I had a Lowe fanny pack. It was decent, but it was wearing out. I wanted to buy a new fanny pack in spectra material so it wouldn't wear out. The problem is that nobody makes spectra fanny packs. After much searching, I found Rodney Liwanag, in the Philippines who is a custom pack maker, and was willing to make me a custom spectra pack. We went over the design a bit, and he shipped me two prototype packs. They aren't perfect, but they are close enough. The workmanship is first rate, they have plenty of features, and they will certainly last a lifetime. The price was quite reasonable, but shipping and customs isn't cheap.
Here is a view of the back of the pack. There is a compression strap for the pack going from side to side, with a fastex clip. There is an elastic cord for attaching stuff to the outside of the pack. There are three straps on either side of the pack. One secures the water bottle, and the other two go to the hip belt to keep the fanny pack close to you. Partially visible on top are the carrying handles. On one side, is a pringles potato chip can in one of the two water bottle holders.
This is a view of the hip belt. It is quite wide and supportive. Visible at the top are the carrying handles. If you look closely, there is velcro sewn on the other side of the hip belt. This is used in the second picture, where the hip belt is stowed away in the hip belt pocket. The top of the hip belt pocket is open, so you can put a few papers inside it, and keep them out of the way. Clearly visible are the two water bottle holders with elastic tops and webbing to help secure the bottles. My bottles are big enough that this webbing isn't very useful, but it would useful for smaller bottles.
There are two main compartments in the fanny pack. The first picture shows the secondary pocket. It is smaller than the main pocket, but still big enough to be useful. The main pocket has a very substantial zipper, and is quite large. Notice the seams inside the main pocket are taped over with fabric. This makes them extra durable, and is rarely seen in fanny packs.
Inside the main compartment, is a small zippered pouch. It is big enough for a wallet and keys. You can see how big it is in the second picture, where it is folded out of the way. The second picture is the foam compartment. It is a good idea to have some foam against the lumbar area of the fanny pack next to your body. Rather than sewing the foam in, it slides into a pocket, and is therefore removable. You can switch it out with thicker or thinner foam, or stiffer of softer foam. I think the foam that came with the pack is perfect.
This is a side view of the fanny pack. Clearly visible is the water bottle holder (with the pringles can inside). The strap that goes around it can be used to secure the water bottle. The two straps that go from the fanny pack to the hip belt are used to hold the pack against your body. You can see the velcro on the hip belt which is used to hide the hip belt if desired.
There are two handles on top of the pack which can be used to carry the fanny pack like a briefcase. They are sewn to the pack. There is also a long, removable and adjustable strap which has some padding, and can be used to carry pack on your shoulder.
Here are links to some of Rodney's pack sites. They are pretty spartan, and a bit out of date. Lightweight Adventure Backpack and 14 oz Lightweight Packs
If you have comments or suggestions, Email me at turbo-www@weasel.com
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