Handbags

[sunshine 919]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@JeanLouiseFinch.  While backpacks are handy, leaving you hands free, it seems to me they are the most unsecured item you could carry.  They're on your back out of sight and an open, easy invitation to any pickpocket.  It's like waving your possessions under their noses.

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I totally agree with this.  It is exactly what I think when I see so many ladies wearing the backpack.  Especially the young girls they love this type of purse.  Same thing when I see so many women with their cell phones in their back pocket.  I have a hard enough time just remembering to take my phone.  If it was in my back pocket I would think it would be easy to loose.

[sunshine 919]

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@Toots711 wrote:

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@MalibuFox wrote:

@JeanLouiseFinch what about a sling bag? 

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@MalibuFox 

That leather sling bag caught my interest. Do you know the brand?

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I am starting to see ladies with this sling bag.  I have been seeing the same style but not in leather.  I would prefer this over a backpack

[pidgenwil6]

I love mine . I got the pink one it is well made leather its worth it and on sale even better.

Spoiler

[NYCLatinaMe]

@JeanLouiseFinch   I was wondering if you were looking at this for your trip to NYC.  If you carry leather backpacks on a regular basis and they work for you, it may be good.  But since my 50s, I stopped carrying leather bags for days out because my shoulders can't handle the weight.  I like soft material that hangs small when empty but can fill and become larger if I need to carry something since I go out for the whole day and don't have a car to store things.  Most New Yorkers carry totes or messenger bags, shoulder or cross-body with a ZIP TOP, and we carry them in the front of our bodies, so we can access what we need, like this.  

Arm over the bag, hand on top of the zipper pull.  Cross bodies much easier because I can see the zip.  [None of these people are me, they are random photos from the internet.]

I see many girls and ladies carrying 2 such bags.

So it's not so much that the backpack is vulnerable because you can't see it, is that it is hard for the wearer to access what is inside, like in a checkout line, or street shopping.  I personally have not been able to wear a backpack because they never lay in a comfortable spot in my back.

I also agree with @Squirrels Are Trash that backpacks can be a problem when the wearer moves in a crowded space, they hit other people.  I have been hit many times.  Not cool.  New York City streets, subways, and tourist spots will be crowded.

Regular NYers are not so fancy, and I have discovered cloth bags in Amazon for very little money that are lightweight and a dream to wear.  I used to buy Lug but I no longer like them.  They are filled with stiff boards.  I prefer a.body-friendly design I can squeeze against to fit in a tight space if I need to.  

Crossbody BAGGU Zip Duck Bags are very popular and inexpensive.  I love my $27 KALIDI Canvas Tote Messenger Large Crossbody Bag.  It was very wrinkled when it arrived (photo below), but I just wet it with a towel and stuffed it with paper to dry and it came out perfect.  Lightweight, strong, good size, adjustable strap, zip top and side pockets for sunglasses or bottled water.  What's not to like?  It comes in several colors.

Kipling, Baggallini, Le Sportsacs also have good choices.  I also like the LL Bean Zip Hunter's Tote Bag With Strap.

If you get a big bag which I recommend for touristy things, you will need a small bag for dinner.  Most restaurants are packed and there is no place to put a bag with valuables unless they check bags, in which case you won't have access to your things.  Sometimes I stuff a small bag in a large bag, so I can be not as worried about my large bag, and put my valuables in my small bag.  My purse in a restaurant sits on my lap or between my legs.  I don't know what other ladies do, but that is what I have been doing for as long as I remember.  Too many stories of people hanging their bags from their chairs, only to find them empty.  It is hard to keep an eye on things in a crowded restaurant because the view will be obstructed, specially when someone is stealing something.  A small bag for dining, maybe like the one below, would be good to have.

Note that all my suggestions pack flat.  No need for a pretty leather bag.  Just my opinion.

Have fun!

[JeanLouiseFinch]

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@NYCLatinaMe wrote:

@JeanLouiseFinch   I was wondering if you were looking at this for your trip to NYC.  If you carry leather backpacks on a regular basis and they work for you, it may be good.  But since my 50s, I stopped carrying leather bags for days out because my shoulders can't handle the weight.  I like soft material that hangs small when empty but can fill and become larger if I need to carry something since I go out for the whole day and don't have a car to store things.  Most New Yorkers carry totes or messenger bags, shoulder or cross-body with a ZIP TOP, and we carry them in the front of our bodies, so we can access what we need, like this.  

Arm over the bag, hand on top of the zipper pull.  Cross bodies much easier because I can see the zip.  [None of these people are me, they are random photos from the internet.]

I see many girls and ladies carrying 2 such bags.

So it's not so much that the backpack is vulnerable because you can't see it, is that it is hard for the wearer to access what is inside, like in a checkout line, or street shopping.  I personally have not been able to wear a backpack because they never lay in a comfortable spot in my back.

I also agree with @Squirrels Are Trash that backpacks can be a problem when the wearer moves in a crowded space, they hit other people.  I have been hit many times.  Not cool.  New York City streets, subways, and tourist spots will be crowded.

Regular NYers are not so fancy, and I have discovered cloth bags in Amazon for very little money that are lightweight and a dream to wear.  I used to buy Lug but I no longer like them.  They are filled with stiff boards.  I prefer a.body-friendly design I can squeeze against to fit in a tight space if I need to.  

Crossbody BAGGU Zip Duck Bags are very popular and inexpensive.  I love my $27 KALIDI Canvas Tote Messenger Large Crossbody Bag.  It was very wrinkled when it arrived (photo below), but I just wet it with a towel and stuffed it with paper to dry and it came out perfect.  Lightweight, strong, good size, adjustable strap, zip top and side pockets for sunglasses or bottled water.  What's not to like?  It comes in several colors.

Kipling, Baggallini, Le Sportsacs also have good choices.  I also like the LL Bean Zip Hunter's Tote Bag With Strap.

If you get a big bag which I recommend for touristy things, you will need a small bag for dinner.  Most restaurants are packed and there is no place to put a bag with valuables unless they check bags, in which case you won't have access to your things.  Sometimes I stuff a small bag in a large bag, so I can be not as worried about my large bag, and put my valuables in my small bag.  My purse in a restaurant sits on my lap or between my legs.  I don't know what other ladies do, but that is what I have been doing for as long as I remember.  Too many stories of people hanging their bags from their chairs, only to find them empty.  It is hard to keep an eye on things in a crowded restaurant because the view will be obstructed, specially when someone is stealing something.  A small bag for dining, maybe like the one below, would be good to have.

Note that all my suggestions pack flat.  No need for a pretty leather bag.  Just my opinion.

Have fun!

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Thanks, @NYCLatinaMe, for the suggestions.  I'm stuck on dark green.  I've seen some Travelon options that are in m6 short list. 

[NYCLatinaMe]

@JeanLouiseFinch   Some Kalidi green zip tops, shoulder or crossbody.  $27 and $15 respectively.  That $15 looks like something I should have, for those 2 bag days.  PS, NY stores don't give out bags.  Most sell them unless they have run out.  It's the law.

[OCG]

@JeanLouiseFinch I have two back packs from Hedgren which I like very much...they are old so I'm not sure what's currently available but they are very well made (mine are not leather) and with the way they are designed, no one can access them when they are on your back.  They also come in a lot of different sizes.

Enjoy your trip!

[JeanLouiseFinch]

Thanks, @NYCLatinaMe .  I've got it narrowed down to a few.  Good thing I don't need it until later this year so I can watch for sales.