Cafe Bags, back, front or side?

[dorayme]

How do you carry your Cafe Bag when you wear it cross body? To your front, hip or backside?
I've tried them all, and I see advantages to different styles of carry, but I was curious about the rest of you because I see disadvantages as well.
Rear can be comfortable and easy until I become self conscious of what the strap does to my chest area.
Front is the most secure but I feel like a dork.
Hip is the most comfortable, but it has a widening effect to my widest point. . .need I say more?
Anyway, I feel like the cross body bag novice in the group so I was wondering what you all do.

[Carolina]

I have found that the best and most secure way is across the body.

[Birdfeeder]

Dorayme,
I "like" to carry my cross body bags on my hip, but since I am already rather, um ... hippy, bags frequently do not like to stay there. They will sort of find their own level and move about. (Bags sometimes seem to have minds of their own.) I will also shift the bag on purpose to change the distribution of weight on my shoulder. I think the thing is be comfortable and have the bag handy. Don't worry about appearance - how could you be anything but gorgeous with a Tim Bihn bag?

[SusanA]

It kind of depends on what I'm doing at the time. When I first put it on it's usually at my side. If I'm walking any distance I swing the bag to the rear. If I'm in a crowd, such as a crowded sidewalk or subway, I carry it to the front.

[Scattered]

I'm with you, Dorayme. Cross-body feels safer, especially when traveling in new areas, but also makes me feel self-conscious with the strap wrapping around and emphasizing "one of the pair"! I only received my Small Cafe Bag as a gift this Christmas; however, I've used it several times during the week since. On the occasions I've carried it, and other messenger style bags I own in a cross-body style, I tend to carry the bag not quite at my side and not quite on my back. Sort of to the side of my hip pocket, if I were wearing jeans. This puts it in a position that doesn't draw quite as much attention to my backside or my hips and also keeps it where I can feel the bag with the side of my arm when walking and its also pretty easy to grab and swing to the front when needed. I also tend to carry the bag a bit higher on the "hip" than a lot of others I see; it just feels better to me when some of the weight of the bag is resting on my hip/backside and taking weight off my shoulders/neck. I've tried carrying bags on my back, yanked up high like the bike messengers do it, but that just feels way to awkward for me. No matter which way you carry it, if you're female and carrying a bag cross-body, your front is going to be emphasized and look a bit odd.

[dlg]

I wear mine cross-body with the bag at the back, when given a choice. Sometimes on the side, but not usually.

[daisy]

I wear mine cross-body with the bag at the back, when given a choice. Sometimes on the side, but not usually.

I carried my Ristretto cross-body on our trip last year. Generally at the back unless we were in crowds when I'd keep it at the side or even towards the front (sometimes moved to my shoulder for the front)

I'll concede it isn't an elegant look and possibly uncomfortable when wearing summer weight clothing. Several layers of clothes certainly helps stop the strap digging in on a lady's front.....

In these pics I was wearing the "waist" belt way lower than it was designed for but the bag stayed put and wasn't in the way at all.

[backpack]

Daisy, raptor, what kind is he?

Wearing purple and smiling!

That's a very handy way to wear the Ristrettos/Cafe Bags, especially the Small Cafe Bag as it frees the leg and on the back weights next to nothing.

When riding a bike, the Shoulder Strap needs to be worn shorter so that the waist strap can be tightened to the waist.
Because of the need for snuggly fit and the friction generated by bike riding, I recommend the Ultrasuede Shoulder Strap Wrap: TOM BIHN


When traveling, I wear the Large Cafe Bag cross shoulder resting in front of the hip opposite the Absolute Strap holding shoulder.
It enables me to wear the Brain Bag backpack.

When I have to do multiple errants using public transports, a Small or Large Cafe Bag is used in conjunction with the Synapse which are worn cross shoulder resting in front of the hip opposite the strap holding shoulder.

I do not need an Ultrasuede Shoulder Strap Wrap with my Small Cafe Bags which I wear all the time, when the weather is very hot, either dry or humid (25C/90F).
For ease of use, the Small Cafe Bag, is worn cross shoulder on top of a light button front shirt and kept there all the time, even if I need to add a cardigan when getting into freezing air-conditionned stores or a windbreaker when an unsuspected downpour greets me when going back outside a building.


Note:
During warm weather, if the downpour is accompanied by lighting and the sky is getting dark. Stay indoors and check your local radar and weather warning in your portable phone or tablet.
It could be a tornado.

During cold weather, if snow fall and/or the wind has significantly increased.
Stay indoors and check your local radar and weather warning in your portable phone or tablet.
It could be a blizzard.

In the Spring, significant precipitation (light snow, hail or rain) can add up quickly to the snow melt added to nearby rivers and streams which can cause flood.
Stay indoors and check your local radar and weather warning in your portable phone or tablet.


Unlike hurricanes that can be tracked for days, the weather events above form at the drop of a hat or more accurately at the slightest drop of pressure.

[KmK]

Dear Dorayme,

Another two bits, for what they're worth!!

Context... Female, 5'2 on a good day, and, hmm...a bit plump. Where I carry my Cafe Bags is driven by where I am and how safe it feels. More often than not, it is slung cross body and ends up on my left thigh...Not really front, not really side, easy to reach into, not overly floppy so as to go flying and not so tight as to feel as though it is strapped into place rather than slung across. I have also cinched it up and turned it backwards so it tucks under my left forearm when worn cross ways, flap toward the body. Awkward access, safe contents. Flipped all the way to the back feels a little funny to me...yes, for the strap in the front, but also for getting bopped in the behind while walking! Have never tried just wearing it on one shoulder because I'd have to pay too much attention to keep it there...

[daisy]

Daisy, raptor, what kind is he?

.......

Unlike hurricanes that can be tracked for days, the weather events above form at the drop of a hat or more accurately at the slightest drop of pressure.

A Harris Hawk (@Isle of Wight) .. that 90 minutes really was the highlight of the trip.

Sounds like you have interesting weather in your part of the world.

Dear Dorayme,

...... Flipped all the way to the back feels a little funny to me...yes, for the strap in the front, but also for getting bopped in the behind while walking! ......

Agreed - the bopping gets out of control when hurrying to catch a train! The waist (hip!) strap fixes this for me.

[backpack]

Forgot to say, 5'7 very curvy lady with small and very sloped shoulders, wearing button down shirts help with minimizing the, hem... front landscape.

Nothing can minimize the other curves but I have just learned that it's considered nice, this season, but that means that putting the Cafe Bag messenger style means changing the length of the strap, not something that can be done in a hurry by me.

The way I wear the bag usually, allows me to run with it and a Synapse or even a Brain Bag.

[backpack]

A Harris Hawk (@Isle of Wight) .. that 90 minutes really was the highlight of the trip.

Sounds like you have interesting weather in your part of the world.

Good ol' U.S.A.

I did experience a January Snomageddon in University, back in the 80's, in northern France.

I was the only one attending any 8 am class, the campus was hilly and I was so scared of using the slippery stairs that I choose to step in the pristine snow, which got up to mid calf at least.

It was an exhilarating walk as I was wearing an white coat which looked like the Swedish soldiers winter battle uniform, so I pretended I was one of them on the way down.

[Lani]

Dorayme -- Don't worry about how your chest area looks when you carry the bag in the back. I know exactly what you mean, and I basically just say "f'get it!" and don't let it bother me.

That said, I wear it in the back when I need to huff it. I tighten the strap a bit, and carry it messenger bag-style.

When I'm in crowds, I carry it in the front, and adjust the strap so that it's easy for me to rest my hand on the top of the bag and grasp the front strap with my thumb. I feel more in control this way; knowing my bag won't be knocking anything off store shelves, bumping into little children, etc.

When I'm just standing around, I'll carry it to the side (which I think is the natural way the bag falls when I'm not carrying it in the front).

[ncb4]

It kind of depends on what I'm doing at the time. When I first put it on it's usually at my side. If I'm walking any distance I swing the bag to the rear. If I'm in a crowd, such as a crowded sidewalk or subway, I carry it to the front.

What SusanA said: I find I do the same thing, carrying it in different ways in difference locations and circumstances.