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8 Best Music Festival Fanny Packs



Also known as a bum bag, waist bag, or utility belt, a fanny pack is the #1 item on my festival packing list. These bags are perfect for keeping your items safe while working or partying at a music festival. They're helpful if your festival fit doesn't have pockets, and you can hang your cup or other gear from them while biking around Burning Man.


Why Wear One?

  • Customizable- they can be bought in endless fun styles, colors, and sizes. Whether your goal is to have the perfect rave fit or to organize all of your must-haves, you will likely find the fanny pack for you.

  • They can be worn on your waist or across the body, leaving your hands free to dance, eat, give hugs, and other festival activities.

  • A fanny pack keeps your valuables zipped up and close to your body at all times.

  • Unlike a backpack (which some festivals don't allow), a fanny pack is small and out of the way, making it a breeze to get through check-in and slip through crowds.

  • A good fanny pack will last years, and can be used outside of music festivals for other adventures like road trips and backpacking.



 

Bags by Sipsey Wilder

Sipsey Wilder is small business created by Kelly Lambert, an adventure loving Alabama native and artist along with her sister and mother. The project began with the desire to make nature inspired, minimalist bags that focus on being hands free, versatile and made with recycled and vegan materials. They focus on developing original hands-free bag styles that are useful and fun for those who are always on the go. These fanny packs feature a diverse range of interesting materials, versatile designs, and are ethically made with recycled and vegan materials.



Ikea Fanny Pack

This Ikea fanny pack is a trend that has been going around, and the eye-catching colors will be a great addition to your festival fit! VladSpacekHandmade is an etsy shop in Florida that sells items hand-sewn by Vlad himself. When describing his art, Vlad says: "I'm passionate about what I do. Truly, sincerely, from the heart. When I begin creating the accessory, I think over every stroke, line and element. This allows me to offer a popular product in the rhythm of the modern generation."


You can also upcycle your own reusable bags with this DIY tutorial. I am excited to find a use for my old reusable shopping bags with broken handles.



Bags by B Fresh Gear

B Fresh Gear designs retro, 90s inspired products including clothes, headwear, sunglasses, and fanny packs. Their large high quality fanny packs feature four pockets with a secure back pocket, fun designs and waterproof options.



Bags by One Stop Rave

One Stop Rave's fanny packs are functional and fashionable- while they just have one large pocket and a small inside pocket, there is also likely a bucket hat or rave cloak to match! This small business provides the latest in rave fashion, from eye-catching rave outfits to essential accessories. You can find everything you need to stand out at your next festival at this small business, including rave wear, festival shoes, pashminas, and fanny packs.


Raver couple Shane and Jenn transformed their passion for self-expression and rave culture into a unique small business. They began with hand fans, juggling their regular jobs and their growing business until they were able to focus on One Stop Rave full-time. Every product is designed and created with love, and products are made on demand instead of in bulk to reduce overproduction and their carbon footprint.



Bags by Soujourner Bags

SouJourner Bags is an Etsy Shop based in Houston, TX which sells fanny packs, hydration packs, bandanas, and more. They sell great music festival fanny packs, with over 40 designs of fun colors and styles. There is even a clear option, which is one of the fastest ways to get through check-in at a music festival and helps when finding your items. These packs are large, spacious and waterproof with 3 pockets and an adjustable nylon strap.



Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Mini Hip Pack

The Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Mini Hip Pack is a great multi-use pack. It is lightweight, made of recycled weather-resistant nylon, and comes in fun colors for customization. It folds into its own pocket when not in use, which makes it easy to stash in your carry-on if you are flying to a festival or in your backpack during a hike. This bag is part of the Patagonia Black Hole series, which are all very spacious, well made bags built from recycled materials in a Fair Trade Certified Factory.


Patagonia designs outdoor clothing and gear while making an active effort to reduce their impact on the planet. They partner with grassroots organizations and work with local communities to restore the environment, reduce fossil fuels, and address the deep connections between environmental destruction and social justice.


Cotopaxi Bataan Fanny Pack

You'll be able to fit all of your festival essentials in the Cotopaxi Bataan! This large but lightweight three-liter pack has two internal mesh pockets to keep smaller items easily accessible while the durable repurposed nylon shell and adjustable webbing strap hipbelt make it great for any outdoor activities.


Cotopaxi produces outdoor gear and clothing while prioritizing sustainability for both people and the planet. This includes partnering with factories that treat workers well, sourcing sustainably minded materials, and making durable gear that lasts. By 2025, they plan to use recycled, repurposed, or responsibly sourced materials in all of their products.


These bags are made by the Del Día factory in the Philippines, which collects unused materials produced by other brands in its facilities, and turns those recycled materials into backpacks. Because of this, there is no control over the color of your fanny pack: each one is unique.



Bags by Core Hemp


These Boho-style fanny packs are hand sewn by Nepalese artisans from local, organic cotton and hemp. Hemp is a natural, biodegradable material that has near infinite uses and a smaller footprint on the earth than many other materials used to make bags. Core Hemp partners with local entrepreneurial women in Nepal to craft their hemp drawstring bags and other products, ensuring that they’re paid quickly and fairly without a third party taking a cut.





How to find your favorite festival fanny pack:

  • A good quality zipper: Your bag can last you a lifetime of adventures, especially if it is made with a sturdy, good quality metal zipper. This means it’s less likely to catch or break. However you can always repair your fanny pack if the zipper breaks.

  • An adjustable waistband: This is important for your pack to fit over any outfit, in different positions on your body, or in case you need to share it with someone else.

  • An adequate size: Be aware of what you want to carry on your person and make sure that the model you’re shopping for will fit everything. Extra pockets is always helpful!

  • Ethical and sustainable production: Supporting small businesses, or larger ones that are being honest about their intentions and the production of their products, is a great way to feel good about your buy.

  • DIY: If you can't find it, make it! Sew one from your favorite fabric patters, upcycle some recycled fabric, or revamp an old thrift store fanny pack to look however you want it to.




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Hi, I'm Koi!

I'm an environmental project manager who decided to make a change from office life to to outdoor projects and small business ownership.

My goal is to help promote forward movement in outdoor spaces and live events towards full accessibility and diversity by giving everyone the inspiration and tools to create their own adventure.

I love self expression, hiking, music festivals, and Burning Man, and want to show that celebrating diversity in the outdoors makes it better for everyone.

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