but I'm intrigued by its versatility/ transformative properties. That bottom hand strap is also very clever n' practical when using it as a clutch!!
2) Fox messenger-- Is it a clutch or a messenger? As a clutch, it looks interesting, but I wonder how practical or ergonomic that is.
3) Samsonite Tote -- I like the look and potential useability of this (minus the shoulder strap). I wish the tote handles were just a bit longer though....for the option of shoulder-carrying. How manly is that?
Awesome post, I never owned a man bag in my life but currently looking at the market for one and this is the direction that I needed!
Hands down the Hard Graft 2UNFOLD would be my choice, you just got to love the versatility of it! Now tell me, which retail shops in Tokyo carries this?!?!?
This is nice, I really like the 2unfold as well, but damn who pays 500$ for a freaking man bag...
I must live in a different world.
the Hosachi Style Bag is not only cheap, it's one of the best looking. altho I have always favored Gravis bags, I can see that Hard Graft 2Unfold you got your eyes on is ultimate.
Nice purses.
I have this one.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_1&listing_id=13739894&ga_search_query=Leather+saddle+bag&ga_search_type=tag_title
I love it.
hi i whant this bag,plz tell me, which retail shops in india carries this?
wow!!i love it!these manbags are on fire!!where can i purchase The blackbird and handgraft in south africa though..
Goodday
Where can I get the CARGA 02 $245.00 and Blackbird Bobby Work Bag $228.00.
I want to buy them.Please assist
Carga 02
http://www.cargabags.com/collection2/collection.html
Blackbird Bobby Bag (sold out)
http://www.blackbirdballard.com/Property_Of_Bobby_Work_Bag_11336.html