The waist bag is a handy way to carry a few essentials --
wallet, keys, sunglasses -- but a lot of men carry them slung
over the shoulder, purse-style, instead of around the middle.
Makes it easier to get in and out of a car
and still fasten the seat belt.
It may be called a soft-sided briefcase,
but it works like a purse, male-style.
ard is out and soft is in for the '90s male.So say some local retailers who sell men's bags, as in briefcases, computer cases, backpacks, waist bags and other items used to tote all the stuff men seem to need these days.
"Men are getting older so they may need to carry reading glasses as well as dark glasses and regular glasses," said Jody Rogers Schucart, president of The Pocketbook Man at Ala Moana Center. "And because office items are constantly getting smaller -- cellular phones and laptop computers -- men are taking their business machines along with them, too."
Whether it's office items, or personal, carry-anywhere stuff, men seem to be lugging more stuff around these days. And though these bags function like a woman's purse, retailers market them as "soft-sided" briefcases, "computer" cases, "waist" bags -- commonly known as fanny packs -- or "hand-held" bags.
In an informal survey at Ala Moana Center recently, during a five-minute span of the 80 male passers-by, only seven carried any kind of bag. Six were backpacks and waist bags, and one was a soft-sided briefcase. In contrast, at Tamarind Square in downtown Honolulu, out of 50 men, 15 carried briefcases, 14 soft-sided -- all in black -- and 10 of a durable nylon material.
Michael Venavente, president of Longines, of Weehawken, N.J., says he's been a soft-side bag man for a decade.
"In sales, you tend to stuff a lot of things in a bag and the soft-sides are expandable while you can easily max out the hard-sided cases," he said at Ala Moana Center. "These bags are durable, especially ones made of ballistic nylon, and they're light.
"The old-style attache cases scratch and dent. I was always banging the corners when I put them under an airplane seat or in the overhead."
The rigid-framed attaches bruise more easily than soft bags, are heavier when empty and hold less, said Schucart, who estimates her sales of briefcases are 95 percent soft-sided.
Dennis Steele, a sportswear company representative, is one of those business people who likes to bring home the entire contents of his office at the end of a workday. He says he doesn't go anywhere without his laptop, sales brochures, business cards, cellular phone, pen and pad.
"There's no way I would ever carry a regular attache case," he said, sitting in his sports utility vehicle in a downtown Honolulu parking lot. "They look stiff, unexciting, maybe even intimidating. They don't exactly match my lifestyle."
Steele uses the Notebook Computer Brief by a top-of-the-line brand, Tumi, that's made of black ballistic nylon. The brief features a fully padded, adjustable section for a notebook computer, a rear compartment for business, outside pockets and loops to stash an umbrella and newspaper; holders for pens, eyeglasses, keys and even a pocket for a phone.
"I've used this for everything, as an overnighter, even a beach bag," he said. "A hard case wouldn't look so good sitting on a towel on the North Shore."
Time for some definitions: Soft-sided bags are traditional-looking briefcases with a flap closure; a "portfolio" is a case that zips at the top and usually has retractable handles; a "teacher's bag" is a soft-side/attache hybrid with accordion sides and a rigid frame at the top; other soft-sided bags can look like saddlebags or day packs; attaches are hard-sided cases with no expandability.
Lifestyle is a major reason soft-sided bags are popular, Schucart said.
"People are living a more casual life and everything they do reflects that," she said. "Soft cases are functional and look outdoorsy and sturdy.
"I also link the change to politics. The Ronald Reagan White House was much more formal and the attache reflected that. ... When President Clinton came in as a much younger president, the impression is youth, energy and the outdoors."
Men also are buying more waist bags and backpacks, added Schucart, though the backpack is more a favorite of the under-30 set.
"We don't carry nearly as many hard-sided cases as we did two years ago," said a Liberty House customer service representative. "Younger men, like college-age, go for the nylon briefcases; older men, 30-plus, go for the pricier leather style."
Men these days prefer black and dark blue bags made of ballistic nylon or leather, the salesman said.
Waist bags are convenient and secure -- since they're fastened to the hip -- light, inexpensive and casual. Day packs are easy to carry over a shoulder, to stuff bulky items in, and less expensive than a briefcase, Schucart said.
What retailers call the "man's bag" -- it looks like an oversized wallet -- have fallen out of favor because, said one retailer who requested anonymity, they seem "more like a woman's purse and a lifestyle that men don't want to be associated with."
As for backpacks, Liberty House's stock is more popular with teen-agers because the styles and colors "are very trendy."
"Older men don't do backpacks," Schucart said.
Waist bags start at about $20 and can cost more than $100 depending on size, material and features. Day packs can run to more than $300 if the leather is particularly good. The average cost of a soft-sided ballistic case by Tumi is about $260; leather is even more.
But the models carry lifetime warranties, and have features such as expandable gussets that increase depth up to 2 inches, at least three outside pockets, key holders, and newspaper and umbrella loops.
Rich Keller, a 40-year-old stock trader, uses an inexpensive -- under $100 -- Lands' End soft-sided canvas briefcase to carry his laptop, business papers and cell phone. The brown canvas is soiled from two years of daily use.
"The expensive cases attract too much attention," he said drying off after a surf session at Diamond Head. "And I would be worried about getting it dirty when I throw it under my seat when I go surfing.
"And there's no way I would lug an attache around like some sort of 9-to-5 geek."
Patagonia has just introduced two Courier Bags, $85 and $95, geared for city bike riders. The bags, which come with reflective trim and an oversized flap to keep out rain, are big enough to hold gym clothes, books, papers or anything a wallet or valise would hold.