It seems more and more businessmen are shedding their messenger bags and briefcases in favor of a backpack. I suppose the hands-free feature makes it so popular among business travelers and public transit commuters. I also imagine that the more symmetric distribution of weight on the back is a selling point.
We were trained from the first day of school to put our books and such in our backpacks. Eighteen or more years of toting a backpack creates an instinctual rationale that a backpack is what everyone uses and a backpack is practical.
If your career requires you to be professional and obey the company dress code, then undoubtedly you will be wearing a well fitted suit from time to time. Even if you are not required to wear a suit or a blazer jacket, you should consider maintaining a professional image. Clothing, style and grooming are the three pillars of the professional image.
YOUR PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
Backpacks are associated with schoolchildren and mountaineers. Neither of those are seen around the office very much, making a backpack a surefire way to look out of place. Able-bodied, grown businessmen — without exception — should carry their belongings in a professional briefcase. Careful attention to maintaining a professional image will help your career, and what you use to carry your work is no exception.
Straps ruin the lines of a good suit because they drape awkwardly over the lapels and break up the jacket’s smooth visual impression. Straps’ clunky and rounded shape lacks a clean design that compliments the streamline clothing you wear to work.
BACKPACKS DAMAGE CLOTHING
If you wear a backpack, the straps stress the clothing fabric. Over-packing a backpack and overtime, your clothing will start to wear and tear.
All of the weight of the backpack is carried on your shoulders. As you naturally move about while wearing a backpack, the straps and clothing underneath shift and twist with every step you take. Friction is created and the fibers of your shirt or jacket will be under stress. Your jacket’s fabric will fray and the fibers of the interior canvasing will break and deform. You can count on the life of your clothing investments to be shortened by the wear and tear of weighted straps.
INVEST IN A GROWNUP BRIEFCASE
A briefcase is a timeless accessory to any man’s professional image.
- Holding your briefcase in your hand will not damage your clothing. There are no straps that rub against your dress shirt or suit coat. Overtime this lack of stress on the clothing fibers will prolong the life of your clothing.
- Briefcases should coordinate with your dress shoes: black with black, brown with brown are expected.
- Stick with simple, conservative leathers. A briefcase will take a beating over its lifetime, it will be exposed to the elements, it will be scooted along the floor, and it will be dropped. The tougher the leather, the better. Calfskin is not suggested as it is too soft. Most manufacturers use cowhide because of the toughness of the leather.
- Streamlined design is best. Your briefcase shouldn’t distract anyone’s attention, so avoid briefcases with straps, loops, and huge pockets. You will come across far more professional with a firm and clean-lined briefcase over a cheap backpack.
