Best for…
This casually cool nylon pack has a flexible crescent shape, so it nestles snugly against the body. A detachable, handbag-style shoulder strap adds versatility, but the hooked waist clasp can be tricky to operate.
A bestie, for starters, accepts you for who you are. I’m a size 16 with a DD+ chest, and I’ve tried a bunch of fanny packs that just don’t work with (and therefore make me feel kinda bad about) my plus-size physique.
The Béis Sport Pack, as we note in our fanny-pack guide, fits waists up to 56 inches. It has one of the lengthiest straps among the 10 fanny packs we recommend. Although we didn’t test the bags specifically with plus sizes in mind, senior staff writer Zoe Vanderweide, who wrote that guide, told me that the Béis pack is “one of the most accommodating of our picks, which is great for people with different waist and chest sizes.”
That’s actually how I met my BBF in the first place. I went out with a friend who’s got a build similar to mine, and I couldn’t stop complimenting her Béis pack, casually slung crossbody over one shoulder, like the two of them were meant to be. As any human friend might, she saw how smitten I was and got me a Béis of my own.
Its smooth nylon pouch also allows for a relaxed fit, compared with many other fanny packs I’ve tried that feel like I’m trying to fasten a stiff, angular box to my body.
When I wear it OG-style, around my waist (which is hardly ever), it’s comfortable whether I’m sitting or standing. It boasts a cool, slouchy look, yet it doesn’t feel as if it’ll slouch right off. When I wear it crossbody, the bag easily tucks under my boobs thanks to its crescent shape—a feat that (in my experience) few bags of any shape, size, or style easily do.
This bag shapes to my curves so well that, in the colder months, I comfortably wear it underneath my winter coat. (Pro tip: Whether it’s to avoid pickpockets or just so you can sneak an extra carry-on aboard a plane, this pack hides pretty well, as long as you don’t really overstuff it.) If I’m grabbing a quick bite at a counter somewhere, I don’t have to take the bag off and hang it over the back of my chair. I frequently drive with the bag around my frame and don’t even notice it.
My BBF isn’t just a perfect fit; she also fits everything I need. Usually, my must-haves include a water bottle, sunglasses, sunscreen, a claw clip, hand sanitizer, tissues, a folded-up reusable bag, and, of course, phone, keys, and wallet. Depending on the weather, I might also add a compact umbrella to that list. And if I’m starving, or expect I will be, I may want a protein bar as well.
The Sport Pack just holds so much. (You might even call it ludicrously capacious.) In our fanny-pack testing, we measured the packs’ volume by loading each one up with potatoes. The Béis pack held six spuds, tying for third place among our 10 fanny pack picks.
One of my favorite features on the Béis pack, though, is the key leash. This short, interior strap with a carabiner-like clip at the end ensures that your key ring never accidentally falls or flies out of the pouch.
Along the back of the pouch, there’s also an exterior zippered pocket that’s sized perfectly for a phone. Since I usually keep my phone in the back pocket of my jeans, I instead use this compartment for pens, masks, or other things I would rather not have to fish for in the bag’s main pouch.
But wait, there’s more! Directly opposite that exterior pocket, on the interior side of the back of the pouch, there is yet another zippered compartment, with three card slots built in. If you enjoy a card-light existence, this pocket can effectively serve as your wallet.
When my husband and I traveled to Paris together last year, I left my wallet in our hotel room’s safe and walked around with just a credit card, my room’s key card, and my ID in those slots. That interior pouch also has space for a phone or similar-size item (like a passport and a wad of cash, if needed). In effect, the Béis bag can work as a purse and a money belt in one.
Having now gushed about my BBF, let me back up for a moment. Everyone knows that even your best friend can drive you crazy from time to time, especially if they’ve got that one annoying quirk you just can’t stand. Here’s what baffles me about the Béis bag: Unlike the strap on practically every fanny pack I’ve ever encountered, this bag’s strap does not fasten with an easy-to-snap buckle.
Instead, at each end of the strap, there’s a too-narrow plastic hook that’s supposed to slide through a loop. I say “supposed to” because it is shockingly, frustratingly difficult to actually maneuver the hook through the loop.
When I wear the bag crossbody, this isn’t a problem. But if you want to wear it around your waist, you sort of have to put the bag on over your head, as if you’re putting on a pullover—which is a pretty ridiculous way to put on a fanny pack—and then tighten the strap to fit your midsection.
In short, the best way to wear this bag is as a crossbody, set at a strap length that works for you and then left just like that, never to be futzed with again. (Zoe makes the exact same recommendation in the fanny-pack guide.)
But, in my bestie bag’s defense, she is super-cute.
In our fanny-pack guide, we describe the Béis pack’s style with such phrases as “casually cool,” “a vaguely tech-y vibe (think The Matrix),” and “like it came right out of a Y2K mood board.” I think a lot of that is due to the bag’s extra, removable, purse-length strap, which is described by the brand as “a removable, braided paracord strap.” To me, it looks like a military aiguillette, and it kind of reminds me of Janet Jackson in her Rhythm Nation 1814 era. I took the paracord off of my bag the day I got it and never looked back.
If you’ve long associated fanny packs with GORP-munching hikers or gawking tourists, Béis’s The Sport Pack is the opposite of that. Sleek, chic, and understated, it pairs as well with an LBD as it does with jeans and a T.
There when I need her, game for any outing, ready to help me handle just about any burden I might need to bear. We should all be so lucky to find a friend like this in real life.
This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Hannah Rimm.
