When I started carrying my Jumbo Versipack with my VOK and second tier FAK, I was catching hell from the guys I work with, until one was a little clumsy with a knife. Then it was "Grab your bag!" After a little disinfecting, 5 butterflies, and bandaging I got no more grief.
Yes... does "all of the above" cover it? my response is usually just a simple "Okay" or a random "Yes" Your purse is soo cute! ... me: Yes/Okay Is that your <insert witty name here> bag? ...me: Yes What are you carrying in there a someting somethin something <usually witty comment>? ... me:Okay bla bla bla something somethinig boyscout! ... me proudly: YES! i think you get the picture... kind of a passive agressive thing but it works and confuses people to the point they walk away wondering what just happened.
Hi All I'm too secure in my masculinity to worry about other people's derisive comments regarding my man-purse. :lolhammer: It was good for Chewbacca, it's good for me. Plus all my coworkers, clients, and students carry a bag of some sort. It must be an environment/geographical issue, but I never see people without bags (men & women) anywhere. At school, especially at Nerd Central, people carried entire labs on their persons; at work, both in academia and in consulting, I never see anybody without at least a briefcase, most with backpacks. Between laptops, electronics, books, documents, protein bars, and soft drinks, pockets are not enough. Plenty of cargo vests (and now Scott eVests) as well, including at least one person at a client company who wore a Blackhawk Omega Utility/Medic vest to work every day. A computer programmer, mind you. Bully for him! Caring about what other people think is the path to personal misery, is what I always say. (That applies to Cambridge, MA and the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Not so sure about other places.) -W
I now carry a Neatfreak with attached rolly-polly, janus and m-1. If i didnt have the pouches it would look like a rectangle purse. I honestly haven't had a joke cracked. Maybe I forgot. Maybe from family but it's all in good fun. In public I get looks mainly at teeny-bopper locations like the mall/movies. All the kids there are conformists and look at people like me as "lepers".(as someone stated earlier.) Strangers don't say anything. I mean if you see someone carrying a rugged bag with cargo pants, boots and pretty tall, you don't really know what they are packing. It's all about confidence and being comfortable. Make everyone else feel like they are an outcast for not being self-reliant. Just be happy with yourself!
I got some the purse murse terms when I carried my Jumbo Versipak. When I carried it, I used to call it my "Satchel O' Death & Treats". The comments kinda died down among my friends, after they found out I carried my HK45 in there among many other things. Then anything said about it, became "where can I get one?". I have since switched it out for my TAD Gear Fast Pack EDC.
Hmmm maybe it matches your shoes to nicely ... :lolhammer: Note: meant to be a joke not a slam! P.S. Mine don't match my shoes at all :laugh:
The only ones I get are people who can't believe that I carry my bag every where. But then again in NZ people over last 6 or so years have begun to carry bags with them when out and about. They are mostly school type back packs and messenger type bags. At least it is a step in right direction.
why does anyone care what others think? if ya really need to carry all sorts of trash around in a bag, then do it! most people out there really don't pay attention to what's right in front of their collective noses, let alone what type of bag you are hauling around. imho, of course.
I don't carry a bag, but I get teased by friends and coworkers for the EDC I have on my belt. Batman cracks seem to be the most prevalent, with MacGuyver coming in second; I've never gotten called Jack Bauer, though. The teasing is almost universally good-natured, and my friends and co-workers are always appreciative when I produce a tool that they desperately need. I take more ribbing for the huge collection of JIC (Just In Case) stuff I keep at my desk. I have a FAK, a bunch of tools, cleaning fluids and paper towels, a Swiffer duster, multiple tapes, plates and utensils for my lunch and snacks, a mini-fridge stocked with a few drinks, some sort of snack items, and a rather large collection of OTC pharmacuticals, all of which are actually used on a semi-regular basis. They'd all gape like fish if they saw the EDC pouch I carry in my laptop bag. I rarely get any truly malicious ribbing, but I do get a little hurt when people with whom I've worked closely for years act like I'm a serial killer because I've produced a pocket knife or large kitchen kife I keep in my desk for bread and baked goods, or when I happen to mention that I own a firearm.
WillCAD, you stole my post almost exactly. I have always carried on my belt and my wife constantly makes Batman/MacGuyver references. My response is usually something along the lines of "MacGuyver was cool and you'll notice he never was blown up despite many attempts." Most people around me that don't know me don't seem to notice or at least they don't say anything about it. My favorite reaction is one of my friends who is absolutely in love with all the "toys" I carry on my person. He's always talking about how good an idea it is and yet he doesn't EDC himself which confuses me. It's nice to feel appreciated, though.
People poke fun from time to time, but I have enough self-esteem that I can laugh at myself. My usual retort is, "it's not a purse ... it's EUROPEAN!"