Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bags and bag

Help me find the perfect bag for 2012

0bvious — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 06:54:46 -0800

I desire a new bag. Something sturdy to carry my laptop* and books in. Something I can easily kart around on my bicycle (on my back, shoulder, or otherwise a flexible paneer). I'm based in London, UK. Budget floating around £100ish. Give me inspiration people! I've toyed with TimBuk2 and Crumpler bags, and although they seem perfect, the designs just don't do it for me. I like the build quality, but the colours and material are often a bit over the top.

I like some messenger bags, some backpacks, some paneers.

* I have a new 13" ultrabook laptop (Lenovo U300s) I want to keep safe, but because of its slimness it doesn't require a lot of room.

Should I increase my budget a little and enter a whole new world of bag joy?

Turn my messenger bag into a backpack. QUICK

c:\awesome — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:40:07 -0800

Look, I'm no genius, but it seems like you should be able to buy some sort of strap that can convert an existing messenger-style bag into one that can be worn more like a backpack. Right? There are hybrid type bags (such as the BumBakPak) that have a nifty strap to convert from backpack to messenger.

Can I not just buy a strap like this and put it on any messenger bag? If so, where? HELP.

Help me find this grocery bag using trash bin., or something similar, please.

RunawayOctober — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:55:10 -0800

Help me find this grocery bag using trash bin., or something similar, please. I StumbledUpon this link and think it would be an awesome gift for my mother. She doesn't want to use reusable bags because she takes 8-10 empty aluminum cans to the recycle bin every morning along with a bag of cat poop/liter from cleaning the litter box. For convenience she uses two grocery bags a day for the job. If she's going to use bags I figured I may as well make it easy for her.

Stop my messenger bag from sliding down?

everichon — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:33:12 -0800

I have a Timbuk2 messenger bag. When I ride with it on, it wants to slip down to the right under my right arm. What can I do to make it more friction-y or tacky on the back, such that it is not so slidey? There is, of course, the included lateral strap, but I want to avoid using that.

I am thinking along the lines of brushing on liquid latex, or something.

Recommend me a man bag.

chrisbucks — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:40:13 -0800

ManBagFilter: Looking for recommendations for a canvas/nylon messenger bag which is functional, fashionable and wont blow the bank. I'm looking for something similar to these bags. I like the style, but it is pushing the top of my price range and they don't appear to ship out of the US.

I'm after something fairly simple, well constructed, just a couple of interior pockets and easy to keep clean. A vendor who offers international shipping would be a bonus too! (to NZ).

Black and tan...and espresso, and cafe, and brown, and sand...

splendid animal — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:51:24 -0800

When choosing a leather messenger/shoulder bag, how do I decide between brown and black? Should I try to match to the clothes I usually wear, or just pick what I like? I'm planning to buy a leather messenger bag to use in professional situations like conferences, meetings (especially of the networking variety), and the like. (Right now I'm looking at this and this, but I haven't yet decided - suggestions more than welcome!). I'm a PhD student, female, late 20s, and have finally been convinced that appearance matters. I can get away with jeans/t-shirt the vast majority of the time, but I do occasionally meet with non-student colleagues in professional research settings (think conference room, not laboratory), and would like to look more like them (the kind of job I aspire to) than like a part-time undergrad gopher (been there, done that).

I'm planning to buy some better clothes a little at a time (quality button-down shirts and nice slacks; perhaps a suit or two up the road), but want to buy the bag now. Should I try to match it to what I'll usually be wearing when I use it? Sometimes that would mean a brown bag, and at other times black. Some bags come in a dark brown color (like the espresso bag linked at amazon, above) - is this a solution for getting around the brown/black dichotomy altogether?

I have the same question about leather shoes, actually - usually I wear navy (nice jeans, navy top), sometimes navy and black or navy and grey, sometimes khaki and navy, sometimes navy or tan pants with a white shirt, etc. (Yes, these actually are the colors that I like wearing - don't hate!) Which bag/shoes go with which clothes?

If it seems like I'm overthinking this, it's because I'm willing to spend $100-$400 to get a quality bag that will last - hopefully for decades. Thus, I want to make sure that what I choose will have staying power.

I look young for my age, am on the petite side (5'2", small but not tiny), and would like to do what I can to present myself more professionally in certain situations. A more polished appearance in general wouldn't hurt, either. Please help me figure out how this matchy-matchy stuff works when it comes to leather bags/shoes. Thank you!

Extra carrying capacity for the medically inclined.

Silentgoldfish — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 11:50:28 -0800

I'm not allowed to wear cargo pants at work but I need the extra pocket space. I really don't want to wear a bumbag. What're some options? I'm a nurse and so a uniform goes with the territory. Unfortunately, the cargo pants that were so useful in the public hospitals have been kicked to the curb since I currently work at a private hospital and the higher-ups are more concerned with image than they should be.

I still need the extra carrying capacity though for pens, tape, various bits of paper, scissors, a multitool, a flashlight and various odds and ends that're far more convenient to carry around than to leave in a central location.

I'd prefer not to resort to a bumbag -- vanity I'll admit but I just don't like how they look!

What options are out there?

(I'm a dude, btw (or "murse" as my sister prefers), so purses and the like are out, too!)