Our “niche” hobby seems to be hitting a much larger audience in recent years. All of the larger U.S. shows are getting crowded and overcrowded. While there was a time when you could manage larger bags, now they are roadblocks at best and dangerous weapons at worst. Even messenger bags like the Rickshaw Bonzai/Bento bag can cause issues, especially when stuffed full.
Unfortunately, hotels that meet show requirements are — so I’ve been told — few and far between, which means many of the overcrowded shows don’t have other venue options. So, it falls upon the attendees to moderate how much extra space we take up with items that aren’t strictly necessary.
Is this how it should be? No. But this is the reality, at least for now.
For me, this means I’m retiring my favored pen show backpack. Instead, I’ll bring a smallish hand-held tote bag I can put purchases into. Since any bulk it acquires is at leg level, it’s not as problematic as a backpack at chest level or a messenger-style bag at hip level. However, I’m keeping the best pen show bag.
A few years ago, I turned my Doughnut Macaroon Tiny into a belt bag. It’s meant to be cross-body, but I ran the strap through my belt loops and adjusted the length to fit comfortably. I wear it to my right — easily accessible with my dominant hand — and slightly forward — no extra hip bulk.
I keep stickers and business cards to give away in the outside pocket. The main compartment holds my money. To make theft more difficult, I can close the strap snap and/or pull my shirt over it.
Given its size and the position at which I wear it, the little bag has no real impact on my general footprint in the show aisles. Also thanks to its small size, I don’t have to root around in my bag to find what I’m looking for. My most important items are easily at hand, without requiring me to shuffle a bag around.
Granted, you could get a similar ease-of-use from a front-worn sling bag, but then you can’t show off fun shirts.
I’m not affiliated with Doughnut in any way, but I will never not recommend the Macaroon Tiny given how useful it is.
What’s your go-to pen show bag? Does it cause you problems at the more crowded shows? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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