A manbag question

Alright, here's the deal - I need some sort of briefcase / satchel / messenger bag to move papers to and from work. I wear a suit to work, but I usually stick with edgier suits like my Thick as Thieves one. I also ride a bike to work, since i live in Japan, and that's how people roll here. Because I ride a bike to work, the traditional briefcase is more or less out since it's too inconvenient with no shoulder strap. I kind of want to get a messenger bag for every day use as well... So the question is, is there a messenger/manbag out there that would look passable both with an edgier suit and with everyday wear? Or should I just break down and buy 2 different bags? I've seen a few stiff cloth (usually navy pinstripe) briefcases with shoulder straps, but I think they'd look silly with jeans. that and the combination of handles sticking up with a shoulder strap looks a little odd to begin with. On the other hand, most messenger-esque bags work about as well as a backpack with a suit. I think I'd prefer cloth or waxed canvas to leather, just because I'm not huge on the idea of wearing a lot of leather (aside from shoes of course). I was thinking maybe this Takeo Kikuchi bag, but its still not quite right. Any opinions or suggestions? (these are the same bag, but they only had a side view in brown on the website) here's an example of the shoulder strap briefcase (also by Takeo Kikuchi)

Consider Filson briefcases ... http://www.filson.com/family/index.j...069836.2065001

Solid construction ... shoulder strap ... little leather ...

Originally Posted by Doc4

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Consider Filson briefcases ... http://www.filson.com/family/index.j...069836.2065001

Solid construction ... shoulder strap ... little leather ...


Love those bags. Anyone know a store that carries them in the NYC/NJ area? I want to get a look at the full size laptop model and the regular briefcase model to decide which one will suit my needs better.

Anyone have experience with either model?

Call Dave at the store about Filson.

I'm about to join the working world and I've had my eye on one of these. They come in several colors, as well.

Originally Posted by DocHunter

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Love those bags. Anyone know a store that carries them in the NYC/NJ area? I want to get a look at the full size laptop model and the regular briefcase model to decide which one will suit my needs better.

Anyone have experience with either model?

I've got the style 258 Padded Laptop Bag. It's pretty big and heavy.
Very high quality and well made. I can easily fit my 13" or 15" lappy in it. I don't see why a 17" wouldn't fit.

Got a good price from Crane's.

Thanks for the input guys. I'm still looking for a good bag though, the Filsons seem very serviceable, but with the exception of the leather field satchel (which looks great, but while I'm not a vegetarian, I try to avoid large dead animal items if I can), none of the others have much style to my eye. They look useful, but useful in the way that middle aged men find Teva sandals useful, at least as far as aesthetics are concerned.I'm not lugging my laptop around either, just plain old papers and personal effects. I have a different bag for my laptop, so maybe that's too much functionality.

I'm really trying to find something with a little bit of stylish flair that, while acceptable as a business bag in a less conservative workplace that still requires a suit, could be work as a decent accessory for every day use with casual clothes. Does a bag with such versatility even exist. Looking decent with casual clothes is a higher priority for me, I'm OK with barely acceptable at work. Any other suggestions?

While he sadly retired the blog, there are tons of examples of seriously amazing man bags here.

thats a good blog, thanks..

I used a Filson briefcase for a long time, they're really great. More recently I've been using a Krane bag - you might want to check them out, www.kranedesign.com. I love mine.

I love kjrane bags but the prices of the bag has increased crazy . im unsure if i want to buy one now..

Where's gosurface when you need him? I thought for sure he'd be all over this thread like nut on socal's face.

Originally Posted by jet

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Where's gosurface when you need him? I thought for sure he'd be all over this thread like nut on socal's face.

Jet-san, you kill me.

Originally Posted by jet

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Where's gosurface when you need him? I thought for sure he'd be all over this thread like nut on socal's face.

Thanks for the mental images :/

Thanks guys I'll be here all week.