Tag: review

• updated: 3/7/24 with 2 new bag reviews

Since I use this site to spread info and not get clicks or traffic, I’m going to brain dump everything I know about fanny pack carry. I’m going to cover my history with fanny packs, their use case, their downsides, pistol requirements and considerations, draw stroke, and a review of every fanny pack I’ve owned. I’ve been carrying in fanny packs intermittently since 2008 and almost exclusively since 2020. Here’s how I got into fanny pack carry. 

I first started considering using a fanny pack in 2008. I watched Jay Gibson of Tactical Response show up to the range with his Maxpedition Octa full of Glock 19 with big dots and teach part of Fighting Pistol with it. I was very early in my shooting career, but I noted how easy and unobtrusive the fanny pack seemed to be for toting irrespective of dress. Paul Gomez (Rest In Peace), also occasionally used fanny packs and gave me some good pointers on choosing one. He taught me to buy the most tourist/normie fanny pack color and design I could, and if possible apply some national park patches to it to look like a hiker rather than a cop. He actually made a video about some of his ideas. These two guys, who I highly respected, used them, so why shouldn’t I be able to?

For a long time, fanny packs either meant cop or dork. I was resistant to using them for anything but dog walks, hiking, or camping, but fanny packs as an accessory have come back into fashion and wearing one isn’t out of place in 2024. Starting in 2020, I decided that since I was doing a lot of gardening, mostly wearing sweatpants, and that I didn’t have the patience for a belt, I committed to fanny pack life. Now that I’m back to coaching Jiu Jitsu, I rarely have the need for a traditional kydex holster and belt. If I do need a real holster, I use my PHLSTER Enigma to still allow beltless concealed carry.

I say all that to say, I have been accumulating opinions on fanny packs for quite a while, and have lived with them daily since early 2020. I’ll share my thoughts with you here.

Addressing the Off-Body Carry Elephant

Technically a fanny pack is considered “OFF BODY” carry, since the bag is visible and can be easily removed. For several important reasons, off-body carry is less than ideal. 

• The first big issue is that off-body bags themselves are the target of a theft because of their usual contents (think purse, shoulder sling bag, gym bag, backpack, etc). 
• The second issue, related to the first, is that people constantly remove their off-body carry bag depending on their environment. Purses go in shopping carts, backpacks get put in a spare chair or under the desk, sling bags get draped over a restaurant chair, etc. This opens them up for theft as well as unauthorized access (children being my biggest concern). 
• Lastly, off-body guns are slower to access, often requiring two hands. There is also the likelihood that the bag has changed orientation relative to your body, requiring your visual attention to index the bag before you can even start accessing the gun. 

That said, there is certainly a time and place for off-body carry if you understand the possible drawbacks and avoid user error.

The good news is that a fanny pack doesn’t share the same drawbacks as other forms of off-body carry. The pack stays on your body, doesn’t shift as you move, and can be accessed one handed in a variety of positions. I’d argue that fanny packs are in the middle ground of Off-Body and Concealed Carry. It allows the comfort and versatility of off-body carry with the ability to readily access your gun in a very congruent manner to an appendix carry setup. It also allows a convenient way to carry support gear and keep your pockets from bulging. Some would argue that they are the worst of both worlds but that’s just a matter of perspective, fashion sense, and needs.

I will always default to the most comfortable and convenient way to carry, when balanced against the dress requirements, level of visual scrutiny expected, perceived threat level, and gun requirement I have for a given situation. Here’s a quick list of times that a fanny pack is an ideal way to carry:

• Yard Chores
• Dog walks/ Hiking
• Shopping Trips
• Around the house (They allow me to carry more gun at home VS an Underwear Gun)
• Globo-Gym workout (If I squat, I’ll place the bag in front of me within arms reach, otherwise it stays on)
• Road Trips
• Whenever I’m beltless (Gi pants, gym shorts, sweats)
• Whenever I need to be able to comfortably bend at the waist

What don’t they do?

Fanny packs are slower to draw from than concealed IWB carry, which is slower than open carry, which is slower than just walking around with a pistol in your hand. That said, I don’t sweat a 1-2 second penalty on my draw time. If the shooting problem is directed toward me at contact distance, drawing on an aimed gun is a losing battle and is likely a grappling problem first. If the problem allows any distance stand-off, verbal or visual deception, or physical movement, the time penalty becomes less important. Either way, I just don’t sweat the time penalty very much. I’d like to be the first person to take a fanny pack through Shivwork’s ECQC.

Fanny packs draw more visual attention and could raise questions. For this problem, I always choose the least tactical color available and have even sewn outdoor equipment patches or national park patches to make it look less scary. I also have a canned response if someone asks what I keep in there. I tell them it’s my insulin and blood sugar testing supplies (I’m not diabetic, but I’m stealing valor). I also prefer getting the smallest footprint pack I can find that is appropriately sized for the gun I expect to carry. 

What does a CCW fanny pack need to do?

Similar to how a ‘safe’ IWB holster has several requirements:

• Allow a full firing grip on the gun while holstered
• Keep its shape to allow one handed holstering
• Adequately protect the trigger while holstered
• Stay in place on the belt

 So too does a useful fanny pack. Here are my requirements:

• Has a dedicated gun slot which keeps errant chapstick and keys from touching triggers
• Keeps the gun oriented and indexed reliably
• Allows one handed opening of bag and draw of the gun
• The bag sufficiently protects the trigger or has a velcro field to attach a nylon loop holster or attachment points to dummy cord a kydex trigger guard holster

What are the pistol requirements for a fanny pack?

Unlike other holsters which you buy to fit the exact gun you carry, fanny packs require more careful pistol selection. I tend to not bother with an internal nylon loop holster or kydex trigger guard, so I will only carry Double Action pistols, Revolvers, or safety-equipped single action guns. Currently, I prefer to carry my Sig P365XL with safety, but I’ve carried a number of guns in fanny packs over the years to include K and J-frame revolvers, Glock 19, Smith Shield, Beretta PX4c, and some others. If you decide to carry a glock or plastic gun without a manual safety, I strongly recommend a kydex trigger guard which you will dummy cord to the body of the fanny pack. Keep the dummy cord as short as possible, or you will have an extra long vertical draw before the kydex rips free. Large heavy guns like Beretta 92s *can* be carried in fanny packs, but the weight and footprint of the fanny pack starts to become a tell.

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tips to help you set up your fanny pack to be useful in the widest set of circumstances:

• If you have a pack that uses zipper pulls, I highly recommend changing the main pistol zipper pull to something that is both thicker and longer than the other pull tabs on the other zippers. This allows no-look indexing of the zipper pull with your hands while your eyes are on more important matters. I have purchased longer cloth pull tabs and have braided paracord into box weave pulls. 
• Close your pistol zippers at the top right corner (for right handed shooters) and your other pockets at the left side. This prevents accidental opening of the pistol pocket when you’re going for your wallet or chapstick. Closing at the top right also allows a single movement to the left for access which lowers the chances of hanging up at the 90 degree turn in the zipper path. 
• Another way to set up a zipper bag is to run a long stiff cloth pull from inside the bag and let it peek through the slight opening in the two closed zippers. This gives you a single point to grab and rip away from your body, which simultaneously pulls both zippers in the process. I also generally prefer the pistol to lay at a 45-degree angle in the pouch, which allows a more natural wrist angle on the draw, but this is bag dependent. 
• Lastly, if you find a fanny pack design you like, but at least one spare. These are niche carry items, and everyone tries to put their spin on them. So it’s hard to find another one that has the features you value the most. I only have two of the KG Products discontinued model and I wish I had 4 of them.

How to draw from a fanny pack

I wrote this in 2016, and it’s still perfectly adequate to explain the draw: https://www.growingupguns.com/2016/08/29/technique-draw-from-a-fanny-pack/

The most important detail is that the draw stroke is the same as when using a IWB holster once you get a full firing grip on the gun in the bag. So your fanny pack should allow acquiring the full firing grip in the fewest possible steps. Be aware of your muzzle on the draw, as it is possible to flag your off hand as you clear the bag. I tend to retract my elbow and let my pistol track towards a retention shooting position (thumb-pectoral index), which keeps the muzzle pointed down and away from my off hand while I draw.

Bags I’ve used

Here’s a list of the fanny packs I’ve used, and a simple rating and explanation of features:

The Shield Arms Junk Sack – 5 / 5 https://www.shieldarms.com/shop/category/soft-goods-bags-junk-sack-275

This is the speed rig of fanny packs. It uses rare earth magnets (how do they work?) and side velcro for closure. There is a fabric handle that allows easy indexing without having to look down, and a sharp yank forward opens the gun compartment. Exactly like the discontinued KG Products pack that I loved so much. This is the modern solution to a no-look one-handed fanny pack draw. The gun compartment holds my P365 and a small TQ in a pouch at the bottom. Perfect solution for me. The storage pouch is just a little smaller than I’d prefer, but uses a stretchy fabric that accommodates the essentials. This one gets my highest recommendation. Get one and try it.

VERTX SOCP tactical fanny pack. 4.5 / 5 https://vertx.com/socp-tactical-fanny-pack

It’s big. It reminds me of the 90’s cop fanny packs that people recognize as gun bags. BUT, if you need extra space, for either a larger gun or more gear, it seems like a good option. The zipper gun closure is the industry standard approach, and has all the drawbacks I outlined in my post. There is a dedicated external phone pouch that doubles as a viewing sleeve so you can watch Rich Piana’s 8 hour arm workout videos while you eat cheetos. There are good organization slots in the cargo pocket, with plenty of room for daily needs as well as a some medical gear. It can accommodate a g19 with optic and muzzle brake, as opposed to most of the others I’ve reviewed in which my P365xl with dot and 15 round mag is a snug fit. It also has some webbing on the body facing side which would be perfect for attaching a punch dagger or similar fixed blade knife. It’s really good, it’s just not perfect for my needs at the moment.

Eberlestock BANDO bag 4 / 5 https://eberlestock.com/products/bando-bag

This one is brand new to me as of early January 2024. It is laid out very similar to the Hill People Gear Snubby belt bag that I’ve used for several years. There are some design choices that I like more than the HPG bag. For one, there is no dust flap over the gun pocket. This prevents the possibility of the dust flap jamming up the zipper when you aggressively yank the zipper pull, which has happened to me. The volume of the bag feels slightly smaller, but the footprint and slightly domed shape looks more like hiking gear than the cubical shape of the HPG. I also like the elastic TQ keeper band in the upper flap of the utility compartment and zippered mesh divider for keeping things more organized. The elastic and velcro muzzle loop works very well at keeping the pistol oriented properly, but has enough give to allow a natural draw path without hanging up the pistol on the way out.

I don’t like the fact that there is only one pull on the utility portion of the bag, and that it only opens from the right side. This creates a small jungle of pull loops in the same area, which only creates confusion when you draw. This is another reason to buy or make a distinctly sized and shaped zipper pull for your main gun zipper. I probably will also try to make a pull tab that attaches inside the gun slot so I can pull a single tab and get both zippers to open at once, as mentioned in the tips and tricks section. I’ll know more in a few months of use. I’d also like to see a slightly larger tooth size on the gun compartment zipper. I’ll mention that more in my “dream fanny pack” section below.

LAPG FRUNK 2 / 5 https://snp.link/8a7a5ce6

This was a run of cheapo fanny packs that LA Police gear released a couple of years ago. They were thinner nylon and only had one main pocket with a velcro backing to accommodate a nylon loop holster. The front accessory pocket couldn’t hold a phone and wallet. For this reason, it doesn’t have much utility for keeping your pockets clear. But they were less than $25, so they were a cheap intro into fanny packs. This one would make a good medical fanny pack for range work, or a dedicated dog walking bag. I gave mine to my sister.

Maxpedition OCTA Versipak 2 / 5 https://amzn.to/48XcyPM

My first fanny pack for carry. It’s made of heavy 1000D cordura. The downside is that there is only one main pocket, and a front zip pocket. So while you can carry a pistol in it, there isn’t much room for anything else. This one would make a good medical fanny pack for range work.

KG Products (discontinued) 4.5 / 5

My favorite fanny pack ever. It had a dedicated gun pocket that was sealed with velcro, and kept shut by a single snap button at the corner. This was the closest thing to a gross motor draw as I have found in a fanny pack. You would grab a bunch of material near the button closure, and rip forward. It was only set up for right-handed shooters, which suited me fine. The utility pocket and front zip pocket was enough for wallet, phone, light, and some medical equipment. 

The main downside of this bag was a lack of rigidity, molle, or velcro field in the body-contacting panel of the gun section. As a result, the bag tended to sag away from the body, making it appear larger than it needed to be. Velcro also has a lifespan and eventually starts to wear out, so the closure eventually becomes more prone to opening on its own.

Spiritus Systems Fanny SACK 2 / 5 https://snp.link/871743fb

While a sought after brand for chest rigs and such, this one wasn’t really designed for pistol carry. Just like the Maxpedition OCTA, it only had the main large pocket. Once again, this one would be perfect for a man purse or range medical bag.

Bianchi Top Secret Fanny Pack (discontinued) 1 / 5 

This is the style of fanny pack that people who were around in the 90’s would say screams “COP”!. The footprint is very large across the hips. The secret gun pocket is closed with velcro only. The upside is it had mirrored ambidextrous velcro closures. The downside is that the opening required a nearly horizontal draw to clear. Poorly designed bag in my opinion. The body contact panel was a comfortable and semi-rigid foam and could accommodate glock 17 sized pistols, but you can only fit a K-frame revolver inside of it. I don’t get it.

Galco Fastrax PAC 1 / 5

This one looks cool on paper, but it failed at one of my main requirements. Galco kindly sent me one of these in early 2020 for T&E. I wish I would have liked it more. The form factor of the bag was very small. So small in fact, that the gun must lay horizontal in the bag, and there is an integral pivoting holster that requires you to tug on a tab to get the gun to pivot 90 degrees upward to allow you to get a firing grip. So you have to unzip the bag (1st action), and then find another small pull tab to yank and pivot the internal holster (2nd action). As a result, not only do you have to dexterously find two small pieces of fabric to pull, you also must use two hands to keep the holster vertical long enough to make a full firing grip. Fully a non-starter if you understand how an up close fight can go. It is like a Rube Goldberg machine for pistols. That and the gun could sometimes hang up on the flaps of the zipper as it pivoted. I liked that they were trying something different, but this one was a flop for me.

Hill People Gear Belt Pack Snubby 4 / 5 https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/1/ProductID/129

This one was a long time companion. It can hold a SIG p365 with red dot and smaller guns. The front utility pocket was enough to hold a phone, wallet, gum, flashlight. The front flat pocket could hold some medical gear. The shape was cubic, which looks slightly more tactical than other styles (a negative). It worked well and is a good size. They now make a slightly larger size that probably would be even better for comfortably holding other odds and ends.

There were several things I didn’t like about this bag. The biggest one was the zipper setup. They used a relatively fine-toothed zipper, which requires more force and is more prone to gumming up when exposed to lots of dirt. I’d love to see them make this with a larger toothed zipper pull for the gun pocket. The other notable negative is the dust protection flap over the zipper. If the wind is right and there’s a full moon, the zipper will eat the dust flap, locking the zipper in place preventing your draw. That’s bad juju. I never got around to cutting it away, but that’s probably a good idea if you try one. Overall a good pack. 

Tommy’s Gun Pack (discontinued) 4 / 5

I have about 10 months of use on this discontinued bag. I really like how they did the gun access on this one. They used wide big toothed zippers, which clear dirt and unzip smoothly and easily. The right side FASTEX buckle acts as the pull tab that pulls the zippered gun compartment open. When you pinch the buckle, some clever nylon routing pulls at the zippers which the user stages at the top right corner of the pouch. Yanking forward peels the gun compartment open. One handed access is simple.

This pack is nearly too wide to look like a sports fanny pack. It teeters on the “COP!” end of the scale, similar to the Bianchi. The FASTEX buckles can also become brittle and break with wear. The way the nylon is routed in that buckle would make replacing it quite tricky. Overall a very good pack if you can find one on EBAY.

Wilderness DB Defender 3 / 5 https://www.thewilderness.com/waist-pack-holsters/db-defender-waist-pack/

EDIT 3/7/24: I was able to recently try one of these. My hands-on opinion is the same as my opinion formed from looking at the layout on their website. The gun pocket is a bit too thick (front-to back), and the storage pocket is a bit too small. It’s very well made, as is all of The Wilderness’ gear. It’s “OK”, but it’s not my first recommendation.

I was just made aware of these and haven’t handled one yet. I know DB puts a lot of thought into his gear, so I’m sure this one works well. It has some useful holster attachment options and what looks like plenty of space for different width guns. I like that there isn’t a dust flap over the zipper to get snagged on. I like the flat rear pocket and front utility pocket.

I believe there are some design features that could be reorganized to be even better. The gun pocket zipper is shaped in an arch, where I’d prefer a straight pull zipper to cut down on the possibility of binding the zipper on the draw as you rip the zipper open as the cloth softens over time. I’d like to see a thinner gun section, which might better stabilize and squeeze the pistol and prevent it from flopping forward in the pocket (a problem I had with the KG Products pack). This likely wouldn’t be a concern if you use the holster keeper options it comes with. Some of that reclaimed real-estate could be donated to the front utility pocket along with that arch shaped zipper. This would allow easier access to day to day items. But again, I haven’t handled one and it might be perfect as is.

The Perfect Fanny Pack

If I knew how to sew, or if you do, here’s how I would lay out the perfect pistol fanny pack. Let’s do some business together. 

• It would be very similar in shape to the KG products or Eberlestock bag. 
• The body side panel would have laser cut velcro/molle and paracord loops at the bottom to allow a variety of holster accessories as well as afford padding and stiffness to the bag. 
• The front facing side of the gun section should also be stiffened in some way. The gun section would be a rectangular prism, about as thick as a G19, but no wider. This would hug the pistol and prevent sagging and flopping away from the body, and keep the weight of the front pouch from causing it to sag away from the body.
• It would have a velcro closure that ran where the top and right side zipper usually do and be secured at the top right corner by a snap or 3. This would make the gun section invisible, stay secure, and be operable with one hand via yanking it forward aggressively.
• If it instead had zippers, it wouldn’t have a dust flap and it would be a beefy zipper width to open quickly and clear dirt. 
• There would be an integral pull loop which would attach at the bottom-left front of the gun section and hang out of the bag by a couple of inches. It would be covered in velcro or have a snap located near the top-right to keep the zippers from separating in day to day movement. A single sharp forward pull would open the snaps and unzip the bag for access. 
• Conversely, you could forgo the pull tab and just put a single snap exactly at the top-right (and top-left) which would keep the bag closed, but quickly rip open if you yank the bag forward.
• It would have an adequate storage area for a phone, flashlight, keys, and wallet and perhaps a front flat pocket which went low enough in the front to tuck in a TQ where it would effectively sit below the main utility pouch in the front. 

The rest is just details.

Thanks for reading, now please never ask me about fanny packs again.