A Stylish Satchel Than Can Carry Everything

With handles sturdy enough for heavy loads, plenty of pockets and sufficient structure that you don't have to dig around inside, it's a carryall, but more organized. This sizable bag is increasingly valuable as we tote the accoutrements of busy lives: mobile phones, iPads, sunblock, stuffed animals for the kids, water bottles.

The satchel has been around since the 17th century—doctors traditionally carried them, and so did the Pony Express, not to mention legions of schoolchildren. Their current incarnation came about just as tablet computers became a part of daily life.

Now that pockets are no longer adequate for the job of toting techno-gadgets, the obsessive search for the perfect bag is shared by men. The average man now carries seven items, from a cellphone to a pad of paper, according to research by the bag maker Coach. "All these protruding objects affect how my suit fits and looks," says Randy Maniloff, a Philadelphia attorney who recently went searching for the perfect bag.

At the same time, a more casual ethos has altered our taste in bags. In many places these days, a backpack is too collegiate, but a formal, hard-sided briefcase can look as awkward as dress socks with shorts.

The success of Proenza Schouler's luxe PS1 three years ago may have been a turning point, both for the brand and for satchels themselves, which gained "It bag" status.

Now, designers are creating bags for both men and women that have exteriors that are stylish and interiors designed for modern busyness. Hermes has seen an uptick in interest in nontraditional shapes for men, such as messenger bags and soft totes such as its Double Sens. Hermes has even been selling a slim tote that can accommodate an iPad, business cards and a notebook. "It's a man's clutch, in a way," says spokesman Peter Malachi. For spring, the company is developing a larger bag that could hold even more of the items that people haul around each day.

Bags are highly personal. You might be a messenger type—wanting that front flap to shield the unsightly mess within—or a hobo type seeking unimpeded access. Magnetic clasps offer ease, but a turnkey is more secure in a pickpocket zone. Zippers offer security, at the cost of added effort to open and close them.

Tastes in bags vary around the country, says Bill Adler, founder and designer of WILL Leather Goods in Eugene, Ore. He says East Coast men tend toward more formal, full-leather, hand-carried bags, while the West Coast prefers lighter canvas-leather mixes with shoulder straps.

WILL recently launched a new satchel, the Everett, to answer the needs of people who travel with a small office on their shoulder. In designing its exterior, Mr. Adler gave a nod to the past—with a brass clasp imitating one from the 1920s, when new modes of transportation made travel a part of daily life. But the interior, he says, must hold the functions of today. The Everett has space for folders, technology and even a pair of gym shoes.

For men, the messenger bag, a bag with a long, cross-body strap, can make a style statement. Yet the space between that and a "murse"—a men's purse—can be slim. Generally, if a man's bag is too small to carry a legal-size document, it starts to look like a murse.

When Mr. Maniloff went shopping in Philadelphia, he sought a satchel that would transition to his evening hobby—open-mike night at the comedy club—without drawing derision from his colleagues at the office: "It can't look like I'm wearing a pocketbook. Noooooo," he says. He settled on the casual, unobtrusive Tumi Alpha messenger-style bag with a cross-body strap. On the first day out, he loaded it with his wallet, keys, BlackBerry, digital recorder, notepad, pen, bifocals, work ID card, newspaper and a tin of mini Altoids. "I felt so liberated," he says, "not to have any of that in my pockets."

For me, like many people, a bag must have compartments, including a safe place for my iPad and easy access to my cellphone. It must easily accommodate manila file folders. It must have feet or some protection from scuffs when it sits on the floor.

The good news is that there are many such bags out there, from pricey lines such as Reed Krakoff to mass brands. Women have many more options than men, but women's bags tend to be more expensive. Fortunately, some brands—Coach and Hermès, for instance—have styles in their men's collections that a woman can love.

Shopping online is risky. Few brands include enough information, such as the number of pockets and compartments, measurements, and detailed interior photos, for shoppers to judge them. Also, it's a good idea to hang a bag on your shoulder to assess whether the strap is wide enough, the handles long enough and the opening placed conveniently.