Diaper Bags vs. Camera Bags

This is the diaper bag we registered for. I love the colors and I’m a sucker for geometric patterns.

Sure, this bag is colorful and patterned and obviously says “diaper bag”. (Which is why it’s probably ok for Dave to carry it around proudly.) As someone who uses Vera Bradley bags, I tend not to care when my Vera bag inevitably doesn’t match 80% of my clothing. (This is the great mystical power that Vera Bradley has over it’s consumers. Fashion sense, better judgment, and an overall understanding of when something just doesn’t “work” is thrown out the window if you’re a VB owner. And on a completely unrelated note, have you seen the new VB “Slate Blooms” pattern???)

Still, I wonder if I will ever truly be happy using this diaper bag. Will it hold everything I need it to? Will I use it instead of a regular purse for my personal belongings? Will it fall apart after 6 months? Will I actually ever leave the house after baby? Will Dave look just as manly carrying it around? Will it bring me lifelong fulfillment and satisfaction? I know these questions and many more are going to be left unanswered until experience can speak up for the matter. For now, this Skip Hop Dash Deluxe is a winner. But…

There’s another option/idea/two-birds-to-kill-with-one-stone-concept. What if..what IF I could have a diaper bag that could ALSO ( and incredibly, fantastically, majestically even) hold my camera?? No not the point and shoot camera, silly, the BIG camera. With a lens attached. And maybe another lens too. Wouldn’t that be something?

The Kelly Moore “Boy Bag” might be the thing. It comes in this ruggedly sexy brown number and…

…this little mustard delight. Be still my heart.

From the inside shot, it would seem that this bag could do double duty as both a camera protecting tote and a diapers-and-other-baby-stuff-catch all. But for $200 (that’s 9 months of Chick-Fil-A, people!!!) I can’t help but wonder if I couldn’t just go to any department store (forget that, MARSHALLS) and find something similar that I could customize with padding for at least half if not a fraction of that cost. Bonus points are given to the Kelly Moore “Boy Bag” for being, well, boy friendly. As in, Dave would probably look absolutely mantastic carrying this around.

I also found the “Missy Bag” by Jo Totes. It costs less than half what the KM bag costs and it has even more room for the camera/lens/diaper combo. Just look at all that space in there!! Seriously.

I like that this bag is black and certainly more affordable but it gets major points deducted for looking exactly like a purse. Great for me of course, but not great at all for Dave to be saddled with. Yes, Dave sometimes holds my Vera Bradley tote for me. He doesn’t seem to mind and he holds his head high (probably to avoid making eye contact with strangers). Still, I don’t want my husband to have to carry around a purse. Come. On.

I suppose I could always carry around my own purse, the Skip Hop diaper bag, AND my $20 falling-apart camera bag. I have shoulders of steel, I can handle it. But wouldn’t order be restored to the world if I could fit those 3 bags into 1 bag?

****UPDATE****
You know, that Skip Hop Dash Deluxe diaper bag is cuuuute. But it’s also $55. I think we should take that moolah and apply it to something that’s going to be more practical. And leathah’. See: http://digital-photography-school.com/what’s-your-bag-a-quest-for-the-perfect-womans-camera-bag