The Best Fanny Packs We've Worn
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Here at WIRED, we love fanny packs (or waist belts, bum bags, whatever you want to call them). Before the resurgence of all things the 1990s, this might have been an unpopular confession. But now, we're just happy to share our affection with a wider audience.
Fanny packs don't make your back sweat or twist your spine. You can carry the weight in your front, swing it around to the back, or sling it over a shoulder. They can go from the hiking trail to the bar without skipping a beat, and they can hold your train ticket and fit into a backpack while traveling. Best of all, they're so much more convenient than trying to fit your enormous phones into a pants pocket. These are our favorites. You're welcome.
Updated July 2023: We added the Bontrager waist pack, the Moment Long Weekend, and the Beis diaper pack.
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- Photograph: Mountainsmith
Best All-Day Pack
Mountainsmith TourThis is my favorite bag to take on an all-day excursion. Why? Pockets, pockets, pockets! The Tour is loaded with stash spaces, and the bag's large size technically makes it a lumbar pack, since it sits on the hips but covers the lower back as well. I can typically fit a change of clothes and a couple of meals in here, all in addition to the gear I'll need for a full day on the trail or on the bike.
The Tour has compression straps on the sides to keep it snug, and the latest model adds a sewn fabric pouch to the bungee cord on the face, making it an even better place to lash a windbreaker. There are two water bottle pockets on the sides, a zip-shut phones pocket on the hip, and a half-dozen pockets in the interior, including a padded tablet sleeve where I keep my Kindle for post-lunch relaxing. When it gets heavy (which believe me, it does), the nice, wide shoulder strap turns it into a sling. There are even backpack-style shoulder straps available for $28. —Michael Calore
- Photograph: Patagonia
Best for Running
Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Mini Hip PackI'm a big fan of minimalist fanny packs. They are a welcome alternative to crossbody bags that tend to swing around and smack me in the face when I tie my shoe. I've written about Patagonia's small travel fanny pack before.
The Black Hole fanny pack now uses 100 percent recycled, ultralight ripstop nylon that's been treated with a durable water-repellent (DWR) finish. It comes in a bunch of delightful retro colorways and fits a phones, wallet, and lip balm. When I cinch it, it stays tight against the small of my back on miles-long runs through the woods, but it easily expands to fit a hat or pair of gloves when I strip them off. It also packs down into a small stash pocket while traveling. —Adrienne So
- Photograph: Road Runner Bags
Best for Bike Commuting
Road Runner Bags Lil Guy Mini PackFellow cyclists, I have to tell you about my favorite bike accessory. Handmade in Los Angeles by Road Runner Bags, the 10-inch-wide, 5-inch-tall, and 2-inch-deep Lil Guy is the perfect size for toting the minimum required gear for an afternoon in the city: phones, lights, lock, sunglasses, keys, Kind Bar, and a couple of brewskis.
My favorite design detail: The Road Runner kids put a U-lock holster on the side of the bag that faces your body, so that when I slide my lock into the dedicated slot, the lock sits flush against my back and doesn't flop around. If that isn't comfortable for you, there are other places to fasten a lock, like at the hip. The extra strip of webbing across the outside of the Cordura bag is the best place to latch tail lights, an additional lock, and a carabiner filled with keys. —Michael Calore
- Photograph: Timbuk2
Best for Concerts
Timbuk2 Slacker Chest PackThis little Cordura bag from Timbuk2 is shaped to be comfortably worn three ways: around the hips, slung on your back, or across the chest. It stays put in all three modes with help from the padded mesh panel on the back.
The Slacker is one of the smallest bags in this roundup, so just know that it doesn't hold a whole lot. I routinely use mine for my phones, earbuds, sunglasses case, and keys (there's a key clip inside). Anything more than that, and I'd be Tetris-ing stuff in and out through the relatively tight zipper opening. But the small size makes it a great choice for taking to concerts or on short walks. The ability to swing it around to my chest where I can keep an eye on it also affords me added peace of mind at a crowded bar or on public transit. —Michael Calore
- Photograph: REI
Best Mountain Biking Pack
Bontrager Rapid Pack Waist PackBontrager’s convenient waist pack is perfect for my after-work mountain-bike putters around the park. Unlike most mountain-biking lumbar packs I’ve tried, it’s not so tall that it swallows my entire (admittedly short) torso. And despite having a padded foam back, it’s soft, not stiff. The pockets are conveniently located on the sides instead of in the middle of your back, so I can reach back and grab things without twisting myself around. The water bottle pocket also fits my tiny 9-ounce S’well when I have, again, forgotten where exactly I stored all the horrible plastic sports water bottles and hydration bladders (or forgotten to clean them). It’s also big enough to fit car keys and a wallet, along with a tool and a tube, and it comes in colors subdued enough that I can take it hiking and dog-walking, as well. —Adrienne So
- Photograph: Moment
Best Camera Bag
Moment Long Weekend Monterey SlingMoment's fanny sling is a camera bag disguised as a small, minimalist, back-saving fanny pack. It's one of our favorite small bags from our camera bag guide. You can wear it as a sling bag cross-body or as a fanny pack, and it's comfy whichever way you go. It's not huge, though. The 2-liter capacity means this is meant for carrying a slim point-and-shoot, phones, or compact mirrorless camera, not your DSLR. Its main compartment has a thin sleeve to store an item alongside your camera, and over on the front are two pockets for spare batteries or keys. It's made of recycled 500-denier nylon and 210-denier ripstop with YKK zippers. —Julian Chokkattu
Photograph: PacsafeBest Travel Pack
Pacsafe Venturesafe Recycled Sling PackIf you're traveling, you're probably frequenting places where tourists gather, with hefty bags full of valuables that are targets for pickpockets. Pacsafe's sling pack has many anti-theft features —like pop-able, lockable zippers—that should puzzle any thief trying to surreptitiously open it while standing behind you on a bus. Other security measures include wire-reinforced, slashproof straps and an interior RFID-blocking pocket. It's stylish, made from recycled nylon, and is big enough to fit both a Kindle Paperwhite and an ipads Mini. —Adrienne So
- Photograph: North St. Bags
Best Waterproof Pack
North St. Pioneer 8 Hip PackNorth Street Bags makes all of their bike bags by hand in a small shop in Portland, Oregon, and they're designed to endure some of the yuckiest, wettest weather in the country. The Pioneer Hip Pack has a lifetime guarantee. It's made from super tough, waterproof X-Pac fabric, with heavy-duty, waterproof Lenzip zippers to keep your belongings dry in days-long drizzles.
I like the size of the Pioneer 8 better, but if you get the larger Pioneer 9 hip pack, you can customize it by adding interior pockets, a shoulder strap, or a handlebar kit. They also do frequent collaborations with local artists on limited-edition prints. —Adrienne So
- Photograph: Beis
Best Diaper Pack
Béis The Diaper PackGot diapers? You can still travel light with a fanny pack. Béis’ Diaper Pack is a bit bulky compared to other bum bags, but it fits everything I need for a quick outing without lugging my large, all-day diaper bag around. The front pocket is designed to hold diapers, with a cutout to reach the wipes pocket on the inside, and the large main pocket does the work of holding other stuff. I’ve easily fit a couple diapers, a pack of wipes, a backup outfit, a hat, a snack, and a toy or two into this bag—plus the included changing pad, which sits in its own open external pocket that I sometimes throw my iphoness into in a pinch.
The main compartment also has a couple of credit card pockets and a little hook to attach your keys. Personally, I find throwing my wallet in here easier, since my husband and I alternate using it, but the key fob has saved me from digging through the bag in a parking lot while trying to balance my squirming child at the same time. —Nena Farrell
