Find something simple, functional. It's about practicality. If you want something that comes with a pedigree, pick something army-surplus or classically styled.

This "man-bag"/"purse" thing is silly. Satchel. You're welcome.

Speaking as a straight lady, I've never thought of any man who carried a bag as necessarily gay. Has never even crossed my mind. I just think, "Oh hey, here's a guy who doesn't have a pound of change jingling around his knees."

Personally, if you're not confident, people are going to perceive it. If you can't handle the possibility of somebody mistaking you for gay or judging you for carrying a bag, don't wear one.

Excellent question. A decade ago men never had to worry about needing a bag, because everything a man needed fit into either a coat pocket or your pants pockets. Nowadays we have cell phones, iPods, headphones, a blue-tooth perhaps, car keys, house keys, wallet, loose change, maybe even sunglasses depending on the weather, and reusable shopping bags. As a gay man I urge you to buck up and purchase a stylish yet masculine canvas or leather shoulder bag like the ones described above. If you get something from Filson or Patagonia you can pretend like you just got back from a hunting trip. If you can't handle being seen with a man-bag, you'll just have to do what all the other insecure straight men do--wear cargo shorts. It's my mission to discourage you from going down that road.

I hang out with a bunch of gaming guys, and all of them have multiple bags they carry depending on the amount of things they are carting around.
I happen to be a girl who hates "purses". I don't find them all that useful as I like to have large writing pads with me, plus a book or two. So I carry around a stylish shoulder bag.
Function over fashion.

If you're really worried about it, just do what I do and call it a "messenger bag". Problem solved!

Whether or not I find a man purse attractive has everything to do with what's in it. Bottle of wine, sketchbook and your toothbrush? Humminah. Gym socks, measuring tape and a pack of gum? Snooze.

Gloria nailed it: Either a beautiful, but beat up leather satchel, or something canvasy if you're aiming for super casual. Worn with a long strap across the chest. I'd check out Ebay for a leather one, definitely used, in a square design like a book bag.

If you weren't so worried about being perceived as gay merely for carrying a bag, I'd just say go for it. Carried with enough confidence, you could look masculine carrying my grandmother's giant purse with the straw flowers on it.

But since you apparently have stuff you want to carry, and yet are willing to either do without it, or jam your pockets full of it, rather than possibly be perceived as gay, then I'm not at all sure you can pull it off. Even if you don't look gay, you'll probably still look like a pussy.

I AM gay, but that's not why I carry a man-purse (or, as I prefer, a "cocketbook"). I carry a bag because I have shit to carry, and anyone who wants to judge me because of that can suck my ass. I assume most red-blooded straight manly-men have the same attitude, and it's the attitude that makes the difference whether the ladies dig them with a purse or not.

Are you talking about an actual purse, or just a satchel of some type?

If you want to carry a messenger bag or whatever, go for it. It's completely common. I carry a bag sometimes, and very rarely engage in homosexual relations.

If you are talking about a Coach hangbag or the ilk, you might want to skip it. Women will probably assume you are gay. It would be an interesting social experiment, though.

I think that what you need isn't a purse, per se, but a messenger bag or a soft-sided brief case or a satchel. Something like this or any of these. You'll probably want to avoid anything too feminine, as it will be feminizing and that's not the look you're going for. Depending on the look you're going for, you might also consider a TimBuk2 bag. They're waterproof and practically indestructible, are big enough to carry around a few books, and are unisex.

I can't weigh in on the hot vs not of a man-purse, but I can say this:

When I convinced my husband (I'm a woman) to carry a purse, it meant I didn't have to carry all of his sh*t for him in my purse, nor did we have to repeatedly retrace our steps looking for the inevitable lost keys/wallet/checkbook/condoms/etc.

I got him a nice chocolate brown worn leather "mini messenger bag" and it is totally functional and very masculine. It took about two weeks for him to get used to carrying it everywhere.

Nevermind a 'man-purse'. Get yourself a Holster:
https://www.coolthings.com/koffski-holster-bags-make-for-manliest-man-bag-in-town/

Ha! :-)

Sounds like you need a sporran.

I carry around a "boarding bag" I bought at REI because it's the right size for my ASUS netbook and regular paper books as well, plus it has like a gazillion compartments. It also works great...well, when traveling on planes as a...boarding bag!

As far as people giving me trouble, I regularly try and tick them off anyway, so this is just extra icing on the cake.

Bording bag:
http://www.rei.com/product/747932

I'm a homo with no fashion sense, so take this with a grain of salt... ;-)

I was looking for a small bag -- something less than a full briefcase or laptop bag -- to hold my iPad and a few miscellaneous items (e.g., a book or a sandwich).

I stumbled across a store that sold replica canvas Army "map bags." It wasn't from Amazon, but this looks like the same one:

http://www.amazon.com/5796-OLIVE-DRAB-CANVAS-SHOULDER/dp/B001KQJ3LU/ref=pd_sbs_a_6

It was cheap and works pretty well. It's just the right size for what I needed. Plus, it has a certain "butch" element to it. It also has some flaps on the side to help protect the contents from rain (although it's not waterproof).

My only caveat is that the straps are pretty narrow and tend to slide off, as there wasn't a rubber pad to hold it in place. However, it's good for what it is.

There are many other variations on the same theme -- just Google "Army map bag" or "Army messenger bag." Here's a larger version:

http://www.amazon.com/ENGINEERS-FIELD-Olive-Canvas-Travel/dp/B002AXUMHG/ref=pd_sbs_a_5

My boyfriend carries a "purse" (leather shoulder bag/satchel) It'll save space in your pockets! Purses are such a functional item I don't understand why more people don't carry them.

I think all these gay/straight comments completely miss the mark. Men have things to carry around that surpass the capacity of pockets alone. Ergo, carry an appropriate bag of some sort. Find a stylish one that you like, and carry it around. I carry a Mountainsmith lumbar day-pack by it's shoulder strap most of the time: suits me fine; it's functional for city events, and I can repack it and taking it hiking or travelling. I carry a notebook, planner, cellphone, Swiss Army Knife, sunglass clips, documents and a number of other things. But then, I like to be prepared.

When I was in Paris, France, men were carrying leather satchels of all sorts around town. Looked great. Frees up the pockets for a more trim profile.

Suggesting that anything involving carrying a bag is potentially "gay" reveals one's own sexual insecurity. Don't succumb to America's hang-ups, do what works for you, other people be damned.

Not hot.

Sport a classic, unambiguously-masculine leather briefcase with a shoulder strap. It will serve you long after your young metrosexual days are over.

If you're thinking about carrying your stuff around in a large bag and you don't want to sport a Murse (yes that's short for man-purse), then get a back-pack or something clearly identifiable as a messenger bag. A purse is a bag with short(er) handles, while a manly messenger bag has a shoulder strap.

I can't speak for the ladies, but when I see a guy with a Murse, I do indeed think words like "effeminate" or "homo".

I think a backpack is cooler then a fanny pack, but if you want a "man bag" get a messenger bag

A purse? A purse. Purse? Like you mom's purse? Like a purse? Otherwise I don't see this being a question. Anyone can carry bags of various types. But a purse? As Gloaria says, "Personally, if you're not confident, people are going to perceive it." But are we talking about a purse or just a shoulder bag? A purse?

Let 'em wonder. Seriously though, wearing a man bag is supposed to be ambiguously sexual. If you think you are going to send 110% hetero beams in every direction while sporting a man bag you are delusional.

Women love mystery. They spend billions of dollars a year on chick flicks and romance novels where the ideal man can't be figured out right away. It might not be acceptable fashion according to whoever writes the rules but it will pique the interest of women you want to date.

Also finally, fashion is about expressing yourself. If you want to do it, fucking do it.

I'm not a lady, but you aren't going to make this work. it's been tried and failed by the best of them. Plus, do you really want to carry around a purse?