We're developing a fanny pack for multipitch climbing and could use some input

For a long time now, I've always wanted a fanny pack optimized for multipitch climbing. One of the major reasons why is because I usually hold my phone in my pants hip pocket where it's stuck under the leg loop and hard for me to access for picture taking, or it's in my thigh pocket where it gets dinged up by the rock, or it's in my pack and I end up never taking it out because it's a pain. I always thought it would be cool to have a really minimalistic, thin, small, fanny pack for just your bare essentials and maybe forgo a real pack in the right circumstances (<5 pitches?). Anyways, here is what the prototype looks like so far.

It's 18cm*10*4, which makes it just long enough to fit a cell phone. There is enough volume to also hold a wallet, keys, headlamp, lighter, small knife, and some snacks. It has a redundancy buckle system since it would not be good to drop this thing. I imagine I would have the pack sitting against my lower back, above my harness. It's made from ripstop fabric and the zipper is waterproof and located on the top of the fanny pack to minimize rubbing against rock.

Basically I wonder if you could get away with no backpack with one of these along with a half liter nalgene and a Helium 2 or houdini clipped to the harness. I guess I just don't really like having things stuffed in my pants pockets, and feel like backpacks are a bit annoying since I need to take it off to access anything inside. Being able to swing a fanny pack around to the front is pretty sweet.

Here are my questions:
1) How's the size? Would you prefer bigger or smaller?
2) Most of our gear is black, should we branch out more?
3) Most importantly, would you want an extra piece of gear around your waist? Would you use it?

TLDR: most fanny packs are kinda big and floppy so I made a smaller one. Would you wear one while climbing?

Personally, I would be more likely to use it if you made it so it sat under the harness in the back under all my anchor gear/chalk bag etc. I feel this would be more out of the way and I would have easier access to the essential gear during a climb. But above the harness like you have also makes sense.

I like the tufa chalk bags.  Maybe something smaller that could go on the same belt

Cool idea, but there’s no way it wouldn’t clutter your harness.

Years and years ago, a company called Caribou Mountaineering made a fanny pack rated as a belay/rappel seat harness.Years and years ago Wild Things made a pack called the speed pack: a fanny pack rated as a swami and could be attached to leg loops.Randy Radcliff ( Cold Cold World packs)used  this to solo the six great alpine faces. Lowe Alpine made a fanny pack, I believe called the multi pitch intended for exactly what you are intending. Also Metolius made a fanny pack/pouch that you could clip on to your harness, you can still on occasion find these on eBay.And, finally I believe Mtn Tools made a fanny pack intended for multi pitch, though I can't find this on their website. Just saying.

mario molina wrote: Years and years ago, a company called Caribou Mountaineering made a fanny pack rated as a belay/rappel seat harness.Years and years ago Wild Things made a pack called the speed pack: a fanny pack rated as a swami and could be attached to leg loops.Randy Radcliff ( Cold Cold World packs)used  this to solo the six great alpine faces. Lowe Alpine made a fanny pack, I believe called the multi pitch intended for exactly what you are intending. Also Metolius made a fanny pack/pouch that you could clip on to your harness, you can still on occasion find these on eBay.And, finally I believe Mtn Tools made a fanny pack intended for multi pitch, though I can't find this on their website. Just saying.

if you had to guess, what year?

Caribou, probably late 70's. Wild Things late 80's,Lowe Alpine and Metolius , Mtn Tools early / mid 2000's

Where does the weed go?

Interested. It’d be nice to swing it around to the front when climbing chimneys or the side when laybacking or offwidthing.

Some ideas....
- load bearing webbing and buckle so you could use it as a runner in a pinch?
- throw a couple of low-profile gear loops on the strap? For people who don’t climb in a Misty.
- make it big with the option to tuck away extra fabric into a smaller mode, kind of like the Golite Jam going from 50L to 30L?
- hydration tube port?
- long enough straps to convert into a messenger bag / shoulder sling?
- whistle on the buckle?

Tradiban wrote: Where does the weed go?

You and I should design a combination Camelbak / bong. Flip a lever to switch from hydration to high-dration. Just gotta keep from accidentally slurping down the bong water, though.

There's already a perfect solution on the market- the spandex waistband pouch. My wife had one for walking and the light bulb went off. There's no buckle and it goes under and slightly above the harness acting like a gasket between your shirt and pants making for warmer belays. Oh, and it holds a phone and weed very nicely. And if you have a gut (which I don't) it's kinda like Spanxs for the mid section. A traditional fanny pack with buckles won't work with climbing.

If you want to make something really useful- please make a, light and simple shoulder sling with a pouch. I sewed my own and love it but its bulky. There's already a double sling thing on the market but it's not rated and makes you look like an Aid Climber.

IT MUST BE RATED and designed to go over ONE shoulder only (feel free to make an unrated version for slack liners). I want to sling my aliens and wires with room in the pouch for a small water bottle, a bar and headlamp. And please- no little hoop things to organize the gear; keep it simple! Also, please put a couple of small spandex pouches on it for the weed and knife. Thank you- I'm looking forward to this!

Drew Alldredge wrote:
I sewed my own and love it but its bulky.

Nice! Could we get a photo?

I’d like to see load bearing webbing used as the belt. Maybe interchangeable straps so you could have a long enough strap for wearing it around your shoulder? I’d buy one just to support. 

Common them that I highly enjoy is shoulder sling!

I actually wear one on long multipitch/alpine climbs. I put my phone and 2/3 bars in it.I never have an issue with it effected by harness/trad gear. That being said...it it was rated or more secure than the average fanny pack I would definitely buy it. Would also be rad if it had a loop for attaching things easily inside...I end up digging for stuff in mine. I think the average sized  fanny packs are the perfect size.

Here’s a cool bag from eBay that might give you some ideas. 

No one wants a fanny pack in the way while they're cruxing on lead and fumbling for their last #2! Plus a rated fanny pack would need too much of an adjustment range for those husky climbers.

Please make the "Sling Pack" rated- I want to be able to rap off the thing.
The pouch needs to open in such a way that it's concentric for wearing over either shoulder. 

Fritz Nuffer wrote:

You and I should design a combination Camelbak / bong. Flip a lever to switch from hydration to high-dration. Just gotta keep from accidentally slurping down the bong water, though.

You haven't seen the new cannibis energy water? It's called "Flying High".

Drew Alldredge wrote: No one wants a fanny pack in the way while they're cruxing on lead and fumbling for their last #2! Plus a rated fanny pack would need too much of an adjustment range for those husky climbers.

Please make the "Sling Pack" rated- I want to be able to rap off the thing.
The pouch needs to open in such a way that it's concentric for wearing over either shoulder. 

Your cruxing on a #2!?!?

Everything that would fit in a fanny pack would also fit in your approach shoes and or chalk bag sipper pouch. I like what trail running has done in blending backpack with running vest/pack/shirt. I know it sounds silly but a garment that also holds small items without wiggling around seems more useful. One peice with many functions. I am partial to that elastic mesh Arc’teryx uses for their harness bags. 

Tufa makes a Salathe Sack which works great worn on my chalk bag 6mm cord on the opposite side of my body. Can be easily moved in seconds. I wish Tufa would design a slightly larger Houdini Chalk Bag (1/2 inch wider diameter and about 1.5 inches deeper) then the zippered storage area would be much more useful and eliminate the use of the 2nd bag. For longer routes nothing beats the Tufa Mochilla Pack.