[take_five]

In Moscow, I sometimes see people who wear business suits with backpacks. Back in the day I thought it looked ridiculous. Now I still think it looks weird yet I consider the similar combination myself. I'm not going to wear a suit with a backpack since it is still a taboo in my book but thinking of wearing a trench coat with a backpack. Here is why I arrived at this decision.

I'm going to London in a week as a tourist. Since I walk a lot (up to 8-10 miles a day) I don't have a desire to take a briefcase as it is a torture to carry it in your hand or over a shoulder. I'm going to take a backpack, which allows me to explore the city easy and fast having all the necessary items with me (umbrella, bottle of water, documents, tickets).

If you ask me why I need a trench coat I'm going to tell you, 'Because it rains often and there is no better clothes for raining weather than a trench coat.'

Of course I have a doubt of such a look so I created this thread.

Dear Sirs, what do you think of:
1) Wearing a suit with dress shoes along with a backpack?
2) Wearing a trench coat with brogue shoes with jeans along with a backpack?

 

[Fading Fast]

Living in one of the cities where you still see a lot of suits, I can say that suits and backpacks have become a very common sight. It skews younger, but even older men (who I bet weren't doing it twenty or more years ago) are doing it now. Hence, unless London is different, it seems using a backpack with a suit is an acceptable thing to do today.

Back in '93, I joined a finance firm where I remember one of the senior traders used a backpack instead of a briefcase and it stood out because it wasn't common then. He did it, IMO, as he liked to project a bit of a rebel (for Wall Street) persona. But, again, today it is very common and not rebellious looking.

I'm just old enough, 53, that it looks a bit off to me, but I have to admit, as I'm seeing it every day now, I'm becoming acclimated to it and it doesn't really bother me anymore. That said, as a traditionalist aesthetically, a classic briefcase still looks best to me.

As to your trench, jeans and brogue question, I'm also fine with that mixing and matching (although, I'd suggest that the brogues not be black) as (1) there are pretty good examples of it being done for many decades and (2) I think mixing and matching the classics in new ways and with newer items will help keep the classics alive.

The above is all just my opinion, but I tried to give you some background on how I formed it. Hope it helps. Most importantly, have a great trip.

 

[jts287]

Backpacks are trendy now I guess, but they don't look right. Messenger bag, in my opinion.

 

[Greenshirt]

I take backpack to work. I see nothing wrong with it. Time has changed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JBierly]

A backpack adds a very informal component to a suit. Popular yes, but still doesn't look quite as harmonious as a briefcase.

 

[FLMike]

I take backpack to work. I see nothing wrong with it. Time has changed.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Time changes all day long, every day. Perhaps you mean times have changed.

 

[Dhaller]

The fact is, everything - EVERYTHING - becomes perceptually normalized if enough people do it. We're a tribal species, after all.

I still, at this moment, think a backpack with a suit is silly, but I'm a student enough of psychology that I know I may have joined the club five years from now.

That said - your trenchcoat is more waterproof than your backpack, so if you're wearing the backpack *on top of* the trenchcoat in heavy rain, you're doing it wrong. My rain gear (from OR, Outdoor Research) is designed so you wear it over your pack and other gear, such that everything is dry. What I'm saying is that if you're going to do something as awkward as wearing a backpack over a trench coat (and this will look ridiculous), you may as well spring for a technical solution and actually keep your backpack (and its contents) dry.

My two cents.

DH

 

[cortman]

Does it look as good as a messenger or briefcase? No.
Are the others worth carrying around on an 8-10 mile walk? Absolutely no. Go for the backpack.

 

[MNJ83]

90 percent of the guys I know wear backpacks to work. IMO they don’t look flattering on adult men. Even less on men wearing a suit.

Not for me. I am not Dora the Explorer

 

[take_five]

...

Thank you, Fading Fast, for the thorough reply! On top of that, your reply had a flawless grammar and punctuation, which is a nice thing to see in the era of internet. As for my brogues, they are going to be tan.

 

[take_five]

Backpacks are trendy now I guess, but they don't look right. Messenger bag, in my opinion.

Yes, a messenger bag looks more formal than a backpack. Hence, it is more suitable for a suit yet it is pretty inferior to backpacks in terms of comfort. Actually, messenger bags are not more comfortable than briefcases since many of briefcases also have shoulder straps.

 

[Shaver]

Is there any medical reason why you need to carry a bottle of water?

Are you likely to die of thirst whilst out walking?

Bottled water is one of the biggest scams perpetrated upon the slow witted.

 

[take_five]

I take backpack to work. I see nothing wrong with it. Time has changed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Time changes all day long, every day. Perhaps you mean times have changed.

Lol This is what a 'native speaker' means. You, guys, are able to discern minute differences and incoherence in speech I don't even mention. On purpose, I just have googled this phrase. This is what the Cambridge dictionary says, 'Times have changed. The situation is different now from the way it was in the past: Times have changed and many more women now have executive jobs than in the past.'

 

[Shaver]

The fact is, everything - EVERYTHING - becomes perceptually normalized if enough people do it. We're a tribal species, after all.

I still, at this moment, think a backpack with a suit is silly, but I'm a student enough of psychology that I know I may have joined the club five years from now.

That said - your trenchcoat is more waterproof than your backpack, so if you're wearing the backpack *on top of* the trenchcoat in heavy rain, you're doing it wrong. My rain gear (from OR, Outdoor Research) is designed so you wear it over your pack and other gear, such that everything is dry. What I'm saying is that if you're going to do something as awkward as wearing a backpack over a trench coat (and this will look ridiculous), you may as well spring for a technical solution and actually keep your backpack (and its contents) dry.

My two cents.

DH

Among the many highlights contained within this post I particularly enjoyed 'I'm a student enough of psychology'.

Apropos of nothing - there is a game described in the masterful novel 'Galactic Pot Healer', written by the errant genius P K Dick, where language is processed through various translation programmes until it loses the original meaning and then the puzzle is to try and reassemble it to permit a recognisable coherence.

As example, this is the degraded title of a spectacular sci-fi work by the mighty Bradbury - Bogish Persistentisms. My admiration will be applied to any member who can identify the proper title.

 

[eagle2250]

Is there any medical reason why you need to carry a bottle of water?

Are you likely to die of thirst whilst out walking?

Bottled water is one of the biggest scams perpetrated upon the slow witted.

My friend, I heartily agree with your conclusions regarding bottled water and would add that "real men" carry their portable hydration preferences in a Yeti Rambler. Your drink stays colder/warmer (your choice) and there is almost total assurance against possible breakage or leakage! LOL.

 

[Langham]

I take it you will be staying in a hotel while in London? You may find the trenchcoat and umbrella can be left there. If it's sunny, you will be too hot in a trenchcoat. Carrying bottles of water around is unnecessary - there are cafes, kiosks, shops everywhere. The only 'documents' you will need, unless you are here on business, are a bank card, some cash, and perhaps theatre tickets. Don't carry your passport. You should find you can safely forgo the backpack.

 

[SG_67]

The only people I see carrying bags and packs while on an urban vacation are parents with small children.

This is typical and warranted given that youngsters will typically meltdown unless they are provided with their favorite juice or snack, irrespective of time, location or other constraints.

Otherwise, when I go urban exploring, I travel light.

 

[eagle2250]

I take it you will be staying in a hotel while in London? You may find the trenchcoat and umbrella can be left there. If it's sunny, you will be too hot in a trenchcoat. Carrying bottles of water around is unnecessary - there are cafes, kiosks, shops everywhere. The only 'documents' you will need, unless you are here on business, are a bank card, some cash, and perhaps theatre tickets. Don't carry your passport. You should find you can safely forgo the backpack.

Not to be argumentative, but since relocating to central Florida, we have become accustomed to carrying containers of chilled water with us, particularly during the summer months. I get the impression from the numbers of visitors to be seen in these parts this area is considered to be a preferred vacation destination and it is pretty common to see the tourists moving about, with chilled drinks at the ready, that bringing one's own hydration system along for the day is not all that bad of an idea. LOL.

 

[Langham]

Not to be argumentative, but since relocating to central Florida, we have become accustomed to carrying containers of chilled water with us, particularly during the summer months. I get the impression from the numbers of visitors to be seen in these parts this area is considered to be a preferred vacation destination and it is pretty common to see the tourists moving about, with chilled drinks at the ready, that bringing one's own hydration system along for the day is not all that bad of an idea. LOL.

I imagine that's very likely a sensible idea in Florida. However, even when venturing far into an unknown part of the English countryside, carrying water is rather unnecessary - should one work up a bit of a thirst, it can always be sated afterwards with beer served at room temperature. In London, as in almost any city, carrying a water bottle, even in summer, seems really quite unnecessary.

 

[Fading Fast]

My friend, I heartily agree with your conclusions regarding bottled water and would add that "real men" carry their portable hydration preferences in a Yeti Rambler. Your drink stays colder/warmer (your choice) and there is almost total assurance against possible breakage or leakage! LOL.

I know you were being tongue in cheek - but still wanted to add: I thought real men carry their hydration preferences in something that looks like this: