Posted on 13. Oct, 2005 by Brian Reid in General
Why is it that everyone thinks the perfect diaper bag is some sort of hard-to-find Holy Grail? I can’t think of how many parenting mag articles I’ve read on where to find good/hip/cool bags. And Parents joined the club this month, pushing three daddy bags. First, there’s the “DaddyBelt” which was apparently designed by “a weapons expert turned at-home dad.” It was inspired by a carpenter’s tool belt, I think, but ends up looking like a fanny pack on ‘roids.
They also plug the “Marshall Bag,” which looks to be a single-strap backpack. But like the other two bags flagged in the story, it comes in camouflage, which apparently makes it a “cool, affordable option … just for guys.”
Then there’s the “Diaper Dude” line, which, from what I can tell, is just a glorified messenger bag.
Look, all anyone really needs in a diaper bag is that it be big, pocket-laden and waterproof. And there are tons of great bags — in a variety of styles and colors to meet your needs — already available that do just that. They are called courier bags. I use one from a company called Courierware. It is black. It is indestructible. I can stuff it to the gills with kids stuff. I can also fill it with ice and keep a six-pack cold for hours.
It seems like every major city has a former bike messenger who makes these bags by hand, and they are all outstanding (and hip, even if you can’t get them in camouflage). There is Push, in Toronto, Chrome, in San Francisco, RELOAD, in Philly, Dank, in Milwaukee. The list goes on. I assume that however badly I treat my bag, it is designed to be used by people who treat it even worse.
Belated Desperate Housewives Over-Analysis: Restraint continues over in the script department, with no effort to paint Tom Scavo as an in-over-his-head SAHD. Could it be — audible gasp — that a dad staying home with his kids has little comic potential on its own? (Doubt it, but still impressed that they’ve failed to mine that tapped-out vein.)
Jeremiah Lee
13. Oct, 2005
I just turned one of my rugged backpacks into a diaperbag. Very useful, and not as wacky-looking as the ‘daddybelt’.
Mark Eidsness
13. Oct, 2005
You missed what I think is the best of the diaper/courier hybrids…DadGear’s Messenger Bag. I’m not crazy about the Hawaiian version, but it is a really nicely thought-out bag. http://www.dadgear.com
Rebel Dad
13. Oct, 2005
Mark — As dismissive as I usually am toward dad-oriented parenting products, the DadGear stuff looks well-done. But I still like the living-vicariously aura of a real messenger bag.
Mark Eidsness
13. Oct, 2005
Believe me, I agree with you on most “dad-gear” (I personally use a messenger from Timbuk2 http://www.timbuk2.com that I am more than thrilled with)…so I thought I should point out one that I thought was an exception to the rule.
Carter
14. Oct, 2005
My $15 Old Navy messenger bag is working just fine for us, thank you very much. Plus, since it doesn’t look anything like a diaper bag, we get plenty of store employees following us around, apparently worried that I’m using it for stealing their goods. Lots of fun, I tell you.
Dave
14. Oct, 2005
What? You don’t use the rebeldad.com messenger bag…?
and i thought you prided yourself on giddy self promotion.
Rebel Dad
14. Oct, 2005
Dave — You’ve found me out. I should take down that product, given my own lack of support. But I do have a wardrobe full of the other stuff
Wade
14. Oct, 2005
I’d been looking for a good diaper bag for a while, being totally unhappy with my old Eddie Bauer bag. Finally I found the Essentials bag from JJ Cole. It’s been great! smaller than alot of other bags, but I don’t find I need tons of stuff these days.
http://store.babycenter.com/product/safety_baby_care/diapering/diaper_bag/5506
Jeff
14. Oct, 2005
I was going to ask the same thing Dave did.
I know if I still needed a diaper bag I’d be buying the messenger bag in MY store.
(I’m ALL about self promotion)
Poppa L
14. Oct, 2005
My wife got a Baby Bjorn diaper backpack. When we got home I looked at it, looked at the price tag and asked, “So aside from the name and the foldable change mat, what makes this different from the two other backpacks you already own?” “Well… nothing really.” I use a messenger bag, works perfectly, holds everything I need.
Sky Bluesky
28. Oct, 2005
I actually ended up with a Marshall bag, because I didn’t want to use mom’s flowery and shiny bags. I could care less about camoflage (mine is just green) but it does stand up on its own, which is kinda nice. It’s also got a great padded strap, so you don’t end up with welts on chest and shoulder. I’ve been using it as both a diaper bag and workbag, and no one’s noticed so far that my Palm pilot and baby wipes are in the same compartment.