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Every Hiker Needs a Big-Ass Fanny Pack

Embrace the dad-core vibes, and a 5-liter waist pack may just be the MVP of your gear closet.

The Mountainsmith Trippin', packed and with room to spare.

Update: A version of this post appeared on Backpacker

I have a lot of backpacks, and I mean a lot. After 9 years at Backpacker, I’ve accumulated so many packs that I could carry a different one on every overnight trip for a year and never repeat. I have preferences but no special loyalty, swapping from fast-and-light frameless bags to rugged 75-liter haulers as the situation demands. But there’s one pack that I barely ever leave home without.

My Mountainsmith Trippin’ fanny pack is my go-to accessory for everything from casual after-work jaunts to multi-day trips that take me deep into the woods. Its unpadded design lets me fold it into the bottom of a backpack or duffel when I’m not using it, while its Cordura-and-leather construction has now survived dog claws, sharp rocks, thorns, and several unplanned dunks in the ocean with barely a scuff. After three years of near-daily use, I’m ready to call it: Every hiker needs a big-ass fanny pack.

Hiking with a fanny pack isn’t a new idea. They’re popular accessories on trail, and both cottage companies like LiteAF and bigger manufacturers like Osprey make featherweight, 1-to-2-liter models for fast moving ultralighters and thru-hikers to keep phones, snacks, and sunscreen close at hand.

Those are great, but I’m urging you to think bigger. My Trippin’ swallows gear: I can carry a liter of water and a handful of snacks, plus my phone, keys, and wallet with room to spare. It’s such an efficient way to tote stuff that I’ve started leaving my daypack home altogether on some summer hikes. With a little creativity, it’s more than possible to fit the ten essentials into those five liters—a compact water filter, a survival blanket, a bare-bones first aid kit, and a water-resistant windshell all help. Busting out 10 miles with just a waist pack is a freeing feeling, and an extra incentive to think more about the gear I bring and don’t bring. (One of these days I’ll get up the courage to try using it as my only pack on an overnight trip, but I’m not there yet.)

It’s hard to think of a hike that my roomy fanny pack hasn’t improved. While waist packs have shed their dadcore reputation, a large one is still an essential piece of gear for hiking with small kids: I’ve used mine alongside an 8-liter Patagonia Atom Sling bag to carry gear while hiking a 13-mile section of the Oregon Coast Trail with my toddler on my back, and on closer-to-home trips it’s where I keep my “bribe the kids up that steep hill” fruit snacks. It’s my go-to pack for toting essentials on both day paddles and overnight SUP- and canoe-camping trips. I’ve even pressed it into service as a makeshift harness for pulling a pulk on wintertime trips in Colorado’s Front Range. On out-of-town trips that mix city time and backcountry adventures, the Trippin’ shines too. It’s a great everyday carry for kicking around, but I’ve also made it work for trail runs through the Oregon coastal rainforest and stashed bear spray in it on early-morning adventures in Banff National Park.

While I expect to use and abuse my Trippin’ for years to come, there are a half-dozen other good super-size fanny packs on the market, including the Patagonia Black Hole, Kelty Sunny, and Cotopaxi Lagos. So trust me on this one: Pick one you like, perch it on your tuchus, and get hiking. You’ll find it’s anything but a pain in the ass.