Old bags & their place in today’s world

Part 1: Do Bags have a Soul?

The most common way to carry one’s belongings from place to place is undoubtedly a bag. Quite a broad generalization; Broad, but an accurate one none the less. Though they may seem to be an everyday item now, imagine your life without your favorite backpack, gym bag, grocery tote or messenger bag. How would we cart our belongings with us from place to place? Balancing your possessions on your head would be an option. This is the route that some African Women have taken.

In Africa, women walk for miles with giant burdens atop their heads. Jugs of water or food are carried for great distances. Researchers found that the women could carry a fifth of their weight upon their heads without burning even one extra calorie. It wasn’t that they were so strong, but that they were excellent at balancing. Human pendulums, as it were.

Possibly more renowned for this odd ability are the Nepal Sherpas. In emergency situations, these packhorse-people have been known to carry well over their own body weight on their heads. Usually, however, men are known to carry around 110 lbs, while the women bear a little under 100 lbs.

But you probably didn’t come here to read about load bearing necks. No. Your interests lie squarely in the realm of bags, backpacks and totes. And why wouldn’t it? Bags are one of the few common links between the classes. Look at High Schools. What is the one thing that the lowly freshmen share in common with the esteemed seniors (other than enduring 8 hour days in the clutches of their teachers, that is)? You guessed it, backpacks.

When the mighty pharaoh commanded his multitude of slaves to drag giant slabs of stone up the sides of pyramids and sphinxes, what united him with those servants? Not a damn thing. This could be a bad example.

Let’s peruse the gym. Surely one can recognize the hierarchy at work here. It’s evident the moment you enter the gym. On one hand, you have the newbies. These are identifiable by their slim or rotund physiques, and nervous expressions. On the other hand, you can make out the zenith of the group, the gym bunnies. One can spot a gym bunny by their thick necks, puffy bodies and general “I own the place” attitudes.

At first glance, you’d think these two groups would have nothing in common. But think again! Aside from a general desire to improve their bodies, these groups cart in their gym clothes, shoes and accessories in gym bags and backpacks. Again, we see how bags work diligently to bring the people together.

Bags – the great uniters. With enough packs and bags, can world peace really be that far away?

Part 2: So Many Choices!

Now that we know the ‘how’ of bags inner workings, let’s explore the ‘what.’ We’ll start with the messenger bag. Originally, the messenger bag was made not for couriers, but telephone linemen. In the early 50’s, Frank Demartini developed an over the shoulder canvas bag for those brave souls. The idea behind the bag was ease of access to tools. The bag could be easily slid around to one’s side for uncomplicated access it’s inner workings – quite a relief when you’re dangling 30 feet above the sidewalk.

The bag was soon adopted by bike messengers. The trade had come to be in high demand within city limits. The advent of the automobile had congested the streets with a traffic never before seen. With their ability to slip through traffic jams, on and off of sidewalks, couriers made their mark on big city life, as did their bags.

The courier subculture had drawn the fickle interest of society. These anti-hero’s were (and still are) known to spit on vehicles, flip off motorists and toss out begrudging remarks to any passing car. From their leers and obscenities grew an odd sort of admiration for their kind. By the mid 1980’s, messenger bag producers had popped up in several major cities across the US. Today, you’ll find messenger bags adorning the backs of people of all ages.

A bit more famous, but possibly not as interesting is the backpack. We all had one of these growing up. The design is fairly straight forward: A big sack strung across one’s back by means of two straps. There is little known in reference to it’s exact origins, but there is evidence pointing back to far before written records were kept.

Let’s not forget totes, fanny packs, saddle packs, field bags, grocery bags and shopping bags. But, let’s not go into depth on them either. Sufficed to say, we all understand that the world of bags is a large one, encompassing thousands of designs and uses.

Part 3: Quality

Armed with the knowledge of their uniting power and their history, let’s talk about bag quality. Depending on your frame of reference, the strength of the material is the most important part of any bag. Of course, if your viewpoint is more fashion conscious, it may come a distant second to the look of the bag.

In terms of durability, hemp is probably the lead runner. This fiber dates back to 450 BC. It was used to make sails, jeans and bags. On the topic of uniting people, it’s an interesting fact that the declaration of independence was drafted on hemp paper.

Hemp is a stronger fiber than cotton because of it’s length. If you’ve never seen a hemp stalk, they stand between 5 and 13 feet tall. The fibers that run all the way up and down far exceed the puny cotton balls. To combat their inferiority, cotton has been mixed with synthetic materials to produce higher quality, yet less natural feeling material.

Make your own judgments and decisions about bags; their symbolism, their connecting power, their style and quality. There are more than enough bags out there to find one that speaks to the exact person you are. Find it, and wear it with pride.

For more information about fabulous, sturdy, uniting bags, visit http://www.artisangear.com