The Rascal Belt Bag

Inspired by my pal’s recent travel blog tips, I thought I’d share something here, too. I’ve rediscovered the fanny pack.

I love bags, luggage, backpacks, etc. How I stopped using a fanny pack in the mid-1990’s escapes me, but I’m making up for lost time. That’s right – the fanny pack is back!

I didn’t want to carry a backpack or messenger bag everywhere, and while I love those long shorts with all the extra storage pockets, I wanted to travel lighter.

I decided to get a Timbuk2 fanny pack. It’s not the cheapest, and maybe not the most feature rich, but I’m a Timbuk2 fan, and figured I’d start here. Also, it’s called “THE RASCAL BELT BAG” so I guessed that was a good sign. I was correct.

The bag has two compartments. The bigger compartment has an inside zipper pocket for credit cards/money. The smaller front compartment has a key fob, and a divider.

Here are the items I carried. My phone is missing, because I used it to take this photo. I also picked up an RFID blocking “front pocket” slip wallet, which worked perfectly on this trip, and easily fit inside the zippered money compartment.

I hung the pack from the beach umbrella to keep it from getting sandy and too sunny.

Sometimes, I wore it over my shoulder, which was very comfortable.

Sometimes, it was invisible, even though it was there.

Here is a true story.

On the last evening in Old San Juan, I decided to not bring the rascal belt bag. As a result of this, both my keys and glasses slipped out of my shorts pocket in the back of an Uber. I heard the keys and picked them up, but missed the glasses. After a very panicky 15 minutes in our room, we realized what happened and had to ask the driver to come back, which she did, thankfully.