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Fanny Packs

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marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
Hi All,

I did a quick experiment of putting an older sample pack (with less water resistant material in the main pocket) directly under the flow of my shower for 10min. It went from 349g dry to 420g wet in weight, with most of that (45g) of that being water weight in the webbing of the belt that rung out in 30 seconds. The inside of the pockets were lightly moist, but not holding water or overly damp. The water bottle pockets are designed with very water resistant material incase your bottle leaks/ruptures, with a drain hole, so those did catch some water due to no bottles being in them during the test, and then drained out once the shower water was turned off.

I have not been concerned or damaged my phone in the couple rain events I have ridden through, but no specific claims and YMMV! Super easy to test though for those with a pack who might be interested.

Thanks,
Marshal
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,631
5,547
UK
Seems strangely appropriate

Scotland is the world leader in variety of flavoured sugary carbonated water
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,631
5,547
UK
roflbox said:
do tell
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I probably should have said we "were" the leaders. I grew up in a time where juice lorries used to deliver crates of carbonated sugary drinks of almost any fruity flavour you could dream of to your door 3 times a week all over the country. collecting your empties for the deposit on the bottles. They were so busy generally there'd be a driver and a young lad who would jump off the back of the lorry and run bottles and empties back and forth to the doors of the customers. Empty juice bottles in Scotland became currency (especially for for the young/poor). In my home town there was a smaller juice company and bottling plant. "Aitkens" and as kids we used to climb the gates at night passing empty bottles through the fence to our mates so we could afford to buy chips (french fries but fat to the rest of the world) and cigarettes. (they'd sell cigarettes to kids back then).
Those days are now long gone along with many of the original juice companies. Others slimed down their product ranges and a few reduced in size or went hipster AF and started selling more exotic sounding drinks at 4 times the price to hipsters etc.
Barrs is the most famous of them all and the makers of proper Irn Bru. They still continue to sell many flavours but it doesn't rival the now defunct companies like Bon Accord for range BITD.
https://www.agbarr.co.uk/our-brands/barr-flavours/
http://www.bonaccordsoftdrinks.com/history/


*"Juice" is Scottish (East coast) for any flavoured soft drink. In Glasgow and the surrounding areas (West) the word would be "Ginger" but that's because they had no sense of adventure and only really drank "Ginger" coloured Irn Bru. Glaswegians still have a fear of the East coast and all it's eclectic wonderment to this day. Eh? @scottishmark :P
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,631
5,547
UK
2.8" tyres are considered skinny?

Fatbikers are all twats. Even the ones I like.
 
StiHacka

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,505
In hell. Welcome!
I've ridden with the Lab Austere pack a bunch of miles now and I have been very happy with it.


The fanny pack is very light and compact. I ride with a Crank bros mini pump, spare tube and tire levers / chain pliers in the big pocket, a mini tool, phone, car keys and a mini wallet in the other pockets, and with oddly shaped water bottles by Osprey. The pack is very comfortable to wear, does not cut deep into my love handles, does not bounce, does not sag. It hugs the bottles nicely, I've never lost one, yet they are easy to remove/insert while riding. The outer fabric is nice quality and stretchy and sheds mud easily when it dries. The underside material ventilates very well.

My only recommendation would be making the "belt pockets" deeper/looser for bulkier items - they are flush and quite tight now and I need to re-think my keys strategy - I have too many bulky and sharp items on the key ring and fear they'll cut through the fabric if I try to stuff them in.

The Lab Austere fanny pack is an A+ accessory that is now a part of my everyday routine. You have a winner there, @marshalolson!
 
M

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
Thanks man!

Jus fwiw, but I have ridden probably 1400mi on my current/production pack with my keys IN the stretchy pockets on the water bottle tubes, but only carry 3 keys on the ring. I am skeptical more would cut or effect the stretchy, but let me know... Can you fit keys in the big center pocket?

Cheers, appreciate the kind words, glad you are getting some good miles in.

Marshal
 
B

Bike078

Monkey
Jan 11, 2018
565
412
slimshady said:
Water bottles are overrated. And roadie. What's next? Leather and steel band "helmets"?
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Fullface steel and leather helmets amigo.

Would love to have something like the lab austere bag. I don't think I'll be going back to a hydration pack. Right now I use a small fanny pack (borrowed from the wife) for short rides or just a small backpack.
 
mtg

mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
Making fun of people for using fanny packs must give you all kinds of street cred on the playground with the other kids. #superimpressed
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,631
5,547
UK
mtg said:
Making fun of people for using fanny packs must give you all kinds of street cred on the playground with the other kids. #superimpressed
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I expect the piss ripped out of me everytime I've ever worn a waterbottle belt in public. Infact I'd be sad if it didn't happen. Almost as sad as when some mean kid stole my snuffleupagus
 
shelteringsky

shelteringsky

Monkey
May 21, 2010
307
257
mtg said:
Making fun of people for using fanny packs must give you all kinds of street cred on the playground with the other kids. #superimpressed
Click to expand...
I prefer to remain in my echo chamber where my ideas are safe from being questioned and challenged...

Honestly, my biggest problem with the "fanny pack" is that it attempts to solve one problem (sweaty back) and creates another problem (sweaty waistline). I'd wager the surface area of the contact patch of a fanny pack and a small hydration pack (1.5-2L capacity) would be similar with the hydration pack being a much more stable way to carry weight.

And are we that concerned about having a sweaty back (or waistline for that matter)? It's mountain biking ffs.
 
toodles

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,502
4,752
Australia
shelteringsky said:
And are we that concerned about having a sweaty back (or waistline for that matter)? It's mountain biking ffs.
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I just run a Camelbak MULE and sweat like a wookie in a sauna. I wish they hadn't done away with the design I had (front pocket) because its time for a replacement and the new ones are all new and strange and different and wrong. Grumble grumble grumble
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,631
5,547
UK
shelteringsky said:
Honestly, my biggest problem with the "fanny pack" is that it attempts to solve one problem (sweaty back) and creates another problem (sweaty waistline). I'd wager the surface area of the contact patch of a fanny pack and a small hydration pack (1.5-2L capacity) would be similar with the hydration pack being a much more stable way to carry weight.
Click to expand...
I don't really wear either, You could technically call my small waterbottle belt a fanny pack as it has a small pocket just large enough for my car key, a small multitool, 2xCO2 and a tiny superlight tube. I've never suffered from a sweaty back or waist from wearing it. Surface area is tiny in comparisson to a backpack/hydration pack though.
I don't even understand why most mtbers have half the shit they carry around for a ride when most ride in groups and rarely venture any more than 5 miles from their cars.
 
SuboptimusPrime

SuboptimusPrime

Turbo Monkey
Aug 18, 2005
1,659
1,636
NorCack
Another satisfied Lab Austere customer. Put in a bunch of rough miles with mine in pretty shitty hot conditions and it was def more comfortable than a pack, held everything I needed and nothing fell out. It never moved around or twisted side to side--I was super impressed. Best of all, the mild low back pain I always got wearing a pack was nowhere to be found. I used to skip carrying water and tools for local rides but now that there is so little consequence, I'll prob just wear my enduro satchel all the time. Props to @marshalolson for a job well done.
 
toodles

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,502
4,752
Australia
Gary said:
I don't even understand why most mtbers have half the shit they carry around for a ride when most ride in groups and rarely venture any more than 5 miles from their cars.
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I've seen the opposite hey - guys that are two or three hour walks away from help with a flat tyre and nothing on them. No tube, no mobile, barely enough water. I don't think they'd die even in the hottest summer day here but its still retarded. No mobile in snake territory is pretty much asking for a bad day though.

I carry waaay too much shit on trail rides (first aid kit and folding saw) and I imagine the ideal amount is a lot less than what I bother lugging around.
 
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