Keeping the Cafe Bags on my Shoulder

[ams123]

Does anyone have any tips for me - I have a lot of trouble with my small and medium cafe bags slipping off of my shoulder when carrying the bags. The straps seem too wide and too slippery. Is the only alternative to carry them across the body rather than over the shoulder?

I am thinking of purchasing a little swift to replace these bags because it looks like the straps on the swift seem better able to stay on the shoulder.

Does anyone else have this trouble? I love the bags except for this problem!

[maverick]

hi ams123,

are you using the shoulder pad? it has a grippy underside, which helps to keep the bag in place on your shoulder.

i like carrying my cafe bags with the ultrasuede shoulder strap wrap.

[backpack]

My Swifts, not matter how light or loaded they are stay on my shoulder without any problems.

I have very small shoulders and I wear slippery outerwear most of the time either a winter jacket or all seasons/climates wind breaker.

The Little Swift should be perfect!

[falconea]

I find most bags annoying when empty - even my Little Swift slides when empty. It's easy to carry in my hand though, when empty, unlike most shoulder bags.

The Ultrasuede Shoulder Strap Wrap may be the perfect solution.

You probably should also ask yourself what shape your shoulders are - some shoulders aren't a good shape for a shoulder bag! My grandmother could never carry a shoulder bag due to the slope of her shoulders.

Audrey

[aiethabell]

Sometimes even the Shoulder Wrap won't stop the slipping. Here's something you can try, if you're handy with a needle and thread: shelf liner. It looks like this: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...on-liners/6901 and is sold by other places, not just Camping World. RV shops always sell it, many marine suppliers have it, and some outdoor retailers stock it. I've also heard Walmart sells it, although I can't verify that since I don't shop there. You will probably have to call around for the black liner. Most places stock the white and beige.

Anyway, measure your Cafe strap. You want just over 2 1/4 times the width of the strap and however many inches long you think you'll need. Cut the liner into a rectangle and sew it around the strap. You should have enough to turn the edges under and make a neat little tube. Don't adjust your strap to different lengths? You can sew a small row of stitches down the center to hold the tube where you want it.

Don't sew the stitches too small; the liner will tear along the holes if you do. Keep the extra liner around, since the liner will wear out long before the Cafe's strap will, and you'll need to replace it.

If you have pets, be warned any cat will rub against this stuff all day long.

[ams123]

Thanks for all of the help! Regarding the plastic grippy thing - I find it is not very grippy, and if the strap is adjusted to the shortest length, the grippy thing cannot be put into the proper position to rest on the shoulder.

I keep my bags fairly to extremely full. And my shoulders are somewhat straight and wide - I have been told I have a swimmer's build, although I don't swim.

Regarding the shelf liner stuff - I have a small piece of that in my kitchen drawer that I use to open difficult jars. It is VERY grippy! Great idea to put it on the strap, thank you! And luckily I do not have a cat. I have a dog, but she doesn't shed, so I think I'll be ok.

I might order a swift anyway :-)

[Janine]

I might order a swift anyway :-)

Ha!

The foamy padding on the Swift's handles definitely add something when carrying on the shoulder, but I don't think I could put it into words. I have the same problem - shoulder bags always slip off - but in my case it's slouching and round shoulder shape to blame. What's really annoying is when one strap stays put and the other slips off. I think it looks goofy and feels weird, which is not a pleasant combination.

The Swift's straps seem to both stay on my shoulder, even when I am wearing a slippery jacket and ignoring my posture. I don't carry the bag for a long time on my shoulder, though. Usually it's just from home to car, car to work, work to car, car to home. I haven't tried taking it on a shopping trip where I would be meandering through aisles.

[dorayme]

swift♥

I too have sloping rounded shoulders and hunch more than I should. My swift and little swift straps stay nicely put. I've only had the little swift straps slip off (one, not both) when I was wearing a very slippery jacket, AND the bag was stuffed full and not buttoned closed. The combination of the width of the open bag and the slipperyness made it slip off. I adjusted to button the bag and it stayed put.
The Swifts are nice sized bags, but are easy to carry with just the essentials or very loaded up. That being said the padded handles go a long ways towards making them comfortable. In other bags I have had with tote handles I like the over wrap that kind of snaps the two handles together and pads over them. The handles of the Swift family is designed so that the over wrap is not necessary. This is an added bonus, because when you do have to get into your bag you don't have to go through the extra step of unsnapping the handles.