Fanny pack

Image:Fannypack1a.jpg fanny pack with side-release belt buckle, belt slide for adjustment and top-open zipper compartment]]

A waist bag, fanny pack, belt bag, moon bag, belly bag (American English), or bumbag (British English) is a small fabric pouch worn like a belt around the waist by use of a strap above the hips that is secured usually with some sort of buckle. The straps sometimes have tri-glide slides, making them adjustable in order to fit properly. It can be considered as a purse worn around the waist.

Although traditionally the bag is worn with the pouch at the front, the separate American and British names derive from the fact that they are often worn with the pouch above the buttocks, for which "fanny" and "bum" are respective slang terms in each country. In France, they are known as banana bags, in Spain and Poland as kidney bags, in Italy as the marsupio, from marsupium. In Costa Rica, they are called a skippy or canguru.{{Cn|date=May 2025}}

The modern bags resemble those used from antiquity in some cultures and have gone in and out of fashion from the second half of the 20th century. From the mid-2010s the bag is often worn crossbody.

Early usage

Historically, the bag was positioned in front of the body, so people could protect themselves from bandits. Bags attached to belts have been in use since antiquity in many cultures. One origin was the Native American buffalo pouch which was used instead of sewing pockets into clothing. Buffalo pouches may also be worn on the wrist or carried on the front of the chest via a neck strap or lanyard.{{cite web|url=http://www.potawatomilanguage.org/virtualmuseum/buffalopouch.php|title=Buffalo Pouch|last=Wandahsega|first=Larissa|publisher=PotawatomiLanguage.org|access-date=2014-07-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330073802/http://www.potawatomilanguage.org/virtualmuseum/buffalopouch.php|archive-date=2015-03-30}} Ötzi had a belt pouch 5,000 years ago. The European medieval belt-pouch is another antecedent which was superseded as clothing came to have pockets. The Scottish sporran is a similar belted pouch that survived because of the impracticality of pockets in a kilt.

Use

Mobile devices (and USB charging cables and backup batteries), bottles of water, snacks, tissue paper, first aid, isopropyl alcohol, contact lenses, and pepper spray are among some of the most common items stored in the bag. Fanny packs designed for concealed carry of a weapon are available.{{cite web|url=https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/ccm-columns/features/pack-mentality-rethinking-the-fanny-pack/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616001351/https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/ccm-columns/features/pack-mentality-rethinking-the-fanny-pack/|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 June 2013|title=Pack Mentality: Rethinking the Fanny Pack|date=1 April 2010|publisher=US Concealed Carry Association|work=usconcealedcarry.com|access-date=14 June 2013|author=Chris Ewens}}

Unlike handbags, they do not have to be carried, and unlike backpacks, they do not put undue strain on the back. Often referred to as "waist bags", they tend to be worn "cross body" rather than around the waist.{{cn|date=June 2020}} Fashion houses such as Chanel and Gucci are at the forefront of the trend. The practicality of fanny packs is particularly popular in "festival fashion", where outfits tend to be more extravagant.

Fashion

In 1954, a skiers leather fanny pack appeared in a Sports Illustrated Christmas shopping guide:{{cite web |last1=Muzquiz |first1=Albert |date=6 August 2018 |title=History of the Fanny Pack / Cross-Body Bag |url=https://www.heddels.com/2018/08/history-fanny-pack-cross-body-bag/ |access-date=15 April 2022 |website=Heddels}}{{cite news |date=16 August 2018 |title=The Cultural History of the Fanny Pack |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-cultural-history-of-the-fanny-pack |access-date=15 April 2022 |work=MEL Magazine}}

"$10. The lightweight leather 'fanny pack' is designed to hold a cross-country skier's wax and lunch. It's also useful for cyclists, hikers, equestrians."{{cite web |date=November 22, 1954 |title=CHRISTMAS BY MAIL ORDER |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1954/11/22/christmas-by-mail-order |access-date=15 April 2022 |website=Sports Illustrated Vault |publisher=SportsIllustrated.com |language=en-us}}

In 1962, reportedly,{{cite news |last1=Lowe |first1=Jaime |date=4 September 2015 |title=Letter of Recommendation: Fanny Packs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-fanny-packs.html |access-date=15 April 2022 |work=The New York Times}}{{cite news |last1=Uthman |first1=Daniel |title=Quarterbacks get hip to fanny packs |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/recruiting/2015/07/15/fanny-packs-elite-11-quarterbacks-nick-starkel-jett-duffey/30175675/ |access-date=15 April 2022 |work=USA TODAY |issue=July 15, 2015}}{{cite news |date=16 May 2017 |title=From fashion joke to street-style hit: the return of the bumbag |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2017/may/16/return-bumbag-gucci-1990s-streetwear-revival-french-fashion-carrie-bradshaw-skepta-stella-mccartney |access-date=15 April 2022 |work=the Guardian |language=en}} Melba Stone, an Australian widow, inspired by a kangaroo, is sometimes credited with making a fanny pack.

"In 1988, Adweek named the fanny pack the product of the year."— i-D{{cite news |last1=Newell-Hanson |first1=Alice |date=6 September 2017 |title=fanny packs are back, whether you like it or not |url=https://i-d.co/article/fanny-packs-are-back-whether-you-like-it-or-notv24n7/ |access-date=15 April 2022 |work=i-D |language=en}}

The modern version made from nylon and other synthetic materials came into use in the 1980s and they were especially en vogue in the 1990s, but gradually their popularity fell into decline by the mid-2000s.Muzquiz, A. (2018, August 6). History of the fanny pack/cross-body bag. Heddels. https://www.heddels.com/2018/08/history-fanny-pack-cross-body-bag/{{Cite news |last=Vanderweide |first=Zoe |date=2025-01-21 |title=The Best Fanny Packs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-fanny-packs/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

In 2012, calling them "belted satchels" or "hands-free bags", several designer labels sought to bring the accessory back by offering stylish and expensive designs selling for as much as $1,995.{{cite magazine|title=Fashion Fail: Are Fanny Packs Really Making a Comeback?|url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/11/fashion-fail-are-fanny-packs-really-making-a-comeback/|magazine=Time|publisher=Time Inc|access-date=9 July 2012|author=Glen Levy|date=11 February 2011}}{{cite web|title=With Fanny Packs on the Runway, Can Mom Jeans Be Far Behind?|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704422204576130223571019968|work=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc.|access-date=9 July 2012|author=Rachel Dodes|date=10 February 2011}}

In July 2018, The Boston Globe reported that fanny packs were back in vogue with new packs introduced by fashion designers Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Designer packs retailed for up to $1,500 and were worn by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Jaden Smith, and Russell Westbrook. Vogue magazine reported on the trend by writing "Alas, due to our odd fascination with ugly throwback clothing, the fanny pack has been vindicated."{{cite news |last=Teitell |first=Beth |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/07/24/fanny-packs-are-front-and-center-again-for-stylish-and-brave/aEUQTsvwxucrgRlfesmGcM/story.html |title=Fanny packs: They're in vogue. We're not lying |work=The Boston Globe |date=2018-07-24 |access-date=2018-07-25}}

Gallery

File:Fannypack1a.jpg|Artificial leather belt bag with side release buckle, tri-glide slide for adjustment and top-open zipper compartment

File:Leather Fanny Pack.JPG|A woman wearing a leather fanny pack

File:Hennequin und Herman von) Brüder (Pol Limburg 006.jpg|Medieval painting by the Limbourg brothers showing a lord wearing a belt bag with a bollock dagger, {{Circa|1416}}

File:Native-American-traditional-dress.jpg|A nineteenth century photograph of a Plains Indian showing a belted bag known as a medicine pouch

File:Midjeväska - Nordiska museet - NMA.0097260.jpg|Fanny pack on a Swedish fashion photo, 1937

File:State Street Madison 2022 23.jpg|Fanny pack worn across the chest, 2022