Fanny packs are back... hell, maybe they never left.

Mountain bike style is always changing. These days being a full enduro bro is far different from existing as a dirtbag sandal wearing bicycle tourist but both are quite popular and some might even argue stylish. When I first saw the fanny pack making its way back into the enduro culture, I was skeptical. For the longest time I rode with a camelbak and once I finally broke free from that, it felt liberating. The problem I kept facing as a photographer however was that I now had no place to stash my camera.

My first fanny pack was a cabelas camo fanny that I picked up from my grandpa. I'll never get rid of that thing. Its ratty, heavy, the exact opposite of waterproof, and essentialy everything that you don't want your fanny pack to be. That said, it did open my eyes to the possibilities these bags present.

In comes the Trail Buddy. My experience with the old camo pack was that I had to tighten it periodically to keep the pack from slouching too much. This meant stopping more and worrying about my camera more than I'd like to on the way down. The Trail Buddy solves that problem. Not only does it have the normal belt strap but it also has little cinch straps on either end of the bag to snug it up to the belt. Not only is that nice for diminishing bounce and slouch, but it also allows me to swing the bag around my middle without completely taking it off. This means I can swing my camera around to shoot and quickly have it on my back and ready to ride again.

Living in the Northwest, we get a good bit of precipitation. That said, I can ride with the trial buddy on my backside all day through puddles and rain and my camera always stays dry and protected. Prior to the trail buddy I had been riding with my camera on a trail oriented strap and its great until you crash. Having the camera in a bag adds some extra protection for the camera but also for your back. Rolling with the camera out in the open drove the lens straight into my spine and let me tell ya, that hurts.

Last but not least, the Trail Buddy isn't only perfect for lugging around a camera... it doubles as the perfect beer satchel if you're into that sort of thing. Just don't put them both in there at the same time or you might end up with a scuffed up screen like me. At just $65 I think that the trail buddy comes in at a very good price point. If you haven't tried out riding with a fanny pack I would highly recommend it, try one of these out for yourself!