By Before the Flowfold Maverick, I had never used a fanny pack before. Never owned one. Never even really wanted one, frankly. But in packing for my post-Bar Exam delayed-honeymoon European adventure (a little over a week around France), I began thinking about just how I would be carrying around the daily essentials I’d need: wallet, keys, phones, and more.
Flowfold builds its gear in the United States but takes influence from a myriad of styles – particularly, as noted on the exterior of this pack, from Japan. Started by a small group in Maine in 2010, they’ve cobbled together a small following and – especially now, as fanny packs and slings become increasingly popular – are hitting these stride in terms of construction, design, and materials.
Tech Specs
| Imperial | Metric | |
| Height | 5.5″ | 14 cm |
| Length | 12″ | 31 cm |
| Depth | 8″ | 20 cm |
| Weight | 4.4 oz | 138 g |
| Primary Materials | VX or LiteSkin |
Quality and Comfort
There’s only one strap to concern yourself with here, and it’s… an adequate one. The Maverick’s strap doesn’t have padding of any sort (nor do most slings or fannies), but I certainly did not find it uncomfortable when carrying for long (8-plus-hour) stints. It adjusts significantly – from 17″ on the short end to 52″ at its most extended.
That said, a crucial part of how this pack exceeds is its variability – one minute it’s slung like a messenger, another it’s just slung over one shoulder like a camera, and occasionally it’s (gasp!) around back like a, you know, fanny pack. In that regard, having a multipurpose strap is more important than a comfortable one. The zippers are solid YKK slabs and move smoothly, even over the curve of the pockets.
Organization
The Maverick has two primary pockets – a large “top” pocket with an interior zippered wallet compartment, and a smaller, “bottom” compartment with a zipper. Both pockets are curved along with the shape of the bag. The Maverick is Flowfold’s “large” hip pack offering, and I’d recommend it to most people trying to use the pack as a daily carry – I comfortably fit 2 phones, 2 wallets, keys, and a bottle of sunscreen or sunglasses case between the two pockets.
Our general layout was the wallets (including Flowfold’s “Minimalist” wallet) in the pick-pocket-proof second zippered pocket (the small enclosed compartment inside the topmost pocket), with the phones loose in the larger compartment, along with whatever else I picked up along the way. In the lower, smaller pocket, I’d tuck sunscreen, sunglasses, and keys. The loadout didn’t push the Maverick to its brim, but it was nearing the maximum amount of large items it could handle at once. Perfect for a jaunt about the neighborhood (or the city).
What’s Perfect
The large size provides enough space for an all-day EDC without needing to haul around a full-size messenger (or make return trips to a home point).
What’s Not
The zippered pocket within the zippered pocket was a little small for anything but very minimalist wallets, and the lack of zipper pulls made it tricky to access on the fly (but also made it a harder target for potential pickpockets on the streets of Paris).
Wrap Up
The Flowfold Maverick is an exceptionally solid fanny pack, for those who need a fanny pack. Yes, there will always be the doubters who criticize the style, or the carriers who need to bring the office with them daily. But for those who can pack light on their commutes, or just need a pack to bring on a weekend errand run, or, heck – a trip around Paris – the Maverick has more than ample qualifications. It’s well constructed, it has genuinely useful pockets, and it looks good, to boot.
The Maverick is available directly from Flowfold for $49, and is currently available in LiteSkin or VX materials
The Perfect Pack 