History of the Fanny Pack: A Return from Exile

For millenia, humans have attached bags or pouches to their belts. From Native American buffalo pouches to medieval European belt-pouches, to the Scottish sporran, to the still-popular hunting game bags, people have long found it convenient to tie a handy sack about their waists. 

The modern belt bag didn’t emerge until around the 1950s, when skiers started wearing leather fanny packs on their snowy adventures; they found the bags durable and convenient for carrying their belongings through all-day ski sessions. In 1962, Australian Melba Stone supposedly designed a waist bag based on the pouch of a kangaroo, thus creating the first of today’s “fanny packs,” but it took a couple more decades for the bag to gain serious popularity.

Enter the ’80s: an era of perms, leotards, teeny tiny basketball shorts, and yes, the pinnacle of man’s creations: fanny packs. Those humble belt bags experienced a boom of epic proportions. They were everywhere, in every shade of neon. Their rise was tied to that of the workout craze — more and more, people needed a convenient, hands-free, secure way to carry their belongings while going for a run, riding a bike, or participating in vigorous jazzercise. Fanny packs didn’t remain relegated to the fitness sphere, though, and they quickly became an everyday outfit accessory. Before long, anyone who was someone wore a fanny pack; in 1988, “Adweek” named the fanny pack the product of the year, and in 1989, the “Los Angeles Times” even claimed that “they look chic in the same way that leather jackets do.”

As the strange, wonderful madness of the 1980s faded into the less colorful and perhaps tamer ’90s, fanny packs grew up a little. The bright, colorful nylon was replaced with darker colors, often in leather, though the shape remained bulky. The pack was still fairly popular through the mid ’90s — who can forget The Rock’s black turtleneck photo, featuring a leather fanny pack? But as the mid ’90s became the late ’90s, fanny packs became a staple of suburban dads and dorky tourists. By the end of the decade, fanny packs were no longer the stylish accessory they’d been in the Reagan years; instead, they were a utilitarian fashion faux pas.

The aughts were a decade of exile for the fanny pack. Tastes had changed, and the cool kids wanted nothing to do with the once ubiquitous belt bags. Weird Al Yankovic mocked fanny packs, among other things, in his 2006 song “White and Nerdy” (though when it comes to Weird Al, perhaps mockery is the greatest form of flattery). Men’s wallets became lumps to be sat upon in back pockets rather than carried in a handy pouch. Keys were stuffed uncomfortably in the front pockets of excessively baggy jeans. Some of you may remember getting used to sitting on a lumpy back pocket or taking everything out every time you sat down.

The fanny pack exile could never last, though. Remember, belt pouches have been a feature of human fashion for millennia. And having what is essentially a comfortably sized, removable set of pockets is just too convenient; society couldn’t scorn it forever. So, unsurprisingly, the fanny pack exile died with the aughts.

As the 2010s began, dudes started to remember the days when they’d had a convenient pouch secured at their waists, not some man-purse or satchel flopping about. Young people once more started to think, “What if I didn’t have to stuff all my crap uncomfortably in my pockets? What if I had a convenient little pouch that could hold my wallet, phone, and keys?” Guys started wearing fanny packs across the body, over one shoulder, rather than around the waist, adopting a “cool explorer” vibe over that of the dorky dad the fanny pack had long since become associated with. These newer pouches were generally slimmer and more streamlined than their 20th-century forerunners. By the late 2010s, designers were sneaking fanny packs into their lineups as sleek “belt bags,” often in understated leather. Gone were the days of giant, neon nylon fanny packs, but the humble pouch lived on still. 

Tactical dads were caring less and less about being seen with a fanny pack (after all, who cares? It's just a bag). They wanted — and still want — something that looked cool, that was durable, that could carry their various dad things. The tactical fanny pack was and is the obvious solution.

Now, well into the 2020s, the fanny pack is back in action. Whether worn around the waist or cross-body, the bags are everywhere. For women, the pouches have become a popular, hands-free alternative to often bulky purses. For men, fanny packs are a practical way to sport their everyday carry items, whatever those may be. Their popularity might not be quite as extreme as it was in the ’80s (is anything as extreme as it was in ’80s?), but they are once again popular, nonetheless.

At the end of the day, with something as convenient as the fanny pack, people realized they might as well make it cool, too. Men can take today’s fanny pack hunting, on shopping trips with their girlfriend or wife, on quick day trips, out hiking, on excursions while traveling, or just on an outing to a friend or family member’s house. They’re an easy way to have your essentials on your body in easy reach, while still keeping them out of your way. If history is any judge, the fanny pack isn’t going anywhere, so get yourself a good-looking belt bag and let it make your life easier.

Bonus fun fact: Still not convinced that fanny packs rule? Consider early fashion icon Ötzi the Iceman. Yep, approximately 5,000 years ago, the now-famous mummy was rocking a fanny pack, and it just hasn't gone out of style (for long) since. In life, Ötzi wore a calfskin belt with an attached pouch filled with all sorts of things a Copper Age fellow might find useful, including assorted tools and implements for starting a fire. The tactical dad’s tactical fanny pack has been around for a long, long time.