I've used fanny packs for years, even before children. I carried a lot of stuff in my pockets. I was taught that there were pickpockets everywhere and so I carried my wallet in my front pocket.
One time I got locked out of my car and had to break in through the sunroof. It leaked after that so I carried around two sets of keys. A fanny pack relieved me of some of the load in my pockets so that I didn't look like I had rocks in my pants.
When my wife and I had children, we had our first two children within 18 months of each other. As they got to toddler years and older I felt a need to carry snacks and drinks with me.
There weren't very many easy ways to do that, but I found a fanny pack with two holster holes for bottles or drinks on either side. I loved it! It always drew comments. from people around us, and I had drinks and snacks and belongings and sometimes even toys in that thing.
It was very handy to just spin it around and walk around with it actually behind me and then spin it around to the front when I needed something then spin it back around. But I really looked like a doofus and I didn't care.
As the kids got older, I got away from using the double bottle fanny pack. I bought a leather fanny pack and used it, whick always drew comments when I traveled. It made me feel safer because the pickpockets that I had been warned about by my parents couldn't get my stuff without feeling around on the front of me.
But I never had anybody pick my pocket. At least not that I know of. Although, there was one time at Disney World when I looked down and a woman had her hand in my coat vest pocket, but there wasn't anything in there.
Once the kids got older I got away from using a fanny pack. I also stopped carrying around two sets of keys, and I made them start carrying some stuff. For a while I didn't use a fanny pack at all.
I still had a lot of stuff in my pockets and I still carried my wallet in my front right pocket, but I didn't use a fanny pack the way I did.
In the past year or two, I bought a new small fanny pack made of buffalo skin. It's nice, soft supple leather, and I really like it. I've started using it instead of carrying my stuff in my pockets the way I did for so long. One, because I'm not working anymore and so I don't have to worry about people laughing and making fun of me and having to explain to each type a personality that I worked with why I had a fanny pack on. And I find that it's just easier to pick up my keys, my pocket knife, and put on my fanny pack when it's time to go somewhere. I keep my mints and my notebook and my wallet and my other things that I may need along with money and drink packs. It doesn't have holsters for drinks but I use those singles drink packs to make a bottle of water into green tea.
I enjoy using a fanny pack. I do tend to wear it in the front instead of in the back where many other people do. I don't carry a gun in my fanny pack. It's got a pocket for that purpose, but that's where I keep my notebook and pen and my index cards.
I enjoy using a fanny pack.
