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I’m not a regular dad. I’m a cool dad
When my kids were babies a “man’s” diaper bag looked like a leather satchel.
Thing was awesome, too. The flap was attached with Velcro and was padded plastic on the inside so you could use it as a changing mat.
It held about a dozen diapers and a full pack of wipes and a change of clothes and snacks.
All the moms at the park were jealous.
I would love to have a bag kind of like those cloth knife sets: rolls out into a change pad with all the goodies
Mine was from not REI but somebody like REI, basically industrial strength camping gear baby kit and was also awesome. Lasted through my kids, then my sister’s, and now a cousins. Like 10 kids and almost 20 years and still looks nearly new.
Rei is for me a little girl controlling large robots, with a really concerning backstory
What is this REI you speak of?
Maybe I’m just out of the loop - and hope for not being alone in it
Recreational Equipment Inc. It’s a big outdoor store in the US. They have camping and hiking stuff mostly, not really fishing or hunting.
Thank you!
And, just like Canada’s MEC it used to be a co-op, and still likes to pretend to be a co-op, but is actually a for-profit corporation these days.
Sorta. I agree, they are a for profit company now. They do still let members vote on the board of directors, which is kinda cool, but it also seems like those elections are a sham with little to no oversight these days. And you can sell your own shit back to them, which is kinda co-op adjacent at least. What I really hate is that they got rid of their classes and trips, it was a big part of what drew me into the membership in the first place.
Mine was Hello Kitty. All the moms were jealous.
This sort of thing is really only exclusive to the US markets. Elsewhere in the world, it is rare to see components of tactical gear outside of the specific situations they are for. However, military gear is the nastiest for the job, so you tend to only get it if strapped for cash. Obviously this means there is no military themed stuff like in the US, beer coolers, baby carriers, slippers, etc. For the insecure man.
I live in Germany and there are three “survivalist” stores with mostly surplus and replica military equipment for sale in my city alone. Also genuine military gear can be absolute dogshit. It depends on the country of origin and era but stuff is not automatically durable just because it was designed for war.
Here you can see an image of a surplus backpack that looks just like the one I used to carry as my schoolbag:
We have those stores in my country too. But we only use them for quick, cheap, “it’ll get the job done” stuff. Everything else we take outdoors is lighter, tougher, higher performing, has more practical use.
Only the general infantry gets general basics, else we’d see it sort after by the civilian sector a lot more.
Honestly, it’s training that gets the job done. The gear is always complained about. Army surplus is like access to a government’s Wish.com. Plenty of people think they’ve found the best for a bargain.
This is what they call the exception proving the rule; you think you’ve countered them, but by explaining that it’s literally one of three army surplus shops you have to go to and not just the local Wal-Mart equivalent, you’ve proven their point quite well.
Shopping just works a bit different here with fewer large chains. Also walmart doesn’t sell surplus. The point is you see people using that stuff all the time here too. Our equipment just looks less conspicuous.
Smells more like Call of Doody.
What the hell kind of name is Soap? How’d a muppet like you get to be a daddy?
Lol I was going to say, you don’t actually have to change the name, you just have to say it the right way for it still lto apply to parenting.
What’d you get a medal for? Wiping?
It’s MY doody, and it’s a BIG one!
No, way. I’m not taking that girly diaper bag. My friends will call me a fag. I don’t want to look ridiculous.
Well, other than it being all tacti-cool in aesthetics, standard baby gear is not as well arranged as what’s in the picture.
That gear in the pic would let you carry the baby stuff with your hands free and able to actually take care of an infant out and about. Waaay better than the usual shoulder sling or backpack options, and absurdly better than the kinds meant to be carried by hand.
There’s a reason surplus gear used to be wildly popular. It was mostly designed to work. It would be better than what you could get outside of a surplus store, even when what you were getting was years out of date and current issue was better. With companies making stuff that’s built with stuff like molle in mind, following principles that make what’s being carried leave hands free but be reasonably accessible, shit just works better, even though it looks ugly.
If I’m toting an infant around, I don’t need pretty, I need comfortable and capable.
Someone actually Down voted you for a really good response to the image that was posted. Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with what you said.
It just looks dumb because some men like to cosplay being a soldier too much
ATGE
No idea what that means.
Ah, my old Reddit days showing.
/r/ATGE
Awful Taste but Great Execution
All of the molle could actually be incredibly useful in this scenario. You could keep everything you’d conceivably need at hand.
Yeah, molle rocks. The bag I had when I was working, I kept gloves and wipes in two front pouches I could swap out fast. I’d have multiples prepped so I could grab and go, stick them on and be out the door faster. Super nice when I would have multiple patients and something messy happened, or I’d need to resupply at home. Take care of the prep once a week or so assembly line style and spend less time not getting paid to do work stuff.
Baby supplies are really similar, and a parent of an infant is going to have similar time issues (for different reasons).
Modularity is awesome.
Women’s apparel notoriously often lacks any pockets. At least historically. Not sure if there is a connection with the standard baby gear but an odd coincidence regardless.
I’m sure there are advantages to the “baby on your chest” design vs. other designs. But, that’s not what people are commenting on. They’re commenting on the tacti-cool suburban ninja elements.
Like, the loops on the front of the carrier. Real police and soldiers use those to carry items like flashlights, guns, knives, extra magazines, etc:
First of all, hubby at the Wal*Mart doesn’t need quick access to guns or flashlights. He might need quick access to a wet wipe, but I don’t think they make tactical wet-wipe pouches.
Second of all, The reason that attachment system is useful for body armour is that things are directly on the wearer’s chest. They can look down, see the item they need, and grab it immediately. When the tactical attachment system is on the baby’s back, you can’t look down and see it anymore. You could reach around and fumble for something, but if you’re doing that, why not just put down the tacti-cool shoulder bag and look in it instead?
Finally, surplus gear is great. This isn’t surplus. It’s imitation military gear. Surplus gear is good because it’s actual military gear designed to hold up in harsh environments. In military gear, form follows function. It’s brown because it’s designed to be decent camouflage in many different environments. Brown isn’t going to help hubby hide in the cereal isle at Wal*Mart. It has PALS straps because they’re the best way to attach gear and make it quickly accessible. As I pointed out above, fumbling around behind the baby’s back for something doesn’t serve that same function. The surplus gear is also reasonably durable because soldiers wear it while doing heavy physical activity in harsh environments.
I would imagine that your bog-standard baby carrier is actually going to be reasonably durable for its normal intended use of lugging a baby around. That’s what people buy it for, and if it doesn’t hold up people will buy something else. The size of the straps, the padding, etc. for a standard baby carrier will be one where form follows function. But, this tacti-cool baby gear is probably not durable. The manufacturers know that people buying it will be buying form over function, so they won’t be putting the emphasis on something durable, but on making it look visually similar to army gear. It’s not military surplus, it’s Hot Topic imitation army gear.
I mean, I referenced the tacticool thing already, but you do you
It’s just a standard baby holster and a shitty bag. You not got baby holsters where your from? Like what they don’t allow open carry?
Heh, good one.
Legit though, I used to have to carry similar supplies (minus the actual diapers and infant) for my job, and it was really hard to find things that were durable, well compartmentalized, had good capacity and could be cleaned relatively easy.
Towards the end of my working years, that kind of “military inspired” stuff started showing up, and it really did beat the pants off of other options I had been using.
It was super nice to be able to really organize all the ppe, wipes, gloves, spare pads, etc I had to tote around to patients. Not that nothing else worked, it just didn’t work as well.
I felt like a moron with the whole tacticool vibe, but not enough to switch back lol
PPE? Against projectile vomiting? Need iron dome style lasers for that.
You aren’t kidding lol. Projectile diarrhea is even worse imo. And I’ve had both get past ppe before. Not good times
I remember ordering stuff back around 2008/9 off eBay. I always went with black. Even now it’s still cheaper for the mil stuff than actual work bags. Like shit I’m shopping for a new rolling toolbox and base price for most are like 200 for basic shit
Right? This is a perfect application for tactical gear. Modular, expandable, easily accessible storage is ideal for baby gear. This just looks a little dumb because it doesn’t show any attachments.
I can’t imagine an accessory screaming, “I’m insecure in my masculinity!” any more than this.
So a pink diper bag is fine, but this one screams insecure masculinity. Sure. How about, if you like the design, buy it. And if you don’t, don’t. Your comment is like a guy saying that make up screams insecure femininity.
I think all people who wear camo look stupid and I’m not afraid to say it. Kinda like how I know I don’t want to engage with anyone wearing an American flag tshirt. Fuck all of them.
Also, yes. A pink diaper bag is a great way to telegraph that you aren’t afraid of what others think. Or maybe that you care so much that you chose pink, but at least that’s not indicative of a bizarre respect for combat and war.
If you intentionally chose/wear something to make a statement (or “telegraph something”) isn’t that the exact same thing with the camo diaper bag, they might also want to telegraph something - so you are not that different.
I was speaking about a hypothetical third person, but you misread it and made it as though I was making these decisions. I don’t have children and make no decisions about diaper bags. And ye, I’m hyper different from assholes who wear camo, drive trucks, or buy black rifle coffee. Fuck every one of them.
Fellas? Is it gay to take care of the child you made with a woman?
If one is attracted to perfume and makeup and pretty colors then women partners are the easy choice. Just sayin’ 🤪
Apparently you can have a whole child and still feel unmanly enough to buy this, lol.
Not at all. But it’s stupid to carry a camo bag while you do it.
I’d get that type of diaper bag, if I had kids. I like the look. Most of my bags and backpacks are black MOLLE-covered military looking shit. You can like a functional aesthetic without being insecure about your masculinity. Some people just thinks it looks good, you know?
No different than ‘feminine’ bags with cute flowers on them
Men need to feel like they’re in the army to take on operation traditionaly woman’s work
I don’t know if this applies everywhere, but masculinity in the USA is real tenuous, and may be revoked in an instant.
They are revoking themselves because they are fragile. I have no issues doing, carrying, or drinking “girly” things and still feel like a man. It’s pathetic how fragile masculinity is for most American men.
Oh definitely. Masculinity in the US is largely about projecting the idea that it might be a bad idea for someone to fuck with you. You don’t want to be someone who can be freely bullied or victimized without repercussions. It’s part of why some men spend lots of money and time training to win street fights they’ll probably never get in to (apart from the physical fitness and health aspects, of course).
It’s a little bit like being in jail.
Its a capitalist mindset. Resources are scarce so I need to be prepared to fight for them / defend what I have.
Well tbf fella in the pic is carrying Toddler-4 (enhanced with triple attack mode).
When I first saw this when my wife was pregnant I was really annoyed & upset & scoffing at the thing. But then I looked at it & it has all the functional shit I should expect out of parenting gear & pockets/ loops galore.
then I got mad all over again because it shouldn’t just be MEN’S baby gear that has all the utilities.
the patriarchy done got me again
My wife got me a Diaper Dude bag. It was just a navy messenger bag but it had all the pockets for everything you needed and it wasnt huge.
Inoffensive and functional diaper bags do exist.
Honestly is one of those cases of “if tbis stupid thing gets you to do it, go ahead”.
Military people be laughing at the term “military grade”
Russian Military bought out the entire stock.
Not sure how this is any different than buying any of the branded fashion bags. Those offer no special or unique functionality, just a name and maybe a specific material design.
It’s not.
When something is marked up and marketed specifically to men, it’s proof how insecure men are.
When something is marked up and marketed specifically to women, then women are victims and we call it the pink tax.
Guaranteed anyone who uses this makes fun of people for “spending too much on designer crap”
I was so confused when my coworkers were talking about some hard to get tote bag and when they finally brought one in it just looked like a regular cheap tote bag but apparently it was expensive for unknown reasons
FOMO
Actually, Call of Daddy is the name of the queer dating sim I made.
Someone will think that’s your armor plate carrier
I mean in a way…
Ohh that’s dark. I like it.
To all the people putting guys down for using it, screw you. If it gets dad’s more involved in parenting, that’s categorically a good thing!
Is it a cheap trick to boost some men’s confidence? Yes. But so what? If your wife has an overly girly nappy bag, an “ironic” overly manly one has a lot more effect than you might think.
A lot of men are very insecure, when it comes to parenting. There is a massive amount of training and advice out there for mums, but VERY little for dads. We are left in a limbo of either being disconnected, and complained about, or bumbling and being complained about. It’s improving, but slowly.
Man if this is what gets a dad involved in raising the kids I feel bad for the kids. Is it looking at the child when they are first born? Is it the smile on the child’s face as he sees thier dad walk through the door after a long day? Nope it’s the camo gear that does it. They didn’t want to be involved when is some girly baby, but now that there’s men’s gear specifically marketed toward manly man now he’s interested. That kid is screwed.
Dad’s get frozen out of a lot of early parenting things. Anything that gives men the confidence to get more involved is good.
E.g. my wife took our daughter to “sing and sign”. I decided to go along when I could. Out of 20 parents, I was the only non-mum. The next meetup, there were over 1/2 dozen dad’s, and a grandad. The instructor was surprised and pleased with this. All it took was them knowing they wouldn’t be the only dad there.
If a “manly” bag gives them the confidence to break the norms, then good on them!
If it gets dad’s
1 for 2.
Word!
True. Still funny.
Not sure if I want more parental involvement from the kind of guy who wants military aesthetic everything, but I get what you mean. I guess everyone’s style will be cringe to somebody
Pretty much.
Rainbow shirt - ugly looks by conservatives.
Camouflage pattern shirt - ugly looks by the hippies.
Cthulhu shirt - ugly looks by the Christians.
SUPREME shirt - ugly looks by society.
I was gonna say muppets shirt, but then I remembered that I know people who were traumatized as children by the Fire Dancers in Labyrinth.
My kid has been wearing 2nd hand metal shirts for about 15 years. That was also the aesthetic when we made quilts for him as a baby.
I gotta imagine there’s people out there laying heavy judgment on that decision. We think it’s hilarious. Poor dude was like 13 the first time I got a call about a Cattle Decap shirt he was wearing. I guess, technically it was sacrilegious but I appreciated him self advocating and pointing out a “guns, god, country” shirt another kid had on.
Thanks for attending my rumble about judging people’s parenting fashion.
If it gets dad interacting, and bonding with the baby, it’s good for both of them.
For most buyers, it will be a minor statement “I chose to be a hands on dad”. For certain demographics, that’s a big deal.
I put it in the same category as bright pink tool kits. They look slightly silly, but get people involved.
What about a diaper bag with the UNSC logo on it and a baby bjorn that says “
player 3 🎮”?As an old dad, you have my sign off. Especially if you can get a jumper that says 1v1 me. I always appreciate a kid that will stare you down.
I mean I’d take one of these
And one for the Texans
Holy shit, I’d wear that baby hjolster. I would absolutely get chaps and dig my dancing boots out of the closet for the outfit.
If you see another dad with one you can have a baby draw duel
It’s funny, but can you imagine how much that kid would get shaken around just from a standard walking motion?
Or while dad is riding a horse
I don’t think the military style is the issue per se, rather than a society that is heavily gender coded, to the point that men who want to get involved with their kids find themselves constantly using female coded gear, which is a constant reminder that “you’re doing a female task!” and only pushes them away / attracts ridicule.
Let them fucking have this. It’s baby steps, you know?I’m lucky France isn’t in the hands of Y’allqaeda just yet, and that I ain’t worried I’ll catch the gay if I wear the wrong colour, but I can’t imagine what it’s like in the US, honestly.
men who want to get involved with their kids find themselves constantly using female coded gear
This isn’t an issue with baby carriers. Look at the top results on Amazon. They’re mostly black or grey. Sure, more than 90% of the images with a parental figure show a woman, but the items themselves aren’t “gender coded”.
Given that, the idea here is that carrying around a baby is itself a gender-coded activity, so men need to use gender-affirming clothing to emphasize that they’re not women by buying something that looks similar to what a soldier might wear. That’s what’s fucking stupid. Just buy the standard black baby carrier. I promise 90% of the world won’t think you’re less of a man because you’re caring for your offspring.
Most of those baby carriers fit like shit on men because the shoulder straps are too close together. I hadn’t found one I found reasonably comfortable until these tactical ones started appearing.
If it gets dad’s more involved in parenting, that’s categorically a good thing!
It’s literally making their parenting hands-free.
The carriers were one of the best buys we made for my daughter. She hated the pram, but loved being carried. With a carrier, she was close, and warm, while being involved in what we were doing. We could also get on with the basic tasks of life.
FYI, the wraps, for smaller babies are also great. The baby cuddles you get are amazing. Also the smell of your own baby is like crack cocaine. It’s one of the best bonding tools out there.
I agree. To me, this is just an amusing fashion choice. If you’re gonna need the gear, so you may as well have fun with it.
Honestly, when it comes to any accessory or tool, it’s going to have an aesthetic. Who cares what that is (as long as it’s not offensive). There’s also a tendency to consider terms like ‘fashion’ to be emasculating, but that’s what this is: fashion. Plus, kiddo isn’t going to care about logos and any gender representation; the only shit they’re giving is in their pants.
Other fashion choices for diaper bags that could be explored:
- Metal (leather/pleather, spikes, denim, band patches)
- Goth (like above, but with less denim and more ankhs and crosses)
- Gamer (cosplay appropriate bags, pokemon that’s also a bag, D&D mimic on a shoulder strap)
- Sports (tons of practical and team-branded merch options here)
- Office (suit material, inoffensive beige, briefcase handles and leather)
- Handyman/tradesman (toolbag or toolbelt aesthetic, tool manufacturer branding)
- EMT/firefighter (first-aid compartment, red/white aesthetic, cheeky “diaper emergency kit” on outside)
- Outdoorsman (gore-tex, tent material, typical REI brands, lots of straps for different carry options)
Edit: not a dad. Some of these may already exist. Point being: it’s all a matter of taste.
I am a dad and a baby toolbag sounds awesome. I love the way a good toolbag makes your stuff accessible to you and would absolutely want a baby version (or perhaps an insert into an existing toolbag?)
That’s kind of where my head was going. I also had a good chuckle when I imagined a bright turquoise baby-bag with “Makita” on the side. Then again, that’s exactly how you get a refrigerated compartment for milk.
Also punk. You could cover pretty much any bag with patches
