I have fully embraced the dad mode with the fanny pack. I tested it out last weekend on the Sheltowee for 35 miles and loved it. Stowing away snacks, my wallet, sunglasses, and my trash. I picked up a cheap Appalachian Trail branded fanny to try out for about 10 bucks on ebay....as seen below:
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It was great for testing proof of concept! It carried my things, verified it would be comfortable to wear and did not interfere with my hiking or pack.

But there was alot of room for improvement...For instance it is not waterproof. So when the rain came, I had to alter my protection of it which in retunr became uncomfortable. As well, the zipper is in the back. And I have a belly and so it was difficult to get in and out of it. lastly the buckle meets eachother behind you, where the lumber of the pack sits. Even though this was not uncomfortable, it did leave an impression in my back from wearing all day and I could see how over time and more miles this could cause issue with chafing etc.

So I bit the bullet and upgraded to a rampage gear dyneema fanny pack. It is about the only thing on the market that checked all the boxes for me AND it looks super cool, even for a fanny pack.
  • It has a front opening zipper so I can easily get in and out of it
  • it is a great attempt at being waterpoof, as in it is dyneema and waterproof zippers.
  • the buckle is designed to clip on the side instead of the back so no lumbar interference
  • A plus is that it was hand made by a cottage company which I am always* a fan of supporting over the big names.



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