Are Fanny Packs Back In Style? Depends On How You Wear It!

Hi Red Oxx herd, my name is Gabrielle. Growing up in Livingston and Bozeman, Montana, we had a lot of Red Oxx gear in my house. Most family road trips meant that everyone had to fit whatever they needed in a single Red Oxx bag; soft-sided means a 6-person family can fit everything in the trunk of a minivan!

I was thrilled when Red Oxx asked me to be a Travel Ambassador. I’m a digital nomad, which means as long as I have wifi and my laptop, I can work from anywhere in the world. Currently, I’m in London, and you would not believe just how many people I’ve seen wearing fanny packs here.

Walk around your local hot spot, and count how many people wearing fanny packs you see. You might find yourself wondering – are fanny packs back in style?

Turns out, yes. They’re making quite the comeback.

The ironic thing is that few people are wearing them in the traditional style — around the waist.

A Fanny Pack Across the Chest

By far, wearing your fanny pack across the chest is the new "best way" to wear a fanny pack. For men and women, it’s versatile and convenient – without the goofy associations of fanny packs in the 80s.

Speaking of goofy things, check out the Booty Boss video below for some bootylicious ways to wear a fanny pack. (And a good laugh!)

Yes, we really did it. The Booty Boss is the Red Oxx take on the fanny packs in style as of 2019.

If you’re big and tall, or perhaps just big, wearing your fanny pack across the chest outshines the old style and lends some street cred to the ubiquitous belt bag. After all, the stereotypical way of wearing a fanny pack around the waist sometimes isn’t flattering for every body type.

What does this mean if you’re shopping around for a large waist-friendly fanny pack?

You can find an awesome fanny pack for yourself, and you can wear it in a way that takes attention away from your waist. We wonder if not wearing a fanny pack around the waist makes it a different kind of bag, but that’s a question for another time…

Putting a fanny pack across the chest makes it like a smaller, more convenient version of a backpack. This style is one of the most popular ways of how to wear a fanny pack for guys.

In fact, this is the way that guys wear fanny packs almost exclusively now.

For women, wearing a fanny pack across the chest may not be so flattering. We recommend wearing it across your back instead. You get the same convenience of having the bag slung across your shoulder securely, and it looks just as good – maybe even better this way.

Outfits with Fanny Packs – Your Music Festival Sidekick

So, you might be wondering – what kind of outfits with fanny packs actually look good? The short answer? You can add a fanny pack to any outfit at this point.

The real question is what kind of fanny pack goes with each outfit.

If you’re looking for something a bit more dressy, cute fanny packs for women are being made with skinny belts, and bags that are styled very much like small purses. The days of walking around with a little clutch you have to keep track of are long gone.

A more athletic outfit might take the stereotypical fabric fanny pack – either around the waist, across the chest, or across the back. When you wear it across your chest or back, many people call it a crossbody bag, so they can feel a bit more trendy.

There are many other stylish outfits with fanny packs for you to try. Summer is peak season for music festivals – turns out the fanny pack is the perfect small bag at a festival.

For men and women, a pair of shorts with a t-shirt or tank-top pair perfectly with a fanny pack at a music festival.

Music festivals are great fun, and can be an amazing experience. But every great thing needs a sidekick – after all, Batman had Robin. At this point, it seems fanny packs have emerged as the ultimate music festival accessory.

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    I’ll be bartending Coachella night at Revello’s tonight from 5-11pm. Tonight’s Special: Flaming Fireball Cocktails. Get ready to dance! #coachella @coachella #beer #pizza #bartender #fannypack

    A post shared by Stephen Seliga (@thefreshprinceoftaylor) on

They’re convenient, and hard to lose – great for when you’ve had one too many and you can’t remember where you put your keys. Fanny packs are stuck to your body like a backpack, but they’re much easier to navigate a large crowd with, since they’re a lot smaller than backpacks.

How to Wear a Fanny Pack for Guys

Ever heard of a ‘man purse’? Perhaps the best part of the fanny pack resurgence is its popularity with guys.

It’s similar enough to a backpack that you won’t get teased about carrying a ‘man purse’ if you’re wearing a one around town. Now you can wear your fanny pack slung across your chest, or across your back.

The most creative way we’ve seen how to wear a fanny pack for guys is around the neck. Yes, it’s a real thing. Some people even call them neck wallets.

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    A post shared by Chaplain of Vintage Church † (@charlieschaplain) on

Styling a fanny pack around the neck certainly checks the convenience box. That said, it feels a bit like the old tourist travel wallet worn around the neck.

What to Put in a Fanny Pack

Now you have several ideas on how to wear a fanny pack. The next step to making the most of your fanny pack style is figuring out what to put in it.

For an every day carry, there’s a short list of essentials:

•     Keys
•     Your phone
•     Wallet (or your money can go in a special fanny pack pocket!)
•     Charging cords
•     Small water bottle
•     Lip Balm
•     Sunglasses
•     Sunscreen
•     Scarf or handkerchief
•     Auxiliary battery pack

The battery pack is especially useful when you’re going to a musical festival, or other day-long event … like… going on a hike. In which case a fanny pack has the perfect amount of space to add a snack.

You might want a water bottle, and if it’s too big to fit and you don’t mind carrying that by hand, you can definitely make a fanny pack work on a hike.

Otherwise, backpacks are always great for taking on a hike, but I digress.

Back to learning more about what to put in a fanny pack. Do you like popcorn? Go ahead and throw some of that in your fanny pack, and wear it around your waist for the ultimate snacking convenience.

Who needs a separate bag to contain your popcorn? Do like Lil Roy does in the Booty Boss video, and just pour it straight in that fanny pack. Unzip, and snack. No more effort needed.

While roaming the world, I produce a podcast called Musicians Can Thrive. Over 10 years of my life went into honing my craft writing songs, and researching how to build a career in a new kind of music industry. The podcast is a way to share that knowledge with other musicians seeking ways to make money from their art.

~ Gabrielle