When I became a dad, I quickly realized it was difficult to find any baby bags that weren’t covered in bunnies, Disney characters, or pastel colors. Even some of the items marketed as “dad bags” could easily have been mistaken for my wife’s purse. Dads may not be the target market for diaper bag designers, but the modern dad often has an equal role in changing the dirty diapers.
I was talking about this with a friend (who is expecting his first child) and offered a few tips that I also wanted to share here. A diaper bag doesn’t have to be sold in the infant section or come from Kids R Us to be effective. There are many great alternatives if you don’t mind being creative.
Some of the best alternative diaper bags can be repurposed hunting or fishing gear. While the thought of a dad carrying a camouflaged bag of diapers might give you a chuckle, that’s not exactly where I’m going with this. There are many hunting or fishing bags that look like a messenger bag that you’d find in a J. Crew catalogue.
The main advantage of hunting and fishing gear is that it is made from durable material and is often waterproof (two qualities you often need with child care supplies). Many styles have removable linings to make it easy to wash. I personally recommend looking for a bag made from tin cloth, which is a durable type of cloth commonly used in these types of bags.
According to the all-knowing internets, tin cloth received the nickname when tin was the standard for toughness. I’ve also heard it described in the past as being called Tin Cloth because it sheds water like a tin roof. You can thank me later for the useless trivia fact.
When picking a bag, make sure that it has room for a portable changing pad. While most businesses will include a changing table in the women’s restrooms, it is less common to find them in the men’s rooms. Plan ahead and bring your own changing pad. Plus, it adds another layer of protection in the off chance that the restroom you’re using does have a changing table.
You should also look for a bag that has plenty of pockets (some you will use for baby items, some you will use for your own junk). Again, many of the sportsman bags are perfect for this because they always have plenty of pockets.
Just remember that it doesn’t need to be called a diaper bag to get the job done. Think about the basic elements you need like durability, storage, and water resistance and you can find plenty of bags that will get the job done.
