# When did fanny packs become considered so godawful lame? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856 "2006-03-18T01:42:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/21 "2006-03-18T14:01:04Z")
[QUOTE=Askia] Because they’re CALLED “fanny packs.” “Fanny” is a lame name. I reject tons of things for my own use if they have lame names, regardless of their actual stylishness, usefulness, or practicality. I never owned a pocket protector. I’d never buy a Pooper Scooper. I’ve never worn a codpiece or a jock strap. If I’d have known the durn thing was called a “Lazy Susan” I never would have bought one. To me, it’s my spinning spice rack and occassionally my Scrabble Turntable. [/QUOTE] Bit of a highjack, but I agree completely. I hate stuff with cutesy names. It’s even worse when it’s a _rhyming_ cutsey name. What’s worse is my mother loves shit likes this and loves to give it to me as gifts. Mom: “It’s a tidget-widget!” Me, thinking: “I don’t care what it is, I hate it.” And honesty compels me to admit that when my son was in Scouts, he needed a fanny pack for summer day camp. I had to ask my mom for one to borrow. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/22 "2006-03-18T16:57:21Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] The thing that made me see a fanny pack and mentally go _laaaaame_ was a friend wearing one in the front. Every time he went to get something out, it just looked like he was totally reaching into his codpiece for some money. So two rules: Don’t wear a fanny pack over your crotch. And if you do, definitely don’t use both hands everytime you get something out! [/QUOTE] I’ve often thought the same thing; that appears to be one of the unfortunate things about fanny packs, namely that the have a tendency on some people to swing around to the front of their own accord. ---
**Author:** ![metonymic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@metonymic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metonymic)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/23 "2006-03-18T17:04:15Z")
My family knew them as “belt bags” – much less embarassing than having to say “fanny”. Didn’t change the way the things looked though 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ferit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Ferit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferit)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/24 "2014-07-27T00:35:21Z")
i think this public reaction to fanny packs (which I had no idea about until I was wearing one and this girl I was with pleaded me not to wear it in 2007) is a contagious thing like an urban legend that just catches on and people just believe they’re lame to be safe and go with the crowd. I started wearing one again when I was on vacation overseas and yes it is the most functional thing you can own. I don’t have to squeeze my wallet in my jean pockets or get my backpack open everytime I need to pull my wallet out. It’s right there. So I still wear it sometimes in the US and I don’t care what others think. It’s not lame. If everybody who believed they weren’t lame started wearing them again they would cease to be lame. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/25 "2014-07-27T01:07:55Z")
bottocks survival packs are sensible. in the old days they held your cassette player, batteries and cassettes. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/26 "2014-07-27T01:36:12Z")
> [@Ferit](#): > > If everybody who believed they weren’t lame started wearing them again they would cease to be lame. Well, it’s been eight years… ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/27 "2014-07-27T01:37:01Z")
Anyone know if fanny packs have come back in style since this thread was started 8 or so years ago? ETA: Ninja’d by **chacoguy** ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/28 "2014-07-27T01:53:40Z")
I’m going to try and find one for my upcoming trip to London, but I will a) wear it under my untucked blouse (I never wear blouses tucked in anyway) and b) NOT call it a “fanny” pack while in England. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/29 "2014-07-27T01:56:37Z")
I suspect my wife will insist that we both have fanny packs, worn in the front, when we visit London next month. Everyone keeps warning us about the pickpockets there, and how dangerous it is to have your wallet in your back pocket. Personally, I think it’s overblown. But then I live in Chicago, and have never been robbed. Either I don’t look like I have any money, or I don’t look like someone anyone wants to mess with. Both are fine with me. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/30 "2014-07-27T03:29:51Z")
I know this is an old thread and maybe an even older subject, but I remember back in the mid to late 80s wondering when the heck backpacks and book bags _stopped_ being lame. I was in high school in the late 70s, and carrying your books in anything but your hands would have been the kiss of death socially. In fact, I recall a recurring dork character Michael Richards played on Fridays in the early 80s whose defining characteristic was wearing a backpack and frequently knocking things over when he turned around. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/31 "2014-07-27T04:20:08Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I suspect my wife will insist that we both have fanny packs, worn in the front, when we visit London next month. Everyone keeps warning us about the pickpockets there, and how dangerous it is to have your wallet in your back pocket. > > Personally, I think it’s overblown. But then I live in Chicago, and have never been robbed. Either I don’t look like I have any money, or I don’t look like someone anyone wants to mess with. Both are fine with me. They won’t have to mess with you if they slip your wallet out of your back pocket and then run the other way. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/32 "2014-07-27T04:24:50Z")
I’m old enough to remember when a backpack was called a rucksack. However, I’ve only ever seen possessions tied up in an oversized handkerchief which is tied onto a stick slung on the shoulder in cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/33 "2014-07-27T04:28:16Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > However, I’ve only ever seen possessions tied up in an oversized handkerchief which is tied onto a stick slung on the shoulder in cartoons. That’s a [bindle](http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-Bindle/). ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/34 "2014-07-27T13:25:47Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I suspect my wife will insist that we both have fanny packs, worn in the front, when we visit London next month. Everyone keeps warning us about the pickpockets there, and how dangerous it is to have your wallet in your back pocket. > > Personally, I think it’s overblown. But then I live in Chicago, and have never been robbed. Either I don’t look like I have any money, or I don’t look like someone anyone wants to mess with. Both are fine with me. I think it’s overblown too. But when my wife and I travel outside of the US, we use them. Not because we think the US is so safe, or other countries dangerous. We use them because - We’ll be carrying passports, cameras, itinerary info and other stuff that I don’t usually carry. I don’t carry all that stuff when traveling in the US. Well, maybe a camera. If you are doing multiple hotels, and are always on the move, it gives this stuff a ‘home’ and gives you a tiny bit more luggage room. We aren’t teenagers any more, but we did three weeks in Germany using just a carry on each. The fanny packs help. When abroad, I know I’m going to look like a tourist. Tourists often carry more money. I will be visiting touristy places. The packs we use are very secure, with a thin cable in the belt that prevents it from being cut off. :shrug: My wife and I have the same ones. In different colors. It’s very easy for either of us to find something in the others pack. Just makes it easier. “It’s in the middle zipper of my pack” We use these - [Hip Safe](http://daymakers.com/shopexd.asp?id=112) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/35 "2014-07-27T15:03:56Z")
[Pac-safe metrosafe 150 messenger bag](http://cdn1.ebags.com/is/image/im3/242663_1_1?resmode=4&op_usm=1,1,1,&qlt=80,1&hei=1500&wid=1500&align=0,1&res=1500). Lays flat against my chest/stomach/front/WTF you want to call it. Doesn’t swing around. Did I mention it lays quite flat across my front and doesn’t flap around? I took off the little phone pouch because my droid didn’t it in it though if I get a clamshell phone again I will put it back on the strap. Given that I use a wheelchair and occasionally crutches on a really good day, the whole not flapping around works for me. Since it is pac safe, it has cable in the strap and mesh in the body preventing it from being cut and grabbed or cut and stuff removed. It has some sort of metal lined pocket inside for RFID protection [not that I have any chip n pin cards yet] And it hold my tablet and normal carry stuff comfortably. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/36 "2014-07-27T16:24:15Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > … but I remember back in the mid to late 80s wondering when the heck backpacks and book bags _stopped_ being lame. I was in high school in the late 70s, and carrying your books in anything but your hands would have been the kiss of death socially. I’ve wondered about this. In college (1980-1984) it was smart business to carry your books in a back pack, but you HAD to wear it like a shoulder bag. One strap only. If you wore it like a backpack was designed, you’d be a dork. Nowadays, I see kids wearing their backpacks as designed, and if anyone wore it the way we did, THEY’D be the lame ones. When did this happen? And what was the transition period like? Simultaneous lameness/coolness, like some quantum fluctuation? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/37 "2014-07-27T18:48:26Z")
Thanks Flywheel! enipla, those are very nice, but pricy. I just bought a pack for me and a smaller one for my husband (to wear under his shirt since he always tucks his shirt in) on ebay. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/38 "2014-07-27T18:55:59Z")
I used to carry one in 1989 when I started college, only to have my wallet pulled out (I wore it in back because I thought that was the proper way to wear it.) I finally gave up and bought a purse instead. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/39 "2014-07-28T23:38:51Z")
Heh. I just ordered one from Amazon. It’s some newish design that looks like a belt but stretches to hold small objects. Maybe I’ll look like a dork (it wouldn’t be the first time) but I need a way to carry my phone and keys when I run. I like to check the time and lap info on my phone from time to time but I hate running with it in one hand and my keys in the other. I did resist ordering the one with the day-glo polka dots and stuck with the black model. Like that matters with my clown vomit running shoes.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856/40 "2014-07-29T00:02:45Z")
We called them “belly bags” when I was a kid. And yes, they are lame, unless you’re doing something like hiking, or at the gym. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-fanny-packs-become-considered-so-godawful-lame/348856.md?page=3)