We’re minimalist travelers here at şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř—we don’t want any extra weight slowing us down as we explore the world. What we do like are practical gifts that make traveling easier, more convenient, and more fun. So our travel editors are revealing the items on their wish list this season—and the gifts they’ll be giving to their favorite travelers.

I’m definitely adding that water bottle and the Hipcamp gift card to my wish list. —Alison Osius

1. Best Gadget

AirFly Pro ($55)

At first, I was skeptical of this tiny gadget. As a lightweight packer, I refuse to schlep more chargers or adapters than absolutely necessary to survive a long-haul flight. Yet this year, my husband, tech-savvy guy that he is, insisted we try the AirFly Pro Wireless Audio Transmitter/ Receiver on our trans-Atlantic trip to England. Usually, I just use the freebie headphones flight attendants hand out. But our vacation happened to fall during the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, which we watch obsessively, and I instantly became a convert to this gizmo: a pocket-sized, 15-gram transmitter that plugs into your seat-back audio jack and Bluetooths to any wireless headphones on the market.

We watched game after game on the plane’s live TV app, and time flew by. Since we had no cords to mess with, bathroom breaks were easy, and we streamed from two screens in tandem, each able to listen with both buds. The AirFly Pro has a nice 25-hour battery life as well, and now we never fly without it. This is the perfect stocking stuffer for any frequent flyer. —Patty Hodapp, senior contributing travel editor

2. Best Fanny Pack

Yeti Sidekick Dry 1L Gear Case ($40; strap is an additional $10)

Fanny packs, in theory, should make hands-free travel easier, right? Not always. My entire life I’ve searched for the perfect pouch, only to be disappointed in the wild by their size, or lack of pockets, or uncomfy straps, or performance in poor weather. Enter the Yeti Sidekick Dry 1L Gear Case—officially everything I need and more, available to use alone or with a strap.

The waterproof technology of the exterior has kept my stuff dry on brutally rainy trips in Iceland and Ireland, and is made from similar material to that of whitewater rafts, so it can take a beating. The case also floats if I accidentally drop it in water (been there, done that on a recent fly-fishing trip). And its internal mesh pockets ensure my passport, wallet, keys, phone, lip balm, and other gear stay organized.

I’m partial to the one-liter option because it’s the ideal size for me. But if you’ve got a camera or bulky layers to protect, you may want the three or six liter. Don’t forget the Sideclick Strap (sold separately), which attaches to the bag so it doubles as a belt or sling. Now, you can carry your gear in comfort, worry free.—P.H.

3. Best Personal Item

Longchamp Le Pliage Original M Travel Bag ($205)

I always try to carry on when I’m flying. This means that my personal item has to be incredibly efficient at holding a lot but must still fit under the seat. I have spent hours searching for the perfect backpack, but nothing has ever held as much as my nylon Longchamp tote bag does, or held up to wear and tear the same way. I jam this thing with shoes, my laptop, chargers, food, my dopp kit, you name it. The wide-top shape of the bag allows it to hold more than any other while I can still cram it under the seat. It easily attaches to my Away Carry On Suitcase, too.

The Longchamp has been on a lot of plane trips with me over the last 15 years and still looks great. It folds down to nothing when you aren’t using it and also makes a great beach, gym, or day bag once you get where you’re going. Be sure to order the shoulder strap with it, or you can to get the extract size, color, and straps you want, which is what I did. —Mary Turner, Senior Brand Director

4. Best Extra Layer

Patagonia’s Torrentshell 3L Rain Jacket ($179)

I have had a version of this Patagonia rain jacket for years, and I take it on every trip. The jacket is super lightweight and packs down to nothing. It’s great for rain protection or when you need an extra layer for warmth in cold or wind. I bought mine a size up so that I could easily layer underneath it. The Torrentshell comes in men’s and women’s versions. It lasts almost forever, too.â€Äâ.°Ő.

5. Best Gift for Long-Haul Travelers

Resort Pass (from $25)

ResortPass, which allows you to pay a fee to use hotels for the day, is the perfect gift for travelers. Maybe there’s a hotel that you can’t afford, but you’d really love to spend a day there, or you have a long wait for your red-eye flight home from Hawaii after checking out of your Airbnb. This is where ResortPass becomes wonderfully handy. You can chill by a hotel pool instead of hanging out at the airport.

I searched for day passes in my hometown of Santa Fe and found some great deals, starting at $25, at beautiful properties. ResortPass partners with more than 1,700 hotels around the world and that list is constantly growing. It’s easy to purchase . How much I would have loved this in my backpacking days, when sometimes I just needed a little TLC and a hot shower . —M.T.

6. Best Day Spa for Travelers

Olympic Spa (gift cards from $100)

If you’re ever in Los Angeles—for a few days, overnight, or during a long layover—there’s an amazing women-only spa in Koreatown, and I’ve been telling everyone about it, because it is that good. doesn’t look like much from the outside, and the website isn’t going to convince you. But let me testify: this is a spotless oasis that will leave you blissed out after a couple of hours. There are three pools (saltwater, mineral water, and cold plunge), three saunas (herbal steam, red clay, and ice, the last of which was novel but not that cold), an oxygen-therapy room with a charcoal ceiling, and—my favorite—a salt halotherapy room where the warmth thoroughly seeped into my bones.

All that would be enough, but a friend recommended the Goddess treatment ($220), and that put me over the edge: a masseuse scrubbed nearly every inch of my body, from my ears to between my toes; plied my muscles down to overcooked-noodle consistency; and moisturized me to a seal-like slickness. After I spent 105 minutes on the table, the masseuse had to guide my limbs into the bathrobe and slippers. I am returning the next chance I get. Somebody get me a . —Tasha Zemke, managing editor, şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř

7. Best Phone-Camera Accessory

Joby GorillaPod Mobile Mini Tripod ($17)

I work with şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online’s astrotourism writer Stephanie Vermillion, and this past fall she recommended a tiny tripod that pairs well with smartphones. She uses her mini-tripod when shooting the northern lights and other dark-sky scenes that require long shutter-speed times with no vibrations. But honestly, I’m just tired of long-arming photos of myself and friends in beautiful places. I can tuck this accessory into my daypack—it’s about the size of a large iPhone, and weighs the same as two Hershey chocolate bars—and then set it up, adjust its flexible legs, pop my phone into its rubber jaws, set the timer, and take a snap that’s not a blatant selfie. Just what I’m looking for. —T.Z.

8. Best Gift for Nervous Flyers

Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 ($349)

Listening to music while flying helps lessen the anxiety I often feel, especially during takeoff, landing, and periods of turbulence. I was gifted these excellent noise-canceling headphones a few years ago, and they were comfortable over my ears and even looked cool, but, sad to say, I left them in the seat-back pocket on a leg to Paris. I’m going to have to replace them, but I have a plan to avoid paying full price: by going to Bose’s amazing , which sells returned products at a significant discount. The brand’s tech team fixes the defects, and you’d never know the items weren’t brand-new. You also still get a year warranty. The only catch is that the item you’re seeking may not be available immediately. I just checked the shop for headphones, and they’re sold out, but upon the click of a button, I’ll be notified when the next pair comes up—and you can believe I’ll wait. —T.Z.

9. Must-Have for Star Parties

BioLite HeadLamp 425 ($60)

I always travel with a headlamp, and not just for camping and being outdoors. Headlamps are tiny and easy to pack, and I’ve stayed in cabins at the Red River Gorge or in Tahoe where the rooms were so dark I needed a light to find my socks. I still have the original Biolite 330 headlamp from when it was introduced five years ago at an affordable $50: it is super light (2.4 ounces), bright, and functional; is USB rechargeable; and has an integrated design that puts the lamp flush into the headband for simplicity and comfort. It also has a strobe light for rescues and red lights for night missions.

Compared to white lights, low-intensity red ones minimizes pupil dilation, allowing better night vision; red light is also less disruptive to wildlife. Red lights are essential for star gazing, and these days everyone is going to dark-sky parks and peering at the stars, meteors, and northern lights. Recently, looking for a headlamp for my stepsister as she went off to an astrophotography class in the Tucson desert, I picked the 425. —Alison Osius, senior editor, travel

10. Best Travel Pants

The prAna Koen Pant ($95)

When I went to Abu Dhabi to see my nephew graduate from high school, my luggage was delayed for three days out of a five-day trip. So I wore the same mahogany-colored Title IX capris nearly every day as well as on all my flights, and came back loving them more than ever, which is some testament. Sadly, I later lost those red pants. Yet I hit on a match: the Koen. I bought the Koen capris (two pairs), then the Koen shorts (also two pairs), and then the pants: my new fave travel pants and apparently fave anything pants, since I just wore them to the hospital for a finger surgery.

They are lightweight, silky, stretchy, and wrinkle free, and work for anything from hiking to around town. The front pockets are flat and unobtrusive, with hidden zippers, yet deep enough to hold a phone securely if you need a quick stow, like when juggling items in the airport. The pull-on waist is ideal for comfort and upright cat naps, since it lacks zips, snaps, or external ties. The Koen is overall sleek in its lines. I am psyched that it comes in regular, short and tall versions, and am getting the long ones for my older sister, who is taller than I am and travels 70 percent of the time for her work. Don’t tell her, because it’s a surprise.—A.O.

11. Best Gift for Campers

HipCamp gift certificates (starting at $75)

Wasn’t it Clint Eastwood, he of The Eiger Sanction lore, who said, “I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth”? No, wait, Steve McQueen. Point is, with digital for booking a campsite on Hipcamp, you can give that experience. A card ushers someone into an expanding community with sites across the country and in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. And these sites are not just for a tent in a grassy lot. They are for a yurt in the middle of a flowering meadow; they are for camping, glamping, RV spots, cabins, and canvas. The gift card never expires, nor will you ever run out of places.—A.O.

12. Best Soak With a View

Mount Princeton Hot Springs  (gift cards from $50)

The old mining town of Leadville, Colorado, sits way up there at 10,000 feet, and it’s cold. Luckily within an hour you can reach any of half a dozen hot-springs resorts, some of the nicest in the state or anywhere, to warm your bones. My sister used to live in Leadville, and when I visited we often took our young sons and let them play and soak..and maybe even slow down a little. The mountain-ringed Mount Princeton Hot Springs, in Nathrop, has geothermal springs, an infinity pool, natural creekside pools, and a view of the Chalk Cliffs on the 14,197-foot peak the property is named for. It that work for day passes, lodging, and dining.—A.O.

13. Best Water Bottle for Travel

Katadyn BeFree 0.6 L Water Filter Bottle ($40)

I sure could’ve used this lightweight collapsible filtered bottle last summer for mountain hiking. On one trip with an eight-mile approach followed by a day on a peak and then the dread march out, I filled my bottles time and time again from a stream near camp, thirsty and getting careless when my filtration system took time. (Luckily I got away with it, or rather without giardia, this time.) Filtering at a rate of up to two liters of water per minute, the Katadyn is a fast and light (two ounces) system that would also be perfect for the trail runners and bow hunters in my household who don’t want to carry heavy water bottles. I would like to take the Katadyn hiking and traveling, since it’s light, packable, and makes for safe drinking.—A.O.

14. Best Reading App

Everand Subscription (from $12 per month)

Whether traveling by car or air, I always download a series of audiobooks from my Everand (formerly named Scribd) app before going. With a library of more than 1.5 million ebooks and audiobooks—plus a collection of magazines and podcasts—to choose from, I never run low on options. Often, I’ll base my pick on the destination: Desert Solitaire for a trip to Moab or A Walk in the Woods for a hiking adventure in Maine. Every time I board a flight, I pop in my earbuds and am fully entertained until we land. Or, since I like to sleep on planes, I might set Everand’s sleep timer to 30 minutes, and drift off by the time we finish takeoff. I love the app so much that I’m getting a subscription for my 14-year-old stepdaughter this year, too. —Abigail Wise, Digital Director

The post 14 Best Gift Ideas for the Traveler in Your Life appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

You can save hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars on technical outdoor gear if you master just one simple aspect of gear maintenance: zipper care. Even just doing the bare minimum to maintain your zippers can add five or more years of life to backpacks, fancy Gore-Tex jackets, and pricey tents. And the longer you can go without having to replace these things, the more cash you’ll have in your pocket for more important things—like gas money, plane tickets, and breakfast burritos.

Over the years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of gear experts for this column, and zippers have come up dozens of times—particularly when speaking with repair specialists—as the most important individual detail on the pieces of gear they live on. It makes sense: Zippers are a major point of weakness on most gear, and they can break easily if they’re not used correctly. Repairing them is difficult to do at home and expensive to outsource. If an ember flies onto my rain jacket and burns a hole in the shoulder, I can repair it in minutes with some and/or one of my beloved . If I break a zipper, I usually just panic.

But while it’s important to respect zippers, it’s also important not to fear them. After all, they’re simple machines that have barely changed over the past 120 years. To help demystify them, I called three of the most reputable materials and components experts I know, and asked them to share their secrets.

Here’s what you need to know about zipper care, use, and maintenance to keep your gear going year after year.

The Experts

is currently the director of research development and design for BioSkin, which makes medical braces. Before that, he spent 20 years designing gear for the likes of Cascade Designs, REI, and military uniform company Massif, where he specifically focused on trims and zippers.

has been one of my most trusted—and refreshingly candid—materials sources for a decade now. He’s served as global director of product merchandising and design for Mountain Hardwear, and as a senior product manager for brands like The North Face and Simms. He is currently the Global Chief of Outdoor Product at global clothing sourcing company Asmara Group.

has been a lecturer at the Royal College of Art in London—specializing in performance sportswear and design—for nearly 13 years. Ross is an academic through and through and knows an astonishing amount about the history and functionality of zippers.

A Brief Glossary

Tape: The cloth on either side of a zipper

Teeth: The rows of little knobs that come together to create the zipper chain

Pin: The pointy piece of metal or plastic at the bottom of one side of your zipper. This is the piece you have to slot into the little box at the bottom and line up to start the zip.

±ĘłÜ±ô±ô:ĚýThe floppy metal or plastic tab you grab with your fingers to slide your zipper up and down

Slider: The chunky piece of metal or plastic the zipper pull is attached to. The slider goes up and down along zipper tape. Its job is to connect or disconnect the teeth as you zip and unzip.

Pin box: The pin box is the little square at the bottom of the zipper that keeps the slider from falling off. You have to insert one side of the zipper tape (the side with the pin) into this box in order to start the zipper.

Zipper Buying Tips

Look for a “YKK” on the zipper

All three of my experts specifically—and sometimes begrudgingly—agreed that YKK makes a fantastic zipper. This is a brand that can be trusted for quality.

“You’re going to mitigate 80 percent of your headaches by going with YKK because they’ve just got it dialed,” Fry said. “It’s high quality. The execution is the same almost everywhere in the world. So whether you get a jacket that’s made in Indonesia, China, or Canada, it’s going to have the same quality of feel and behavior.” Fry said. Put simply: If you buy a jacket with a generic zip rather than YKK brand, your chances of failure are higher.

Test the zipper before you buy 

If you can, get the garment in hand and get a feel for the zipper before you pull the trigger on a purchase. The zipper action should be smooth. “It should feel like liquid,” said Fry. And if it feels like it’s catching or halting? “Then it’s probably non-branded and it’s going to break,” he said.

Bigger is better

If you’re looking at two competing products and one has a larger main zipper, it will probably last longer. “Bigger is always better, always, every time,” Fry said. Every time you use a zipper, it wears off little bits of material. Smaller teeth fail faster because they have less material to spare, and the teeth deform or round off—and stop catching—after fewer uses.

The difference in the weight between a #5 zipper (a zipper with teeth that measure a five millimeters in diameter when closed—the kind you might expect to see on a lightweight rain jacket) and a #10 (the kind of zipper you’re probably used to seeing on your carry-on luggage) is remarkably insignificant. But that #10 zipper is going to last a great deal longer.

Best Zipping Practices

The best way to keep your zippers in good working order is to treat them with respect. Here are our experts’ tips.

Don’t use zippers to force something shut

One of the greatest sources of user error, particularly on luggage and backpacks, is trying to use the zipper itself to leverage a piece of gear closed. “They’re not meant to be the closure device,” Fry said. Pulling a stubborn bag shut puts a lot of force on the slider and teeth. Zippers weren’t designed to withstand that force.

“Zips work really well going one-dimensionally, so straight up and down,” Ross explains. Any amount of curvature introduced into the system is going to make the zipper significantly more likely to fail. A light curve, like when I zip a sweatshirt over my tummy after I have joyfully eaten an entire large pizza, is going to make it about five percent more likely to fail. If I were to put a basketball under my sweatshirt and zip it closed, the zipper is much more likely to bust. So, if you spot a bulge in your pack, fix it before trying to zip it shut to help mitigate this problem.

Brute force will only make a stuck zipper worse

“If you’re feeling resistance [in your zip], the number one thing to do is to stop and examine it,” Ross said. Zippers should run smoothly, so any type of resistance at all—even just light sluggishness as you pull up or down—is worth looking at. While this sounds very straightforward, I have to admit it’s hard to follow. In my haste, I have injured many a zipper. Ross has, too. “I’m a bloke,” Ross laughs. “If I get resistance, I pull harder.” But in this case, he recommends you do as he says—not as he does. Yanking a zipper shut is more likely to break teeth or jerk the slider off the track. And just as getting stopped for a speeding ticket makes your commute a whole lot longer, breaking your zipper is going to add more to your packing time. Slow down, and do it right the first time.

Fry also highlighted the importance of using a soft hand when zipping. “Really make sure you take the pressure off of the zipper so that the zipper slides easily,” Fry said. “If you’re struggling with the zipper, it’s probably going to break—either that time or the next time you use it.”

Take extra time to seat your zipper

Munter takes extra care to properly seat the pin of his zipper into the box every time he zips up a jacket. If you rush the seating or don’t get the pin in all the way, it significantly increases the chances that the teeth won’t come together in a uniform manner. That makes them more likely to warp. Little micro-warpings in the teeth often lead to unfixable problems in a zipper over time.

This extra thoughtfulness around engagement in the beginning of the zipping process goes for the slider, too. Munter likes to pinch the slider against the pin box and bring it below the pin before slotting the pin into place. This creates compression that will set the start of the zip up perfectly. “If you start all good, then you’ll function well,” Munter said.

Easy Maintenance Tricks to Make Your Zippers Last

Slowing down and respecting your zips isn’t the only way to keep them going strong. They also need a little TLC every once and a while. Here’s how to keep your zippers running smoothly for years to come.

Clean your zippers

“Gunk gets in the way [of the teeth] and wears your zipper down,” Munter said. Over time, dirt and grit gets clogs the spaces between the teeth, preventing them from sliding together. Dirt can also create abrasion, which chips away at your zipper teeth. The answer? Regular cleaning.

According to Munter, washing your zippers with water alone isn’t enough; to really get dirt and grime out of the tiny crevices, you’ll need an emusifier, like a soap or detergent. While running a jacket through the wash after using it will take care of most of the grime, it is worth getting in there with a brush and soap if you absolutely hammer a jacket with dirt on, say, a climbing trip. If the zipper you want to clean is on a tent or large bag that you wouldn’t want to run through a washing machine, Munter recommends scrubbing your tent or pack with a brush and soapy water.

Size up (or pack less)

We’ve already established that zippers are terrible compression devices. The best way to remedy this is by sizing up. For jackets, think about purchasing a size big enough to comfortably pile on layers underneath it, Ross said. As for packs and suitcases? If you find yourself aggressively zipping it closed, it’s not big enough. Pack less, or buy a bigger bag.

Wax your zippers

Fry learned an invaluable zipper care lesson when he worked at Simms and watched them wax the waterproof zips on waders.

“Seems silly, but anytime you’ve got a big chunky zipper, a little bit of wax can go a long way,” Fry said. “You don’t need to have liquid lubricant stain your fabric, but a hard block of a candle wax [does the trick]. As you move the zipper slider up and down, it heats up and melts the wax into the base the teeth.”

You don’t need much: A single swipe along your zipper has the dual benefit of seriously lubricating the zipping process as well as keeping out sand and grit. Both will improve your zipper’s longevity for years to come.

The post How to Never Break Another Zipper appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

The answer to the question, “Are fanny packs still cool?” will always be a resounding yes for me—I’m Team Hip Pack all the way (though I am aware that others are not so sure). I’ll still reach for a backpack when I’m going for a long hike or have my kid with me, but for most quick outings, I think a fanny pack is the way to go. But for such a ubiquitous piece of gear, they’re not all created equally.

What Features Make Up the Best Fanny Pack?

A good fanny pack should sit nicely against the body, not pull down (or ride up), pinch, or rub, and it should have the right features and capacity for whatever you plan to do with it. A nice size for everyday essentials is in the one to three-liter range, and for moderate day outings, three to five liters is typically enough volume. For whatever you like to do, here are the ten best fanny packs that get the job done—and look good doing it.

Best for Everyday

Fjällräven ±«±ô±ąĂ¶ Medium Hip Pack ($55)

Volume: 2 liters
Pockets: One main compartment and one security pocket

For carrying everyday essentials, the is the only fanny pack you’d ever need. It’s functional without feeling over-designed and comes in solid muted colors that will never go out of style. The unique shape lays comfortably against the body, and looks good worn crossbody or on the waist. The main compartment has a two-way zipper and an internal mesh sleeve for organization, and the zippered security pocket on the back keeps important items like cards or a passport safe. The durable material is waterproof enough should you get caught in the rain, and though the zipper isn’t watertight, there’s a storm flap for added protection. The ±«±ô±ąĂ¶ has enough room to carry what you need for a quick hike, running errands, or traveling through the airport, but if space is a concern, there’s a ($65).

Best for Travel

Cotopaxi Allpa X Hip Pack ($75)

Volume: 4 liters
Pockets: Two large compartments and one security pocket

The is a two-compartment fanny pack with multiple mesh internal pockets that makes organizing travel items a cinch. The discreet back panel security pocket is large enough for a passport, cards, and travel docs, while the butterfly-style opening (when unzipped, the pack lays out like a book) makes packing and finding your stuff more manageable. If you’re using it as part of a travel system, the strap tucks away from sight in the back panel, allowing it to double as a Dopp kit. Other four-liter packs can be bulky, but the Allpa has a comfortable dome-like shape with side-release buckles that compress it to fit the contents. It’s especially great for camera gear because of the fully padded internal pocket. It keeps small day-trip items close at hand, and it has major style points.

Best for Day Hikes

Patagonia Black Hole Waist Pack ($69)

Volume: 5 liters
Pockets: One main compartment and one front zippered pocket

For days on the trail when you want to give your shoulders a rest or it’s just too damn hot to wear a backpack, the has enough internal storage to carry hiking essentials, two mesh water bottle pockets. It’s more banana-shaped than rectangular, so it doesn’t bounce around or pull down on the hips when loaded (compression straps help keep it snug), and the waistband doesn’t loosen while hiking. The lumbar padding adds comfort with mesh fabric that keeps it breathable enough for all-season use. The main compartment has a double zipper so you can access each side of the pack, and the internal mesh sleeve prevents small items from spilling out. We loved the small exterior pocket for our phone. The Black Hole’s durable recycled polyester ripstop fabric is treated with a TPU-film laminate, which makes it highly weather resistant against everything but a heavy downpour.

Best for Watersports

Matador Freerain Hip Pack ($60)

Volume: 2 liters
Pockets: One main compartment and one front zippered pocket

The main zippered roll-top compartment on the is fully waterproof, making this ultralight fanny pack ideal for days on the water or being out in the rain. When rolled down, it has two liters of storage, but when left unrolled (and still secured by a zipper), you get almost double the extra space. I can stuff a lot into this fanny pack for a day of paddleboarding or hanging at the beach: a packable towel, goggles, phone, keys, cards, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a few snacks. The nylon fabric is durable and ultralight, the zippers are coated with sealant, and it compresses down into a mesh sack that takes up just a few inches of space. Adjustable straps snug the fit on the fly, and though the buckles are a little delicate, the tradeoff is that it weighs next to nothing.

Best for Dog Outings

Ruffwear Home Trail Hip Pack ($45)

Volume: 1.8 liters
Pockets: Two zippered pockets and one stash pocket on the back panel

Sometimes, I wear two fanny packs: one for my kid’s crap (not literally) and another for my dog’s crap (literally). I keep them each stashed with ready-to-go essentials to get out the door more quickly. Any small hip belt will work for carrying everything you need for a dog walk, but the has a few details that make it the best for dog owners who want a dedicated pack. It wears close to the body, so it doesn’t get in the way of active play, and the internal “mess pocket” inside the main compartment keeps smelly treats or a slobbery ball separated from everything else. There’s a small external mesh pocket for dog waste bags, a quick-access stash pocket on the back panel for your phone, and the small front pocket has enough room for keys and cards.

Best for Simplicity

Dakine Classic Hip Pack ($32)

Volume: Roughly 2.5 liters
Pockets: Two zippered pockets

is a simple and versatile pouch that’s best for when you want to travel light. This small basic pack has two zippered compartments with enough room to store everything you need to run a few errands or walk the dog. It’s lightweight and durable, with an adjustable waistband and heavy-duty buckle. The belt is a little thick for the size of the fanny pack, but it’s comfortable to wear and doesn’t look excessive when worn on the waist or crossbody. Plus, it comes in a ton of colors and patterns. If you want to lean into the traditional fanny pack style, the Classic is just that.

Best for Muddy Outings

Mountain Hardwear Road Side Waist Pack ($40)

Volume: 4 liters

Pockets: One main compartment and one front stash pocket

The hard-wearing is a no-frills fanny pack that’s durably constructed and holds a ton of stuff for its size. The main compartment has a small sleeve against the back panel for stashing a wallet or keeping other small items separate, but it’s essentially one big rectangular holder that makes packing items in easier (the double zippers help, too). The Road Side is large enough for a few aluminum cans, snacks, and even a couple of small clothing items. The smaller front pocket can hold sunglasses, keys, cards, and other little things you don’t want to dig around in the main pocket to find. The tough nylon fabric is easy to wipe clean, so there’s no worry if it gets covered in mud while you’re biking or at an outdoor festival. The belt and buckle tuck into a sleeve on the back panel, so it’s also pretty travel-friendly. One ding: the thin waistband isn’t the most comfortable for long days when the Road Side is packed to capacity.

Best for Wallet Replacement

Topo Designs Mini Quick Pack ($49)

Volume: 1.7 liters

Pockets: One main compartment and one exterior zippered pocket

While other fanny packs blend in, the Mini Quick Pack stands out in the bold, vibrant colors, with a hardy shell that makes it impervious to most weather. A smaller version of the popular seven-liter ($69), it’s got room to store essentials but not much more. The main compartment is fully padded, so it’s a good spot for sunnies and a phone; plus, there’s an internal hanging pocket suitable for Chapstick and a couple of cards. The front diagonal pocket features an internal key clip, and there are a handful of other attachment points on the outside, including two bottom compression straps that you can clip onto or use to stash a packable jacket. The long rectangular shape is a bit bulky, and the thick strap is a little overkill and doesn’t stow. But all the components are high-quality, and this maximalist fanny pack is sure to last for years.

Best for Parents

No Reception Club Sidekick ($75)

Volume: 3 liters

Pockets: One main compartment and diaper wipes back pocket

lets parents carry baby essentials without lugging around a cumbersome—and often ugly—diaper bag. For baby-wearing, it’s much easier to strap a fanny pack around your waist than deal with backpack straps or an over-the-shoulder bag. The Sidekick can fit about six diapers, hand sanitizer, a backup onesie, and a few other small items like a pacifier or teething toy. It comes with an easy-to-wipe removable changing mat, and the back panel has a diaper wipe dispenser with magnetic closure so you can open it one-handed. The Sidekick is designed to pair with the ($235), a highly compartmentalized and stylish backpack that makes traveling with baby gear more organized.

Best for Hydration

Deuter Pulse 3 Hip Pack ($115)

Volume: 5 liters
Pockets: One main compartment, one zippered front pocket, and two small zippered mesh pockets

is best suited for hikers or mountain bikers who want quick access to water without stopping. The advantage of a hip pack with a reservoir is that you won’t have a clunky water bottle shifting around while you move—and you’ll probably stay more hydrated too). The 1.5-liter hydration bladder conforms perfectly to the shape of the hip pack, filling out the back panel and wings with enough water for a few hours of hiking. Even with a full bladder, the hip pack has enough room for food, a first aid kit, and other supplies, and there are mesh pockets in the front compartment to securely stash smaller items. The ventilated back panel has breathable mesh fabric and a soft spongy lumbar pad that’s noticeably comfortable on summer days, which is why the Pulse 3 has all but replaced my backpack for hot weather use.

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