The Best Fanny Packs of 2025

As soon as mocked as a ’90s vogue fake pas, the fanny pack has roared again — and it’s higher, harder, and extra versatile than ever. We put dozens of at present’s finest fanny packs by way of months of testing — from rugged Teton summits to the Snake River’s banks, the native canine park, and weekend farmers markets — to search out the highest performers for hands-free hikes, journey days, and on a regular basis errands.

Whether or not you’re after one thing glossy and trendy or rugged and trail-ready, our picks ship consolation, comfort, and simply the correct quantity of storage. If you’d like an all-around standout, the REI Co-op Path 2 Waist Pack carries the whole lot you want to your subsequent journey round city. For a extra budget-friendly possibility, the Jansport Fifth Avenue Fanny Pack is a dependable go-to. No matter your model or price ticket, we’ve acquired a fanny pack to suit.

Editor’s Word: We up to date our Fanny Packs information on November 1, 2025, including the Osprey Tempest 6 and Talon 6, two performance-oriented hip packs designed for energetic pursuits; the Cotopaxi Allpa X 3L Hip Pack, a flexible journey companion; and the Baggu Fanny Pack, a classy on a regular basis possibility. We additionally added scores to our high picks based mostly on prolonged testing.

Different Bum Baggage To Deliver Alongside

There are tons of of fanny packs available on the market. We expect these award winners above are only a bit higher than the remainder, however we’ve additionally used many others to hold our necessities. Take a look at the fanny packs under earlier than making your selection.

Fanny Pack Comparability Chart

How We Examined Fanny Packs

Our Skilled Testers

The workers of GearJunkie has been across the block — and we aren’t afraid to confess we’ve been on the fanny pack prepare for some time now. From carrying necessities on day hikes to mountain bike laps the place a backpack can be cumbersome, fanny packs make our outside adventures extra pleasurable. We’ve come to know a superb pack after we see one.

Miya Tsudome, our authentic lead tester, has over 10 years of expertise with gear within the open air. She examined many of those fanny packs, rigorously assessing metrics comparable to carry model, capability, compartments, and sizing to make sure each pack is judged by the identical requirements.

Joybeth Sullivan, an avid outside fanatic who loves exploring stunning sights alongside her German Shepherd companion, joined this information as a tester in 2024. GearJunkie Editor Chris Kassar additionally contributed her experience, bringing years of expertise within the Tetons, the Rockies, and past to assist consider and refine the picks you’ll see right here.

Our Testing Course of and Testing Grounds

Our testers have been researching one of the best fanny packs available on the market since 2021, combing by way of dozens of fashions earlier than choosing these in our present assessment to place by way of the wringer. As a result of individuals use fanny packs for the whole lot from day by day errands to full-day adventures, we embrace quite a lot of kinds — from informal to classy, technical to burly.

We examined every product over the course of months in a variety of environments, from Colorado’s high-alpine trails to the rugged flanks of the Tetons, and out to the windswept Washington coast. We hiked, biked, ran, and even SUPed with these packs to see how they carried in real-world situations. To maintain issues standardized, we wore every pack for no less than 5 miles at a time with a median of three kilos inside (although some had been too small to suit that), replicating the type of load most individuals carry. We apply this similar routine for all new packs so you possibly can belief every decide’s efficiency and utility.

Past consolation on the transfer, our testers carefully examined every mannequin’s supplies, seams, buckles, waist belts, and zippers. We load each pack with the same assortment of equipment to evaluate group and ease of use — the small particulars that make or break a fanny pack in on a regular basis life. For those who’re on the lookout for different mountaineering gear, take a look at our guides to one of the best trekking poles and one of the best ultralight backpacks.

Purchaser’s Information: Learn how to Decide the Good Fanny Pack

Now that you just’ve seen how superior fanny packs are, you need one however don’t know which to decide on. Listed here are a couple of concerns that will help you decide the right pack.

Main Use

Before everything, how do you intend to make use of your pack? Do you want one thing glossy for journey or a carryall for mountaineering? Or is water capability of utmost significance? These are essential concerns.

What you’ll use your fanny pack for probably the most will decide what kind of fanny pack to purchase. Take care to take a look at every pack’s specs carefully, as a few of them will specialise in a sure exercise, whereas others are extra hybrid.

Fanny Pack Person Profiles

The Backpackers & Hikers

The day hiker will need to select between a small pack to hold their telephone, pockets, keys, and a snack or look into buying an even bigger pack with pockets for water bottles and house for a layer. Backpackers will usually use a fanny pack as a small accent pouch for gadgets which can be good to have simply accessible, comparable to sunscreen, GPS units, bug spray, and so on. 

Some packs are made particularly for backpacking and might even be built-in right into a backpack’s waist belt. The Patagonia Ultralight Black Gap Mini Hip Pack and the REI Stuff Journey Waist Pack are excellent for mountaineering the place you simply need to carry the naked necessities, and the Black Diamond Pursuit 6 and the Osprey Talon & Tempest Waistpacks are our high selections for once you desire a pack that may carry much more. 

The Informal Customers

Fanny packs at the moment are ubiquitous for women and men alike, and are undeniably helpful for carrying across the day’s necessities with out resorting to a bag or overstuffed pockets. The informal person will need to search for a pack that’s between 1 and a pair of.5 L in capability, with 3 L bordering on too huge to hold round all day comfortably. Selecting a fanny pack that can be worn throughout the physique will improve the performance of this on a regular basis carry. Different options to search for are a key leash, entrance pockets for group, and a separate again pocket to maintain valuables near your physique. 

Fashion is probably going an essential consideration for these looking for a day by day driver as properly. For the extra informal, color-appreciating person, the Fjallraven Kanken Hip Pack is an effective selection. The Kavu Spectator Canvas is available in quite a lot of colours and patterns, and is a good possibility for informal outings.

The Mountain Bikers

A strong waist pack is a good addition to the mountain biker’s equipment. Backpacks are inclined to get very sweaty and sometimes are overkill for what most bike lovers might have on a trip. A fanny pack with a stretchy waistband, breathable again panel, pockets for small water bottles, and sufficient capability to suit snacks, sunscreen, and a few small bike instruments would be the excellent companion in your subsequent path trip. 

The EVOC Hip Pack Professional 3L is a good specialised pack that even features a 3L bladder to make sipping water a neater affair. We additionally love the Black Diamond Pursuit 6 with its stretchy, comfy waistband for lengthy rides.  

The Runners

Let’s be actual, working with any kind of bag in your physique isn’t probably the most supreme. For those who’re going for a brief run or one the place it is possible for you to to entry ingesting water, give the Flipbelt Zipper Version a shot. However once you begin rising the mileage, carrying some water and a few vitamin turns into essential.

Runners will need to search for a fanny pack that has both built-in water bottles or flasks, or a devoted place to securely put your individual bottle. You’ll need the bottle or bottles to be small in order to not really feel cumbersome or slosh round an excessive amount of as you trot, and also you’ll desire a comfy, safe waistband that retains the whole lot in place for wherever the path takes you. 

Nathan is an athletic model that makes fanny packs particularly for the devoted runner. The Nathan Peak Hydration Waist Pack is a good minimalist decide that features a water bottle, hugs the physique securely, and has sufficient house for a couple of necessities. We additionally ran with the Osprey Tempest and Talon 6 and the Black Diamond Pursuit 6 and located these comfy sufficient for longer runs.

Carry Fashion

Whereas the traditional method to put on a fanny pack is in your hips with the bag going through the entrance, there are literally a couple of alternative ways to put on one, which is able to change based mostly on the burden of the pack, private choice, or exercise. Some, just like the Kavu Spectator, could be worn in your waist or crossbody model.

Bigger baggage just like the Cotopaxi Allpa X 3L Hip Pack, our high decide for journey works properly as a bum bag or slung throughout your physique. Some packs are heavy and are higher worn on the again of the hips fairly than the entrance for much less awkward carrying.

Capability

Not all fanny packs are created equal. It’s essential to notice the capability of a pack earlier than buying and in addition take a look at the variety of pockets the pack has to verify it’s going to suit your wants. We examined fanny packs starting from ultra-lightweight to the 9L Mountainsmith Tour.

Some packs solely have one main compartment, whereas others, just like the Cotopaxi Coso 2L Hip Pack, have quite a lot of pockets, pouches, and even water bottle holders. Contemplate what degree of group you’re on the lookout for in a fanny pack.

Compact

A compact fanny pack ranges in dimension from round a 1L capability to 2.5 L. Fanny packs historically fall round these sizes, whereas larger packs are generally known as “waist packs.” Being compact permits for a extra comfy carry all through the day, as the burden they will maintain is proscribed. Many fanny packs of this dimension can be worn throughout the physique, offering a unique carry model.

This dimension pack is usually restricted within the variety of pockets it has, and is normally simply large enough for a couple of small equipment. The Fjällräven Excessive Coast Fanny Pack, REI Co-op Path 2, and Patagonia Ultralight Black Gap Mini Hip Pack are nice compact packs that you just’ll end up grabbing to your on a regular basis carry. However if you wish to carry round a full-size water bottle, eBook, or a lightweight layer, you’ll need to delve into sizes past 2.5 L. 

Mid-Sized

Mid-sized fanny packs can vary anyplace from 3 to 9 L in dimension. These packs are usually extra technical, and could be precious for particular actions that require packing extra equipment like looking, fly fishing, mountain biking, or mountaineering. Mid-sized fanny packs will generally have thicker, padded waistbelts to allow you to hold weight extra comfortably, and have a tendency to have quite a lot of pockets, water bottle holders, and compression programs. 

The Cotopaxi Bataan and Allpa X 3L are the bigger informal packs we examined. The Black Diamond Pursuit 6 and Osprey Talon sit within the center vary at 6 L, and the Mountainsmith Tour Lumbar Pack is the most important in our roundup with its 9L capability.

Supplies

Whereas nylon is a well-liked fanny pack materials, it definitely isn’t the rule. Many modern packs make the most of high-tech materials to realize water resistance and sturdiness or just add some flash.

On the technical facet of the spectrum, the 00% recycled 840D TPU-coated nylon of the Cotopaxi Allpa X 3L makes it water resistant. We had been additionally impressed with the Jansport Fifth Avenue Fanny, which is a finances decide nonetheless made with 600-denier ripstop material — a extremely sturdy materials.

Fanny packs additionally typically combine different textiles into their design so as to add particular performance, comparable to a stretch mesh utilized in a water bottle pocket or a neoprene divider that provides construction to the pack.

Compartments

From zippers to drop pockets to water bottle holders, there are a selection of various methods to tote round your equipment in a fanny pack. In any zippered pocket, search for high-quality YKK model zippers that may last more than their generic counterparts. Some will even be water resistant.

A drop pocket gained’t have any kind of closure to maintain issues safe, however typically these could be useful for shortly tossing a telephone into when you’re out and about. We additionally vastly appreciated each time a fanny pack included an inside compartment with a key loop to clip our keys to.

Straps

As a result of most fanny packs can solely carry a lot (the typical throughout the packs we examined was 3.5 L), giant padded waist straps aren’t typically wanted. Many will use a easy webbing hip belt, introduced along with a single side-press buckle.

Some fanny packs, just like the bigger Mountainsmith Tour, provide barely extra padding of their straps and even embrace pockets that add to the general capability. We additionally particularly appreciated the mountain bike-specific EVOC Hip Pack Professional 3L’s adjustable elastic and Velcro waist wrap.

Sizing

It’s all the time a good suggestion to take your measurements and examine the pack specs. Most baggage match quite a lot of individuals, however some packs don’t cinch down sufficiently small for petite packers, whereas others run surprisingly small. Measuring will enable you to decide the best pack to your physique to maximise success and luxury.

Now it’s time to buckle up and prepare for a lifetime of fanny-pack adventures. We’ll even allow you to name it a lumbar bag or hip pack if it makes you are feeling higher. Simply get on the market and benefit from the awesomeness that’s hands-free packing, regardless of the exercise.

Worth & Worth

Fanny packs are available in a variety of costs, from budget-friendly choices round $15 to premium designs of $239. Whereas the cheaper fashions typically present the necessities and performance wanted for a fanny pack, spending extra normally means higher supplies, elevated sturdiness, and extra options for outside lovers. Beneath is a breakdown of what you possibly can count on at completely different value factors

Funds

Funds choices are nice for informal adventurers or those that simply want a easy pack for mild use. Whereas these packs typically lack superior options, they nonetheless provide strong worth for his or her value.

The Jansport Fifth Avenue Fanny Pack ($20) is a no-frills, enjoyable possibility with a traditional design. Whereas it lacks water resistance and a number of compartments, it’s a light-weight, reasonably priced selection for on a regular basis use. The REI Stuff Journey Waist Pack ($25) is light-weight and very packable. That is excellent for journey and brief hikes. Its water resistant materials makes it a strong step up from finances packs.

Funds choices usually sacrifice water resistance, long-term sturdiness, and superior options, however they’re nonetheless dependable for a lot of actions.

Mid-Tier

Spending extra on this vary will get you higher materials high quality, extra compartments, and improved consolation for longer adventures.

The REI Co-op Path 2 ($30), our greatest general decide does all of it; from biking to canine walks and the whole lot in between. The Fjällräven Excessive Coast Hip Pack ($40) is a minimalist but sturdy pack made with eco-friendly supplies and water resistant material (with probably the most vibrant colour choices, by the best way!), supreme for these looking for a glossy and useful design for day hikes or city exploration. Initially designed for runners, the FlipBelt Zipper Operating Belt ($42) is light-weight and weather-resistant, a great selection for minimalist adventurers who want fast entry to necessities with out the additional bulk. The Baggu Fanny Pack ($52) has a big carrying capability, a number of compartments and a sturdy design.

On this class, you’re gaining additional consolation, water resistance, and higher sturdiness, however would possibly nonetheless miss out on a number of the superior options present in premium fashions.

Premium

Premium fanny packs are designed for severe adventurers who want top-quality supplies, superior consolation, and specialised options like waterproofing or additional compartments for lengthy hikes or rugged situations.

With its signature daring design made with eco-friendly, recycled supplies, the Cotopaxi Coso 2L Hip Pack ($60) is a wonderful premium selection. It options a number of compartments, a cushty match, and excessive sturdiness for lengthy adventures. Recognized for its sturdiness and a number of compartments, the Mountainsmith Tour ($90) is a favourite amongst severe hikers and outside adventurers, providing superior group and luxury. The Osprey Tempest 6 and Talon 6 ($95) come absolutely geared up to hold all you want for a full-day of mountaineering and adventuring, making the steeper price ticket value it.

At this value vary, you’re investing in sturdiness, top-notch supplies, and added consolation options that make these packs appropriate for prolonged outside use.

Continuously Requested Questions