Avoiding the Bat-Belt Syndrome?

sangfroid asks: "As my personal technology products have increased, I've started to look more and more like a Batman wannabe. I now carry an iPod, a PDA, a Cell Phone, a Leatherman and a GameBoy (for the subway, really -grin-). Cargo Pants are out because of work and I don't particularly want to carry a back-purse everywhere I go. Is there a solution that doesn't require me to give up all my technology? A PDA/Phone might help but the holy grail would be a HD-based PDA/Phone/Music Player. How do you deal with all these devices without looking like a gargoyle? Is the answer better technology or no technology?"

As long as it doesn't bulge my suit pocket

[Mod Me God (686647)]

I'm cool

Re:As long as it doesn't bulge my suit pocket

[orthogonal (588627)]

As long as it doesn't bulge my suit pocket

But don't you understand? That's why Slashdot geeks love owning PDAs, MP3 players, and other geek gadgets: for the first time in their lives, something bulges in their pants.

And with a PDA-cellphone, they can sit in a singles' bar and feel at home by IM'ing in a chat room as a beefier guy with all his hair.

dork

[lubricated (49106)]

The answer is to stop trying to impress everyone.

one word: manpurse

[bandy (99800)]

Get yourself a manpurse. They're sometimes called a "satchel", a "kit bag" or a "courier['s] bag". Put your technology in it. Add a few other things from your pockets such as your cellphone and the big Swiss Army Knife [victorinox.ch] as well. Then get used to carrying it. You'll look better, honest.

I got mine for under ten bucks at a local swap meet. It has slots that fit PCMCIA cards, a big pocket for my Newton MessagePad 2100, pen/pencil/stylus holders and a good spot for flat documents. On vacation it doubles as a camera bag, and of course the cell phone pocket on the strap means never having to figure out which pocket I put it in.

Re:one word: manpurse

[Glonoinha (587375)]

HAH! Actually I knew a guy in college that where ever he went he carried something about the size of a smallish laptop case in black nylon. Muc smaller than a briefcase but larger than a Daytimer. Took it to class, to the mall, out walking around .. everywhere. And he never actually opened it to get/put anything - he just carried it.

One day I asked him about it, he opened it up and showed me : Chrome Desert Eagle - the biggest hand cannon I had ever seen. I had no clue all those years, but I'm glad I never gave him any shit about carrying a manpurse.

"manpurse", feh! t's a purse, be happy

[V. Mole (9567)]

I've been carrying a purse for the last couple of years. It's gray canvas, about the size of Programming Perl, and used to be my wife's. It holds my wallet, PDA, camera, keys, pen, plus whatever other small crap that I need that I used to shove in my pockets, thus having to empty/reload every day. I love it.

I think in the whole time I've had maybe two people make some sort of comment about "a guy with a purse." I just say "yep" and that pretty much is it.

My point? (Do I have to have one?) Don't sweat the

Re:one word: manpurse

[bill_mcgonigle (4333)]

Then get used to carrying it. You'll look better, honest.

I agree with the need to carry a bag, but we can do better than a purse.

This bag [duluthtrading.com] is tough and manly, and more importantly, has lots of pockets. There's one for a laptop [duluthtrading.com] too.

but really

[mOoZik (698544)]

Do you really need all those things? Looks like you're maxing out, man. A cell phone is important if you're in demand, but all the other things can go (perhaps the PDA can stay, too). PDA's are getting thinner, so you can put them in your shirt pocket (assuming it's a new one). An iPod is probably going overboard and a Game Boy just seals the case. Perhaps you can carry one of those tummy packs and throw all that crap in there. I think you have too many things. Care to donate? :D

Re:but really

[innosent (618233)]

Or, he could get a cell phone/pda combo, like the new Samsung I500, the I330, one of the Handspring Treos, or any of the countless other PDA/Phones. Find something that has good battery life and room for memory expansion (flash, memory stick, etc... Which the I500 sorely lacks, but it still looks good.), and you could use it to replace the iPod. Find games for it, and away with the Game Boy. Do you really need the leatherman? Try a pocket knife, you know, where the feature item is actually the knife, n

Dockers

[Samus (1382)]

You say that cargo pants are out but Levis makes a docker pants with hidden cargo pockets. There are 2 pockets, 2 back pockets, 2 hidden thigh pockets that zip on the side and a third pocket hidden in the right front regular pocket. They are pretty decent pants. I've been wearing them for months and I still surprise some of my coworkers when they see me pull my pda out of one of the thigh pockets.

Re:Dockers

[orthogonal (588627)]

I still surprise some of my coworkers when they see me pull my pda out of one of the thigh pockets.

Depending on your co-workers' expectations, I guess it could be a real surprise.

Re:Dockers

[Cyno01 (573917)]

I'm wearing a pair right now. Bonus, they've got stain defender! Which is all sorts of fun, plus IIRC these are the pants with shielded pockets so your cellphone/wifi-pda doesn't cook your balls.

Re:Dockers

[sharkey (16670)]

I still surprise some of my coworkers when they see me pull my pda out of one of the thigh pockets.

Don't forget to say, "'Scuse me, while I whip this out!"

Re:Dockers - Pants for lanky geeks???

[Glonoinha (587375)]

-Not to turn this into a clothing discussion, but do any other lanky geeks out there have pant-finding tips?

When you do find something that fits, that looks good : buy every damn pair they have. No joke - the extra $150 you spend on 4 or 5 more pair is a mere pittance when you can hang them in your closet and not have to worry about finding them again in the future. Keep at least one pair new with the tags still on so you don't wear them - so you always have at least one pair of pants that are new, pressed, creased and clean for emergencies.

Where does he get all those toys?

[cybermace5 (446439)]

I think maybe they should go the other direction, and start actually making utility belts. Plus add a grappling hook to your PDA, shuriken to your cellphone, etc.

Seriously though, we're on the verge of the true multifunction device. You can get camera/MP3 players, camera phones, phone PDAs, camera PDAs, USB drive MP3 players, and so on. Eventually they will squeeze everything into one.

I actually didn't want my hard drive/wireless server/MP3 player/PDA to be my phone...much too bulky to hold up to your ear. People who use Treos look like idiots. However a light detachable wireless earpiece/mic boom would definitely be acceptable, your "tricorder" could stay on your belt or on the table and you don't have to hold a brick up to your ear.

But maybe still go with the grappling hook. How many times have you wished you could just drop a smoke bomb and airlift yourself out of an embarrassing situation? Unless you fell off halfway up or something.

Re:Where does he get all those toys?

[km790816 (78280)]

The whole "it's too big to hold up to my ear" issues is going away. I never use my cell phone w/ out an ear bud.

A friend of mine has Jaba Freespeak Bluetooth Headset [com.com] that rocks. He can put his phone on his desk and call me from the coach w/ voice dialing. Bloody cool.

Re:Where does he get all those toys?

[Paradise Pete (33184)]

He can put his phone on his desk and call me from the coach w/ voice dialing.

Maybe if you weren't such an elitist you would get up out of your first class seat and go back there and talk with him. And what's that desk doing on the plane anyway?

Re:Where does he get all those toys?

[uradu (10768)]

> Unless you fell off halfway up or something.

Or perhaps something like the last line in Scene 29 [sacred-texts.com]: "Excuse me, could, uh, could somebody give me a push, please...?"

Re:Where does he get all those toys?

[tchdab1 (164848)]

"People who use Treos look like idiots."

Please mod parent Troll, or mod me up to help me feel better for looking like an idiot.

Re:Where does he get all those toys?

[Feztaa (633745)]

Personally, I think that there already is a total combo device... they're called laptops.

His iPod, gameboy, and PDA can be replaced by a laptop, but he'd have to keep his cell phone. I think that would work well; a laptop is far too clunky to be used as a phone, and a phone is far to small to be used as a PDA/mp3 player/gaming system.

Re:Where does he get all those toys?

[FroBugg (24957)]

His iPod, gameboy, and PDA can be replaced by a laptop...

I don't know about that. I'm a college student, and I take my laptop with me to school every day. I've also got a lot of downtime between classes, most of which I spend connected to the school's excellent wireless network.

I have found that ever since I got the laptop (and my cellphone), I essentially stopped using my PDA. Most of the computer-like functions can be served by the laptop, and the quickest contact info is in my phone. That works well.

Get a Scottevest

[akehurst (3891)]

Go to ScotteVest [scottevest.com] and put all of your gadgets in there.

I like the idea

[Unknown Poltroon (31628)]

However, i live in Wash dc, the heat and humidity capitol of, well, the country. Adding one more layer i winter in fine, in summer, its suicide. I go with a shoulder bag/man purse. I blame macguiver for my tendency this way.

Get your body fat to 12% or less ...

[Eustace Tilley (23991)]

... and the cargo pants should pass muster at work. The problem with cargo pants is that the tailoring normally used to conceal your hideousness is sacrificed to carrying cargo.

Consolidate / Do without

[p4ul13 (560810)]

A Keyocera 7135 Palm Phone will supply you with the PDA + gaming + Phone, and to a small degree MP3 player functions. That pretty much just leaves the Leatherman, which honestly, you don't need with you at all times McGuyver. If you really must have it handy, then consider a swiss knife.

Re:Consolidate / Do without

[pi_rules (123171)]

That pretty much just leaves the Leatherman, which honestly, you don't need with you at all times McGuyver. If you really must have it handy, then consider a swiss knife.

You, my fellow Slashdottter, are apparently not the type that would carry such a device. To each his own, but trust me -- carrying such utilities is not only useful to yourself but useful to others.

I have a Swiss Army Knife, but it's -really- large. My mother got it for me and I tell you this thing is great. I think thinkgeek.com features it even. It's the uber knife. I usually don't carry it. I do however carry a 3" folding belt knife all the time.

Once you're accustomed to such things you cannot do without. I'll provide some examples.

One day I'm going home for lunch (I live really close to work) and I pull into my apartment complex. I see a stranded couple there with their hood open. I'm a nice guy so I pull over to see if I can help. they've got a transmission problem. That much they know. They don't konw what's wrong though. I look under the car and see a big puddle of oil, I dip my finger in it and sure enough -- it's red. So, they've got an automatic tranny leaking fluid or something. I gander under the hood and spot a rubber hose that's just plain disconnected. That's where their leak's coming from. I'm wearing a knee length wool coat, shirt, tie, slacks, basic business attire. I toss the coat into the snow, tuck my tie into my shirt, and hunker down underneath the car. Inspect hose, determine that it's an easy clamp to refix and:

Yank my handy-dandy Swiss Army knife out of my pocket yank out the flat-blade screw driver and reattach the hose snuggly for them. I'm the friggen hero of the day for understanding basic (very basic) mechanics, having a tool to fix the problem, and I'm willing to get down and dirty to fix it. I snug the hose into place and let them know that they should probably drop a quart or maybe two into their tranny before driving it off. The funny part is the guy asked if I'd drive them to an auto parts store to buy tranny fluid. He didn't notice he was "stranded" 200 yards from an auto parts store. They were happpy and when I finished lunch the car was gone. Mission completed.

Carrying "crap" like this isn't always useful to the person holding onto it. However today when buying a battery for an older car of mien the salesman couldn't yank the silly stick-on security sticker so I yanked out my 3" blade (shirt, slacks, dress shoes again) and pryed it off for them.

You may think the "MacGuyver" mentality is silly, until you're broken down on the side of the road and some tech geek pulls up with a Leatherman on his belt, a set of socket wrenches in his trucnk, and jumper cables to boot.

Consider it a challenge. Most of us here can walk into any IT department and help them out. But, can you pull up to the car of a stranded individual and get them back on the road? If you have the mental capacity to swap hard drives you can fix most road-side problems. Be prepared, help your fellow man out, and carry the "burden" of being prepared for little things. It just might be your own arse.

Yeah, this doesn't help the original poster at all I guess. Except I would say don't give up any -useful- device you carry. Drop the GBA if anything.

Re:Consolidate / Do without

[p4ul13 (560810)]

My car has a toolkit in it.

While I do own a leatherman and swiss knife, I only really carry them when I know they'll be useful (camping etc...)

Forget the other crap and keep the knife.

[quinkin (601839)]

Forget the other crap and keep the knife. I have seen more than enough instances where a knife has saved someone/something from serious injury and/or death. If your oracular skills are up to scratch fine, but I have trouble predicting when I will require a knife.

Example 1: An old biddy got her shawl stuck in an escalator at the local shopping centre. My wife kept her upright while I hacked the end of the shawl off. Hope they get their asses sued for the faulty emergency stop button...

Example 2: My dad was first on the scene to a motorbike smash. Some nurses were also riding by and the three of them managed to keep the rider alive until hospital by cutting his leathers off him so that my dad could hold together the poor bastards main abdominal (iliac is it?) artery.

Example 3: I got bitten pretty badly while feeding the goannas at Taronga Zoo (it was my job) and had to slice up my shirt so I could get to first aid without too much blood loss. Should have seen the looks I got from the tourists - half naked, dripping blood everywhere, and cursing myself for not paying attention.

Example 4: A flatmates car caught fire in the middle of a main road. She ran across to the adjacent hospital and tried to grab a visible fire extinguisher. Unfortunately it had been cable tied (?!?) to the wall, fortunately she had a pocket knife in the car.

I could go on all day...

The only other tools I have ever saved a life with are my mobile phone and car. So how useful is your iPod again? PDA?

And fuck all your McGyver comments. I don't: whittle skeleton keys out of paddlepop sticks; build nuclear reactors from bleach, alfoil, and chewing gum; or make any crappy american TV.

Q.

PS. No I've never been a fscking scout or cub. I believe my dad went to one cub's meeting, but he burst out laughing at the whole "Dib dib dib. I will honour my Queen. Dob dob dob." bullshit and was asked never to return. :)

Mobile Pants

[jcbphi (235355)]

Dockers makes cargo pants -- Mobile Pants [dockers.com] -- built from hidden pockets. They look more or less like standard business khaki's, but have hidden cargo pockets in the outer seam.

If that doesn't work, buckle down and get a man purse. I got mine this past summer, and my notebooks, camera, ipod, palm pilot, headphones, and cell phone have never been easier to carry around. You will look better for it.

Rage

[Associate (317603)]

To quote Zack De La Rocha, "Fuck it, cut tha cord!"

eholster.

[millia (35740)]

mine works great.
sure, you can't wear it into an airport, but that's okay. i carry a flashlight, a pager, a palmpilot, a leatherman, a phone, and on a carabiner i carry a usb memory plug, a pill case, and a cross compacting pen. and, i don't have to do anything but slip it on in the mornings.

http://www.eholster.com

John Popper

[Kalak (260968)]

You can follow a true icon: John Popper [julianrubinstein.com] of Blues Traveler. All those harmonica pockets can fit more gadgets that I can think of (except maybe filling extra pockets with more harmonicas).

back-purse?

[Blob Pet (86206)]

It's not a purse, it's a carry-all!

consolidate, eliminate

[PapaZit (33585)]

Condensing phone and something else is easy. You can get phone and PDA, phone and mp3 player, or phone and game player. You can sometimes find 3 of them in one package, but it starts to get bulky. Leatherman can go in your pants pocket.

That said, you have a few approaches to the stuff that's left:

• Embrace your inner geek. Go with a vest or utility belt and wear all of your crap with pride While you're at it, grow a beard, put on a few pounds, and shower less often.
• Bring a bag. Brief case, backpac

Oh my!

[uradu (10768)]

> I now carry [...] a Leatherman [...]

You sad, sad, sad person you! Where do you find the space to stash the cape?

Utilikilt?

[Lord Bitman (95493)]

DO IT.

skirts maybe?

[by Anonymous Coward]

Pants are out because of work

YOW! What do you do for a living!!!

Old School Geeks

[jazman_777 (44742)]

Just replace them all with an all-purpose slide rule.

Why wear them outside....

[ConceptJunkie (24823)]

...I'm sure you've got some body cavities you're not using at the moment.

Embrace your geekiness - the geek assault vest

[venom600 (527627)]

We should all just embrace our geekiness and start wearing the geek equivalent of the comabat assault vest. Plenty of pockets, all within easy reach. :)

some ideas

[falsification (644190)]

You could follow Hawkeye and get a quiver. It would work like a small backpack.

Building on that idea, how about a shoulder belt? You could get an ammo belt from a military surplus store. Just rig it so you can hang your gadgets on it.

You could get an ammo belt for the front, and attach a quiver on the back.

Last idea. Get a big gun holster and attach it to your belt. You could probably fit two or three devices in that thing.

My solution -- an ammo case.

[Yaztromo (655250)]

Yup, that's what I carry my gear in -- an old M67 cartridge case. It usually has my Palm, car MP3 player faceplate, portable MP3 player, Zippo lighter, swiss army knife (mechanic style), toothbrush (hey, you never know...), and various other items (several of which vary from day-to-day, frequently including a can of Coke ;) ).

It has the following advantages:

• Being of all-metal construction, it's tough. You can give it a real pounding, and it will still stay in one piece. I could probably run it over with my car, and the contents would be intact (not that I'm about to try it or anything...:) ),
• It has a rubber seal on the lid, so when you clamp it down it's completely water tight. It also floats (yes, I've tested both. I once even weighted it and lowered it off the side of a boat to a depth of about 3m, and it still didn't let any water in),
• It keeps people on the subway from hassling you :). If a thug has a choice of a guy with a bat-belt of electronics, and one carrying a heavy-looking metal box painted Army green, they're going to go after bat-belt boy. I wouldn't want to get hit in the head with an ammo case full of stuff!
• It makes a great footrest, or even a seat.

I've carried my ammo case around everywhere for more than 4 years now. People often assume that I'd be getting stopped by security guards or the police often, but in all my time carrying it around, I've only been stopped twice (and once was because the guard wanted to tell me that he tought _he_ was the only one who carried all his stuff in one! :) ). I've never been asked to leave anywhere because I've had it in my possession.

Mind you, I don't take it into airports. And I've never crossed a border with it. And I do live in Canada, which tends to be less paranoid about such things than the US is (which is one reason why I've never taken it across a border...). But in general, everywhere I go, my ammo case of stuff follows.

Yaz.

Avoiding the bat belt

[Rorschach1 (174480)]

My personal strategy for avoiding the bat belt syndrome... just go with the Chewbacca-style bandolier. =]

For the discriminating packrat. . .

[Bastian (66383)]

If you can't wear cargo pants because you're worried about your appearance (whether it's for dress code or otherwise), you should really put some thought into putting things on your belt at all. It's true that in many situations a person who dresses shabbily will often find themselves spending 10 minutes to earn a level of respect that someone who takes care of their apperance will be granted automatically.

This is also true for people who wear things on their belts versus people who don't. Maybe cheat on

Bat Belt

[CGP314 (672613)]

You look a lot less stupid for wearing a bat-belt if you have the whole batman costume to go with it.

Err...

Perhaps not.

Man Purse... ok, you can stop laughing now...

[rtos (179649)]

I'm telling you, it's a geat idea. I'm currently looking into getting some sort of bag to carry around with me most of the time. Call it a "man purse" [upenn.edu], "man bag", messenger bag, briefcase, satchel, whatever... I just want to keep my stuff in it.

Some things I've come across:

• Timbuk2 [timbuk2.com]: Supposedly top quality custom made bike messenger bags that come in four sizes (S,M,L,XL). They have a newer Shortcut [timbuk2.com] bag that looks particularly interesting. Certainly not cheap.
• Manhattan Portage [manhattanportage.com]: These seem a little too hip and trendy for me, but they are certainly popular with the NYC crowd... especially the Model 1414 [manhattanportage.com] and various DJ bags [manhattanportage.com]. Not horribly priced, but not cheap.
• Maxpedition: I don't know much about this place. There are some people that recommend their [maxpedition.com] Thermite Versipacks [maxpedition.com].
• e-Holster [eholster.com]: Heh. No.
• SCOTTeVEST [scottevest.com]: Some people actually say these are cool. But it doesn't meet my design criteria of not wanting to wear a vest/jacket/etc all the time. What about summer?!
• Kelty [kelty.com] supposedly has some smaller bags that people have used as well.

I haven't bought one yet for myself but I do plan to purchase a bag soon. Having a small bag to grab and go... with cell phone, PDA, small digital camera, GPS, pocket knife, etc. would be perfect.

BTW, if anyone else has a bag that they are currently using, please share some info!

Re:my advice would be

[uradu (10768)]

Phft! That's the model without the propane soldering iron. Looz-R!

Re:Might not work for everybody.

[littlerubberfeet (453565)]

Carhartt clothing lasts forever. I have seen a 20 year old jacket with Valdez crude stains and BB pockmarks still going strong.

They make good carpenter pants, a pair of which I am wearing now. I have all the regular jean pockets plus a hanner loop, a long left thigh pocket and a long right thigh pocket with a top divider.

If you happen to get the good pants with the extra protective knee/chap piece that extends from mid-thigh to upper-shin, it is supposed to have a hole at the bottom between the layers. Th

Re:Belt pouch

[glenstar (569572)]

I've had more than one woman walk up and ask me about it

Um... yeah. I imagine the women go crazy over a guy with a modern day knockoff of Middle Ages gear on their belt...especially when it is filled with 3 cans of Coke.

Re:Luggage.

[gklinger (571901)]

No towel?