Briefcase v Backpack
Discussion
What do you use?
I know there is a view that wearing a backpack with a suit is unacceptable and makes you look like an intern, but quite frankly it is much easier on the commute and doesn't give you a sore arm. Plus there is something about carrying a briefcase under the age of 50 which makes you look a little tryhard.
I thought a smart leather backpack would be the answer, but the two I have bought have ripped within the week! Not cheap ones either, Jaeger and Timberland with an RRP of £285 and £265 respectively (though I paid a lot less from TK Maxx). So now I am at a loss.
Thoughts?
I know there is a view that wearing a backpack with a suit is unacceptable and makes you look like an intern, but quite frankly it is much easier on the commute and doesn't give you a sore arm. Plus there is something about carrying a briefcase under the age of 50 which makes you look a little tryhard.
I thought a smart leather backpack would be the answer, but the two I have bought have ripped within the week! Not cheap ones either, Jaeger and Timberland with an RRP of £285 and £265 respectively (though I paid a lot less from TK Maxx). So now I am at a loss.
Thoughts?
b
ks to what others think - I go for what works well for me and therefore a backpack it is!
I can fit everything in it easily and it’s much easier for a walk or train commute.
I have a NorthFace Recon backpack in silver and red and no one has questioned my ability to do my job effectively because of it, and if they did, that’d be their loss as I wouldn’t work for people to make such assumptions.
ks to what others think - I go for what works well for me and therefore a backpack it is!I can fit everything in it easily and it’s much easier for a walk or train commute.
I have a NorthFace Recon backpack in silver and red and no one has questioned my ability to do my job effectively because of it, and if they did, that’d be their loss as I wouldn’t work for people to make such assumptions.
Our IT department just issued "guidance on this" due to the amount of broken corners on laptops due to backpacks vs IT OEM "briefcases" (not necessarily the standard manufactures black material bag, we have some quite nice options).
For "briefcases"...
-If put down on the floor, they generally get put down from 1ft, nice soft bump, no cracks.
-Doesn't have a zip behind you out of arms reach which someone on the 7:19 to Pimlico unzips bit by bit and removes the contents as you were listening to Alan Partridge on your iPlayer.
-On a train, they don't give you a "snail shell" which you hit other people with each time you turn, twist, fart.
-If being used for a bomb, or you accidentally pick up an identical case by accident, it tends to just blow your hand off and burn your leg.
For "backpacks".....
-Makes you look like at weekends you climb the Eiger from your Kevlar Mountain Professional, even though your computer log shows you were trying for 36hrs at the weekend to fix all the Sharepoint errors you made last week.
-Keeps your phone really safe in the depths of the bags so when after you last pointless call to the work IT department they have upgraded your ringtone to Alan Partridge's cry of "I am hung like a donkey!" it takes you 47 seconds to find the phone. Oh, by the way, that was the IT department ringing you back to see if your network issues are solved.
-If being used for a bomb does guarantee martydom a bit better than a briefcase due to liquefaction of the Torso in the conflagration acceleration stage.
Our IT dept like you to use the kit they give you I guess.
For "briefcases"...
-If put down on the floor, they generally get put down from 1ft, nice soft bump, no cracks.
-Doesn't have a zip behind you out of arms reach which someone on the 7:19 to Pimlico unzips bit by bit and removes the contents as you were listening to Alan Partridge on your iPlayer.
-On a train, they don't give you a "snail shell" which you hit other people with each time you turn, twist, fart.
-If being used for a bomb, or you accidentally pick up an identical case by accident, it tends to just blow your hand off and burn your leg.
For "backpacks".....
-Makes you look like at weekends you climb the Eiger from your Kevlar Mountain Professional, even though your computer log shows you were trying for 36hrs at the weekend to fix all the Sharepoint errors you made last week.
-Keeps your phone really safe in the depths of the bags so when after you last pointless call to the work IT department they have upgraded your ringtone to Alan Partridge's cry of "I am hung like a donkey!" it takes you 47 seconds to find the phone. Oh, by the way, that was the IT department ringing you back to see if your network issues are solved.
-If being used for a bomb does guarantee martydom a bit better than a briefcase due to liquefaction of the Torso in the conflagration acceleration stage.
Our IT dept like you to use the kit they give you I guess.
I might get one of these given leather backpacks seem to be crap:
https://www.uk.rains.com/collections/bags/products...
https://www.uk.rains.com/collections/bags/products...
WinkleHoff said:
craigjm said:
nobody uses traditional attache style briefcases anymore. I guess you mean a laptop bag or messenger bag type thing.
Sure they do. Me for a start. A backpack with a suit just looks ridiculous. Puggit said:
Yep, I use that kind of thing. Couldn't give a st what people think. It's just comfy and practical. Well, I use a cheaper version: https://amzn.to/2CMHVjiIt seems quite tough - I use it a couple of times a week and bought it about 20 years ago!
Integroo said:
I suppose the point is, do you care how you look on the commute? I don't really.
I do. I meet with clients, I'm the director of my firm, it's a presentation/perception thing. Also I feel that theres some additional confidence/gravitas from looking reasonably well put together. If you wear a decent suit, then a naff backpack just doesn't portray the right image. And also many of my clients convey a similar thing, so when in Rome... Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff