Does anyone regret not having a shoulder strap on their Birkin

[maxroxxherhandbags]

I LOVE Birkin, but as of yet I can’t bring myself to spend that much on a bag. However, I’m sure I’ll be ready in a year or two. Right now I only carry shoulder bags. I’m wondering if the hand option would end up being a regret for me. I know Kelly has a strap but I don’t care for them, especially because I don’t like top handles with shoulder straps. Plus they look too formal for my lifestyle.

Has anyone gone from being a strictly shoulder bag carrier to hand held in Birkin specifically? How was the adjustmen?

thanks

Just a suggestion..but do you have any friends who own a Birkin? If so hang out with them for a day's shopping and do a 'bag swap' to see how it feels.
I have all sorts of bags,X-body,shoulder and hand held totes (namely Loewe Amazonia and some classic early Marc Jacobs and a Dior )
I will be honest with you that the bags I tend to use the most are the shoulder and X-body purely due to the weight issues of carrying a leather and leather lined top handle tote, In fact the top handle bag I use the most is the Dior purely because the tapestry fabric makes it so much lighter than the full leather bags.
I should add that I dont need to carry files or laptops to and from work-my bag always just contains a Kindle or a paperback, wallet, lipstick and work and personal iPhones plus these days masks and hand sanitiser. I dont carry a makeup bag either because I only wear lipstick (or rather did..pre-mask)
Full leather top handle bags ARE heavy!

 

[TC1]

Just a suggestion..but do you have any friends who own a Birkin? If so hang out with them for a day's shopping and do a 'bag swap' to see how it feels.
I have all sorts of bags,X-body,shoulder and hand held totes (namely Loewe Amazonia and some classic early Marc Jacobs and a Dior )
I will be honest with you that the bags I tend to use the most are the shoulder and X-body purely due to the weight issues of carrying a leather and leather lined top handle tote, In fact the top handle bag I use the most is the Dior purely because the tapestry fabric makes it so much lighter than the full leather bags.
I should add that I dont need to carry files or laptops to and from work-my bag always just contains a Kindle or a paperback, wallet, lipstick and work and personal iPhones plus these days masks and hand sanitiser. I dont carry a makeup bag either because I only wear lipstick (or rather did..pre-mask)
Full leather top handle bags ARE heavy!

Agree with this! A Birkin can be very heavy! If i'm going to be out with a bag all day..I'll switch to one of my Evelyne's

 

[momoc]

Just want to add that IMO
- Are there people who used to shoulder carry but was able to switch to hand carry a Birkin? Yes
- Are there people who used to shoulder carry, tried to get used to a Birkin, but found it not practical? Yes

There will be both kinds. You saw some replies and encouragement from people in the first group, but we also know the second group exists (people who hack their Birkins to add a shoulder strap for one, as well as those who will only use the B for certain days where they don't need to carry it very long and you have to think if that's something you are likely to do).

The real question is always less so "are there others who..." and more about "which group will I personally fall into". Not sure we can answer that question for you, I think you know best how important / essential shoulder carry is for you . I agree with the others who made similar suggestions - the only way you can find out for certain for yourself is to perhaps try it out somehow.

 

[Israeli_Flava]

I LOVE Birkin, but as of yet I can’t bring myself to spend that much on a bag. However, I’m sure I’ll be ready in a year or two. Right now I only carry shoulder bags. I’m wondering if the hand option would end up being a regret for me. I know Kelly has a strap but I don’t care for them, especially because I don’t like top handles with shoulder straps. Plus they look too formal for my lifestyle.

Has anyone gone from being a strictly shoulder bag carrier to hand held in Birkin specifically? How was the adjustmen?

thanks

Birkin 25? Not only do you not know if you like a tote that is arm carry, you pick a size that’s hand carry? Highly recommend you try these bags before going all in dear.

I had to go through trial and error and that can be an expensive mistake. I’m a Birkin girl.... only 30 and 25 for me. But even the 25 took 2 tries to deal with. The color and leather matters almost as much as the size. Biggest thing I’d say is tryyy to carry a bag in your hand all day. That will tell u if 25 is as practical as cute as it is. I can tell you it’s not very practical but I still have 2... but a girl Loves options!

 

[Israeli_Flava]

op, what bags do you already have that perhaps you can try to carry strictly handheld for a few days? that should give you an idea as to what it would be like to carry a B!

10000000000000%

 

[Hikitten]

I totally understand your concern. Before the mini bag and crossbody trend I had a lot of hand held/shoulder strap bags and I didn’t care for it. I hated having a long strap hanging down. Now for the last 10-15 years I’ve been wearing only crossbody bags (which I hated at first lol) so going from shoulder bags to handheld does take an adjustment I’d say. But as bag lovers we tend to deal with annoying issues for bags we covet.
One thing that I have to consider is my lifestyle. I’d love a birkin one day too but with my lifestyle at the moment it wouldn’t work (my commute, kids etc). I need to carry my bag all day while on foot or bike so it won’t work all the time. That being said I’m looking to get a garden party as my tote bag and will see if I like hand held bags again. and also waiting for a Kelly 28 retourne which suits my casual lifestyle.
good luck in deciding. I feel if you really love a bag you’ll make it work. Maybe you just won’t carry it everyday.

 

[Happycantwait]

I don’t know anyone who has one. I rarely even see them when I’m out. I don’t carry much anymore. I’ve downsized a lot the last few years. As far as practicing with one of my bags, I’ll see if one would work. Never thought of that. I know everyone’s experience will be different. I REALLY just wanted people to say the switch was easy!

 

[momoc]

Dear, we know that's what you wanted; it's quite obvious lol. You are far from the first person to post a question here hoping to only hear confirmations and enablement; some people even get upset when they hear suggestions to the contrary. And honestly we are always VERY happy to enable people on tPF, trust me every time I come here my wishlist grows...I am often the type to suggest to people "why not get both" when someone is asking should I get A or B...and I tell people who are on the verge of passing a bag that they should go in and see it first maybe they will end up liking it...etc. etc. you can count on me to enable you when I think that is the right thing to do

But in this case, I just can't say "yes it will be easy" knowing that there are people for whom a tote bag is just not quite the right bag. Good luck on experimenting with your current bags to get an idea. You have time...like you said, 1 or 2 years...who knows, maybe your taste will even change during the mean time. No need to rush yourself!

 

[mocktail]

I went through something similar recently when deciding if I would like a classic speedy (top handle only; no strap). I removed the strap from a bag that I already owned and used it as a handheld a few times on different types of outings. Doing that helped me confirm that sometimes I'll be fine with hand carrying, and other times I'll need a bag with a strap. So I'll just need to plan each day if it'll be a good day for handheld or not. If you love the Birkin, I think you'll make it work most of the time, but there may be days when it makes more sense to carry a bag with a strap.

 

[Notorious Pink]

Let me start off by saying that I am not a strap or shoulder carry person - straps fall off my shoulder and more than five minutes of crossbody and I feel it in my back. My favorite is the B25 and for me it’s a daily bag. I don’t know how tall you are, but for me (5’4” and small boned, I’m slim but not tiny) it’s absolutely an arm carry bag. For taller women it may be hand carry only. That’s something you should absolutely consider too.

 

[coloradolvr]

When I first got my Birkin I was so in love with it I couldn't imagine carrying any other bag. As time went by I found that as much as I love them, they just don't work for me in all settings. There are times I need to be hands free. It is a lot to invest if you are not sure it would work for you.

 

[odette57]

I LOVE Birkin, but as of yet I can’t bring myself to spend that much on a bag. However, I’m sure I’ll be ready in a year or two. Right now I only carry shoulder bags. I’m wondering if the hand option would end up being a regret for me. I know Kelly has a strap but I don’t care for them, especially because I don’t like top handles with shoulder straps. Plus they look too formal for my lifestyle.

Has anyone gone from being a strictly shoulder bag carrier to hand held in Birkin specifically? How was the adjustmen?

thanks

I had the same dilemma a few years back after getting my first B30 and it honestly was the only thing holding me back before from getting a birkin.
Thinking about it now, there was some adjustment, lesser on the physical and more on the mental.
Holding and arm carrying the bag is easy, it was also very easy to maneuver the bag and avoid scratching or bumping it since it is on the arm. It can get heavy but that's under your control - what you put in it.
The part that it took me longer to get over were the thoughts running through my head while carrying the bag like "I look so lady like, I'm so proper" and "this is so impractical I'm carrying my bag in my arm". I had those thoughts because I work in a male dominated casual environment and people would rather spend their dough on expensive bikes rather than bags/clothes (although I'm seeing their sneaker game going strong lately). I got over it because the desire the carry the bag and make myself happy is more important than those thoughts.

 

[Happycantwait]

Let me start off by saying that I am not a strap or shoulder carry person - straps fall off my shoulder and more than five minutes of crossbody and I feel it in my back. My favorite is the B25 and for me it’s a daily bag. I don’t know how tall you are, but for me (5’4” and small boned, I’m slim but not tiny) it’s absolutely an arm carry bag. For taller women it may be hand carry only. That’s something you should absolutely consider too.

thanks. I am also 5’4” and know I could put one on my arm. I was a bit confused on the comment about buying a bag I would have to hand carry, but I realize everyone is different.

 

[880]

I REALLY just wanted people to say the switch was easy!

I sometimes store a collapsible nylon shoulder bag Inside my B30s. Then you can slip the birkin inside if you get tired Of carrying or if you want to sling the shoulder Bag on the back of your chair unobtrusively. ( outdoor dining in the age of covid). Voila, easy

 

[QuelleFromage]

There's a difference between "do you wish your Birkin had a strap?" and "do you find an arm carry bag to be a drag sometimes?".
There's ALWAYS a time one will wish to be hands-free - or, rather, I think most of us would love to have the very rare lifestyle of someone who never needs both hands free!
Again, the Birkin is a tote and unlike many, not a shoulder tote, unless you go up to 35 or larger and have small arms and shoulders.
I would reiterate that a B25 or a very light B30 is the best bet, but neither is the same as hands-free. Shorten the strap on one of your larger Chanel flaps to arm size and carry that around for a week and see how you feel.
I love my Birkins, but arm carry can be tiring/inconvenient especially when shopping and ESPECIALLY with kids running around. It's not an every day, everywhere bag....few bags are.