in search of a new bag

[juldea]

My almost six-year-old backpack has almost bit the dust. Multiple parts are being held together by safety pins, one pocket has torn off completely, and the drawstring closure for the top broke off. It's getting close to time to replace it.

I'm pondering going the messenger bag route this time, on account of the fact that I now know myself to be susceptible to lower back injuries. I am not sold on this idea, though, and it will definitely require some store visits to try out how they feel before buying anything.

There's one ideal that I have in a bag, and that is convertibility from my carry-everything-in-the-day-while-hanging-out bag to my just-the-essentials-for-going-out bag. Ideally what I want and haven't been able to find is a messenger/tote/backpack that has a detachable purse. Right now, my purse is inside my backpack, and that makes it a slight hassle to get at if I need to, say, get my wallet out. I've been told that this might not be as much of a hassle if I get a messenger, though, as it's easy to swing in front of you in a way that a backpack isn't. (I'm dubious of this, however, because when I'm NOT wanting the bag to swing in front of me, I really want it to stay put. This seems the backpack's domain.)

I'm also torn between getting something cute and colorful and sporty like a Timbuk2 bag (I see those things everywhere) and something more sedate and serious. I know when I was working at the hospital, I felt really out of place wearing business casual with my purple backpack slung behind me. These days I'm not working in a business casual environment, but I could again someday, and perhaps I want to think about my bag being able to blend in well there, too.

If someone has advice, experience, or knows of a removable-purse bag they can point me towards, have at. This is a Big Deal to me. ;)

Comments

[sjo.livejournal.com]

Any backpack from LL Bean is worth every penny you spend on it. If you do finally wear it out, they have a lifetime guarantee. They WILL replace it.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'll check them out to see if there's something I like!

[hakamadare.livejournal.com]

1. stop by and check out my Tom Bihn Large Cafe Bag or chaiya’s Tom Bihn Small Cafe Bag. they’re somewhat less over-the-top than a Timbuk2 bag (though you’re welcome to try out my medium Timbuk2 classic bag while you’re at it), and they’re my favorite shoulder bags.

2. swinging in front is the great drawback of shoulderbags of (most) designs. you can avoid this by using a chest strap, but that looks silly unless you’re actually sitting on a bike.

3. i got tired of the asymmetric stress of wearing a shoulder bag and recently started carrying a Deuter Futura Zero 40 internal frame pack as my day-to-day bag. my decision to do this may cast sufficient doubt upon my taste and mental faculties as to render my previous two points irrelevant. :)

4. for modular bags (one of which might make a good removable-purse solution), you might want to look at photo bags. Lowepro might have something for you (in the Modular Beltpack section, maybe?)

5. i recently discovered Chameleon purse organizers, which are awesome. while not likely to be the solution to your problems, one might be a good addition into your new bag plan.

-steve

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the very useful, informative post! I will check these options out. Tom Bihn is one of the websites I visited today, but I definitely want to look and examine these things before purchasing.

[hakamadare.livejournal.com]

say when :) i’m home most evenings.

-steve

[juldea.livejournal.com]

So, further notes:
1) I will want to view these in real life... and will get to you sometime on when that can happen!
3) Perhaps a bit much for my needs. :)
4) It is a long day after not much sleep but that website just confused me, throwing out photo terms that I can't match with my reality. I will try again sometime when I have more patience for it.
5) So originally, the Chameleons really thrilled me. The more I think about it, though, the more it doesn't actually solve the current problem I have, just turns it into a different layer on the first problem. As I have describe to chaiya below, my "bag" needs to be something larger than purse-sized, as I tend to carry around multiple things - sweatshirts, knitting projects, books, etc. Hence the Chameleon would just be another item thrown into the top of the bag, say, and as it isn't self-contained I would lose most of the items in bag movement/settling/shuffling. The solution to this is to put the Chameleon in a purse in my bag, adding another layer of difficulty reaching my stuff. However, this does solve the problem of going from "backpack casual" to "purse dressy" as I would only need to buy a "dressy" purse to put the Chameleon in when I switched out.

Complexities!

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

If she wants it, she can have my purple little shoulder bag. However, I have totally converted to the Lula Timbuk2 fan club, and no longer have tension headaches or neck pain after evening the load of the bag over both shoulders instead of hanging it to one side or the other of my neck.

I think you should try the Chameleon purse organizer inside the Lula backpack, juldea. But definitely, please, think of your neck before doing anything that's hanging off it. Even 5 pounds of bag on your neck will give you (and certainly gave me) major headaches.

*hugs!*

[juldea.livejournal.com]

The combination purse organizer/Lula backpack doesn't quite fit my needs, though. I didn't go into detail above, but I can now. :) While I'm not wanting a huge backpack for heavy loads all the time, I do want something with some space in it for when I need the carrying capacity. I do often fill my bag, just not always with heavy items. A normal backpack load is a sweatshirt, my purse, lunch and breakfast in Tupperware containers, and perhaps a book or knitting or somesuch. Of course, I haven't seen a Lula in real life, but what I saw from the website indicates it is basically a small "personal" bag, which is probably smaller than I want.

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

I have a Lula in real life, and would love to show it off to you. They do have other backpacks that are larger, of course. I'm fond of my Lula because it won't let me carry my laptop with anything else that's big or heavy, so I don't overload myself at any time. :) YMMV.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

As I just commented to hakamadare, I do want to check out the Tom Bihn bags in real life for size and internal space (the website contains no pictures of the insides, for shame!), so perhaps I can see the Lula at the same time. :) I'm crashing asleep right now, though, so I will attempt to schedule tomorrow.

[eor1312.livejournal.com]

i always think i want a messenger bag, buy one, and then am always disappointed by the amount of shoulder pain and strain that result from them. They may be good for some people, but I find them to be painful. i have found that backpacks are almost always the way to go for me, though they are never as cute as messenger bags. If someone has one you could try out for a day or two, I would definitely take them up on it and load it up how you anticipate using it just to see.

[freerange-snark.livejournal.com]

That's not a bad suggestion. juldea, if you want to borrow a messenger bag for a few days, I have a couple generic ones I can live without for a while and could lend you one on Saturday.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's a wonderful idea that I will definitely take you up on. That way I can travel with one for a few days and see how it wears. Thanks. :)

[freerange-snark.livejournal.com]

No problem. You can even have your pick of form or function. ;)

[anitra.livejournal.com]

Not that I've tried it, but I've always envied the "Healthy Back Bag" (Lands End sells it, you can also find it multiple places online). It's kind of a teardrop shape, looks like a cross between a small backpack and a large purse. I've heard that they're great, especially if you carry stuff enough to aggravate your lower back pain (I don't anymore).

Alternatively, any backpack or luggage bag made by L.L.Bean. They really stand by their stuff... I had used a backpack from there for about 3 years of highschool/college use (overstuffed all the time) when the top loop started to shred. I took it back to the store (in person, was visiting family in Freeport, but it makes a nice day trip), and they replaced it, including the monogramming, no questions asked.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I'm looking for something larger than a small backpack/large purse, because while I don't often need to spacious capacity of a medium/large backpack, I do sometimes, and I like knowing it's there. I'll check out L.L. Bean stuff, though. Thanks. :) (Do I remember you calling me from the store to see if I needed a monogrammed backpack some years ago?)

[nightskyre.livejournal.com]

Yes! I'm still so annoyed about that. Boo.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Heh. Turned around and it was gone!