Let’s see those man bags

dialton

dialton

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
2,339
Oh yeah, we all have some form of em. Let’s face it, in today’s world you just need stuff. Cell charger, battery pack, flashlight, a blade or two of course and too many variations for me to cover. I mainly switch between these two depending on where I’m going an what I’m doing. I took the backpack on a trip this summer where we took the RV’s on a 2500 mile trip to the Grand Canyon and beyond but normally I grab the Duluth bag when I’m going (driving) any distance from the house. It’s a bit on the heavy side!
A9F51230-2F5E-4022-BF42-A3EFE7449D81.jpegAC54BB4C-3D43-438E-86D7-DD3A91C4ED02.jpeg69EFCBB1-0B1E-4DFE-A475-37667E069B55.jpeg
 
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The Maxpedition is a nice little bag to tote your necessities around or as a day trip hiking bag and has a dedicated drink/bottle holder. It’s a single shoulder strap but when loaded reasonably it works fine.
 
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Hip pack has straps underneath which are just the right spacing to fit the 2 molded belt loops on the sheath of this Silky Gomtaro dual-teeth saw. Perfect for clearing tree limbs when bushwhacking. Other items in pack are pruning shears for prickly bushes or poison oak, Big Agnes skyline uL stool, headlamp, TP, water, a few other necessities
 
barleywino said:
View attachment 1681772
Hip pack has straps underneath which are just the right spacing to fit the 2 molded belt loops on the sheath of this Silky Gomtaro dual-teeth saw. Perfect for clearing tree limbs when bushwhacking. Other items in pack are pruning shears for prickly bushes or poison oak, Big Agnes skyline uL stool, headlamp, TP, water, a few other necessities
Click to expand...
Nice! And yeah, TP is a must have item.
 
Good thread. I'm a huge fan of the man's carry bag. I began carrying a man-bag (a term that sounds like another sort of sack, so it can inspire snorts and giggles) since I was a teenager in the '80s. Back then it was often called my "F'g Bag", but I won out over the puerile critics with my military satchels and the like. Over the decades I've had so many I can't keep track.

Pics to follow.
 
I've been carrying this bag for some years now, and it really was a game changer for organization and preparedness. Having everything I need, and many things that I may need, all together in one place ready when I leave the door is something I can't imagine living without now. No need to search for my keys and other necessities, forgetting things I should have with me and having to go back, instead having everything ready to go whenever the need arises. My shit in one sock, as they say. It was especially convenient when I had two vehicles and could just grab the bag and never worry about being without. This bag goes with me when I leave the house and rides next to me in the passenger seat (when I'm alone), everything I need right there in reach.

The bag I chose was an Oakley sling bag. Its velcro backing on the inside allowed me to integrate organization accessories from other companies. I have everything I could think of needing in this thing. Batteries/chargers/cables, bit set, flashlights, knives, pen/pencil/sharpie, lighter, tape, headlamp, mini tools, first aid kit, gloves; I even found some thumb actuated sea salt/pepper grinders, and a few packs of hot sauce of course. Right on the outside there's a spot for a velcro patch where I was able to integrate a cell phone pouch to have it right at hand. I also have a few other things attached to the outside like a folder, Swisstool (in pouch), another flashlight, and a strap cutter just to have them handy in a pinch. Then in the dump portion is still room for a snack pack, camera, and anything else I might find the need to throw in loose.

J0FAYCj.jpg


P7cXqOj.jpg


One vital feature of this bag, and probably the one that I've found to be the absolute most convenient is the way of storing my house key. There is a section on the strap with smaller straps where I slipped a kubaton style keychain on a key-bak system. This means when I leave and return to the house my key is right there on my right shoulder. I just reach up and grab it, extend it with the key-bak cable, lock/unlock the door, and let it return to its position. There is rarely a need to ever remove it from the strap. I haven't had to search for, nor even fumble with my house key in years.

ghQ3yU0.jpg


I must add that as convenient as this carry bag system was for me, it was just as much fun to put it all together.
 
I don't know how I missed this thread.

This is a leather backpack I made several years ago when I felt like changing up my motorcycles and ditched my saddle bags. I chose instead to carry stuff in a duffle bag bungeed to a cargo rack, but I also wanted the option to carry more stuff. Instead of buying an existing backpack I wanted something that looked like a motorcycle bag.

The leather is thick and heavy-duty (3/16ths") and was treated to be really stiff. The inside mouth of the backpack is reinforced with strips of 1/16th" stainless steel, and the sides are lined with full-size pieces of 1/8th" thick kydex so it stays rigid and always keeps it's shape.

The straps are made out of leather belts, and there's a bid D ring mounted at the top in the back so I can hang it on a hook at the rear of my bikes. To stich the sides I used 18 gauge vinyl covered electrical wire. I always use that for stitching on my motorcycle bags because it's very strong (won't break when I pull it TIGHT), and because it's virtually impervious to the elements. It also resists abrasion better than leather or cord stitching.

It was a lot of work. It took two hours just to fully stitch one side.

I ended up not using it much at first, and I actually started regretting putting all the time, effort, and money into it. I just don't need to carry a lot of stuff. And I actually like going grocery shopping, so I prefer multiple small trips throughout the week rather than getting everything in one trip. But then Covid hit, and the lockdown, and suddenly going to the grocery store everyday wasn't a good idea anymore. That's when the backpack proved it's worth and I was glad I made it.

The bag measures 12" across the front, 14" tall, with 6" of room inside front to back. Just one big compartment.


PXtJ8gz.jpg



I mounted a bolt eye on the left side so I could lock the backpack to my bike using a cable.

O5kWSea.jpg

p7RiOUl.jpg



I made the latch and plate from scratch out of stainless steel.


e7JaR7B.jpg
 
killgar said:
I don't know how I missed this thread.

This is a leather backpack I made several years ago when I felt like changing up my motorcycles and ditched my saddle bags. I chose instead to carry stuff in a duffle bag bungeed to a cargo rack, but I also wanted the option to carry more stuff. Instead of buying an existing backpack I wanted something that looked like a motorcycle bag.

The leather is thick and heavy-duty (3/16ths") and was treated to be really stiff. The inside mouth of the backpack is reinforced with strips of 1/16th" stainless steel, and the sides are lined with full-size pieces of 1/8th" thick kydex so it stays rigid and always keeps it's shape.

The straps are made out of leather belts, and there's a bid D ring mounted at the top in the back so I can hang it on a hook at the rear of my bikes. To stich the sides I used 18 gauge vinyl covered electrical wire. I always use that for stitching on my motorcycle bags because it's very strong (won't break when I pull it TIGHT), and because it's virtually impervious to the elements. It also resists abrasion better than leather or cord stitching.

It was a lot of work. It took two hours just to fully stitch one side.

I ended up not using it much at first, and I actually started regretting putting all the time, effort, and money into it. I just don't need to carry a lot of stuff. And I actually like going grocery shopping, so I prefer multiple small trips throughout the week rather than getting everything in one trip. But then Covid hit, and the lockdown, and suddenly going to the grocery store everyday wasn't a good idea anymore. That's when the backpack proved it's worth and I was glad I made it.

The bag measures 12" across the front, 14" tall, with 6" of room inside front to back. Just one big compartment.


PXtJ8gz.jpg



I mounted a bolt eye on the left side so I could lock the backpack to my bike using a cable.

O5kWSea.jpg

p7RiOUl.jpg



I made the latch and plate from scratch out of stainless steel.


e7JaR7B.jpg
Click to expand...
very nice
 
Knives&Lint said:
I've been carrying this bag for some years now, and it really was a game changer for organization and preparedness. Having everything I need, and many things that I may need, all together in one place ready when I leave the door is something I can't imagine living without now. No need to search for my keys and other necessities, forgetting things I should have with me and having to go back, instead having everything ready to go whenever the need arises. My shit in one sock, as they say. It was especially convenient when I had two vehicles and could just grab the bag and never worry about being without. This bag goes with me when I leave the house and rides next to me in the passenger seat (when I'm alone), everything I need right there in reach.

The bag I chose was an Oakley sling bag. Its velcro backing on the inside allowed me to integrate organization accessories from other companies. I have everything I could think of needing in this thing. Batteries/chargers/cables, bit set, flashlights, knives, pen/pencil/sharpie, lighter, tape, headlamp, mini tools, first aid kit, gloves; I even found some thumb actuated sea salt/pepper grinders, and a few packs of hot sauce of course. Right on the outside there's a spot for a velcro patch where I was able to integrate a cell phone pouch to have it right at hand. I also have a few other things attached to the outside like a folder, Swisstool (in pouch), another flashlight, and a strap cutter just to have them handy in a pinch. Then in the dump portion is still room for a snack pack, camera, and anything else I might find the need to throw in loose.

J0FAYCj.jpg


P7cXqOj.jpg


One vital feature of this bag, and probably the one that I've found to be the absolute most convenient is the way of storing my house key. There is a section on the strap with smaller straps where I slipped a kubaton style keychain on a key-bak system. This means when I leave and return to the house my key is right there on my right shoulder. I just reach up and grab it, extend it with the key-bak cable, lock/unlock the door, and let it return to its position. There is rarely a need to ever remove it from the strap. I haven't had to search for, nor even fumble with my house key in years.

ghQ3yU0.jpg


I must add that as convenient as this carry bag system was for me, it was just as much fun to put it all together.
Click to expand...
That looks good! I don't see it on their web site, discontinued perhaps?
 
sodak said:
That looks good! I don't see it on their web site, discontinued perhaps?
Click to expand...

Thanks! Yea, long since I'm afraid, as I bought quite some time back. They did make a version 2.0 (it's called the Extractor btw), but it doesn't work as well for my uses because it doesn't have the velcro patch where I'm used to having my phone pouch.
 
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