The Man Bag reviewed- it's not a purse!

A lot of you are familiar with my quest for the perfect gadget bag. Well to tell you the truth I'd settle for a bag that will carry all my stuff and passes my wife's "manly" test. You know, a bag that she won't laugh at and call my man purse. So, when I had the opportunity to review a bag called appropriately The Man Bag, I jumped. After all, if the slogan is "if it's not a Man Bag it's a purse!" it must pass my wife's manly test, right?

The Man Bag is manufactured and sold on the Man Bag website. Actually the official name is the Man-n-Bag but they are known throughout as simply the Man Bag so that's what I call it. They offer several bags of different sizes but the one that interested me most was the smallest- the Axible. Strange name but, well, manly.

To access photos of the bag in action go here.

The bag arrived in a simple box and was well packaged for shipping. Opening it up the first thing that struck me was how simple the bag looked. Clean and sleek lines are the standard for the Man Bag. The bag is very well constructed of black sleek nylon, while the front flap is a matching black mesh material. The materials are very light so the bag weighs almost nothing empty. The bottom and sides of the bag are semi-rigid so the bag retains its shape even empty. The Man Bag logo is tastefully attached to the lower front flap and looks pretty manly, too. A very comfortable shoulder strap is securely sewn to the bag so no worries about it coming off. The strap is adjustable and can be as short or as long as is comfortable. I do wish the strap was removable but they probably decided against going that route as there is no handle on the top of the bag. The missing handle was something I wish they had included in the design, and I would wish for one over and over. The front flap is very light and pliable and sometimes makes the bag hard to close when it's loaded with stuff.

The dimensions of the bag are:
Width: 8.5"
Height (standing up): 9.5"
Depth: 2"

So how does the bag work in daily use? The front flap covers the entire front of the Man Bag while closed and fastens with a very secure magnetic closure. Works well and is simple to use. Opening the front flap reveals two small pockets on the inside of the flap. One has a mesh front so you can see inside and is perfect for business cards and the other is a clear plastic pocket for an ID. There is nothing else on the inside flap.

Once opened you can get a good look at the front of the actual bag and you see two tall but narrow pockets. Both pockets have a narrow oval in the middle with a mesh material that lets you see what's in the pocket. That's a nice touch. The left pocket is slightly narrower then the right one and is sized perfectly for cell phones. The right one being a little larger will fit most PDAs or devices of that size. The pockets are not stretchy so you don't want to put anything too small in them or they might fall out if the bag turns upside down.

The main compartment is accessed via two large zippers that run the entire length of the top of the bag and about 1/2 inch down either side. This creates a nice large opening making it possible to get stuff in and out of the Man Bag quite easily. Looking down into the bag you see basically a large pocket, as the bag is essentially one large compartment without dividers. No doubt they did this to make the bag more versatile but it does cause stuff to shift around when you put smaller items in there. There is a large zippered pocket on the back of the inside compartment that is covered in mesh allowing you to see what's in there and as it's very stretchy you can put some fairly thick items inside. The finishing touch is the key clip that is tethered to the inside of the bag at the top. The tether is quite long, about 6 inches, so it's constructed to allow you to unlock doors without having to remove the keys from the clip. I find the long tether causes it to flop around inside the bag and get in the way of the items placed inside.

Over all I like the bag and it definitely looks more professional than the Mini-backpack I've been using. I take my bag into client meetings so looks are important and it definitely looks better than the backpack. It fits all the mobile stuff I carry every day and still has a little room left over for more, which is important to a technogeek. Of course the real test is how it meets my wife's standards since she has to be seen with me using the bag. It must look "unfeminine" and "not geeky" to get her seal of approval. Her verdict- definitely not geeky but it still looks like a purse. Oh well, guess it's back to the Swiss Army Mini-backpack.

The Man Bag is available from www.manbag.com for $40. They also have several larger bags that are messenger bag types that might fit your needs if you're looking for a larger bag.

Comments

[bkbroil]

>> "Her verdict- definitely not geeky but it still looks like a purse"

I looked at the pictures before I read the article and I thought it looked like a purse....while I was reading the review I kept thinking "Oh boy, I think he's going to give it a favorable review and I guess I can't post anything." Then....I read your wife's verdict and I did "Schaawooo...thank goodness" It just goes to show you, you gain more credibility when you post the bad things rather than just posting only the "good stuff". Thanks for the honest appraisel! :) BTW...just the fact that there aren't any dividers inside...gave me a picture of my wife's purse where I can never find anything and I wonder how she can stand rifling through everything just to pick out her keys. :(

[jk]

Thanks but what are you doing rifling through your wife's purse? :)

[Iggy Sol]

It's not as professional looking as you probably would want, but I *highly* recommend the Metro bag from Timbuk2 (http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/catalog/categories.t2?categoryId=11). I've been carrying a purse (man bag sounds stupid to me, just say purse : plus it really freaks out those grabby folks when you go into a store : "I need to hold your bag, sir." "But this is my purse!" "Uhhh, okay, you can keep it.") for a decade now (and I'm 33) and this is the BEST thing that I've ever found. It's waterproof, it has a detachable strap and a handle on top, many nice pockets that are perfect for small devices... It's got a perfect PDA sized pocket under the flap but not actually in the bag. That's where my T|E always rides, within easy reach, but well protected. Have a look. The basic black isn't too bad. And it ain't girly...

[Sheri]

Sorry-checked out the Timbuk2 site. Still looks girlie to me.

[Sammy]

Does the fact that a bag is small automatically make it a purse? Seems like that's the case so far. Plus not a fan of the Swiss army backpack. Looks pretty girly to me.

[Al]

Try eholster.com - DEFINITELY not girly.

[Valerie Vonne]

A man bag that's not a purse? I think these folks would like to have a word with you:

http://thesatchelpages.com/about-that-bag-you-carry/

[Vetrox]

If you're worried about your manhood going to waste because of the purses you want, check this one out. You won't be disappointed.

http://www.airsoftscotland.com/acatalog/Pyrotechnics___Blank_Firing_Grenades.html

An original Satchel Bag.

[Marc Joseph]

Hahah, the Claymore Satchel. And OMG, I can't believe this has been such a burning hot issue as to generate the level of discussion that has played out over at The Satchel Pages. http://thesatchelpages.com/about-that-bag-you-carry/

How funny. And...kinda scary. Well I'm adding more fuel to the fire. James, if you get the chance, I've presented a discussion of my own on the subject here: http://camineet.wordpress.com/

I'm pretty new at blogging, and hope that this isn't considered to be spam. I've linked to your article here, so hopefully posting my blog URL here is Kosher.

[James Kendrick]

No problem Marc.

[viridari]

I have been carrying a manpurse since January and I wouldn't leave home without it now.

Though I am a geek, my manpurse is decidedly geared more towards woodland survival (since I do love to go out in the woods a lot).

http://theutilitybelt.blogspot.com/2007/09/edc-manpurse-dump.html

[Don't Panic!]

My first man bag was a USAF gasmask bag I brought home from the peace. That would eazily fit an Ax, Keyboard, Power-warts, extra batteries, comb, brush, and other stuff easily. I actually still have a bag like in that photo, I have more stuff now so I don't use it much.

[Sad]

It looks gay. My ManBag is actually a motobike helmet sack. Its soft, has a draw string that I throw over my shoulder, and changes shape to suit whats in it (it is a cloth bag). It doenst look gay, more like a hippy bag (without the tie-dying).