BUMBAGS: From the Secret Naturist Handbook
For many years now, the humble bumbag, or fanny pack as they are known in the United States, has been the mainstay of my secret naturist equipment, providing the ideal way of carrying and protecting clothing, supplies and small items of equipment on all secret naturist outings. Bumbags come in a wide ranges of sizes and shapes from the smallest capable of only holding a pair of shorts to those used by fell runners that will hold a complete set of clothing with room to spare. You should chose the most suitable size for the outing to plan to undertake.
My bumbag stable consists of four items, all manufactured by LoweAlpine. They are not the cheapest of items on the market ranging in price from about £10.00 to £25.00 but the quality of the materials and construction are very good and they can also be bought readily in most countries in the western world.
Starting with the smallest, the Mini Beltpack, which will take a pair of running shorts and runner's vest, if packed carefully. A separate zipped pocket gives secure storage for keys and small emergency items. As will all my bumbags, a plastic emergency whistle and emergency kit has a permanent home inside. It is also useful for short trips when you have stashed your main bumbag and want something for smaller items, it can even be carried inside one of the larger models.
Next in line at £15.00 is the Fjell Runner. This will take shorts, t-shirt, and either long trousers and a light jacket or a set of waterproofs. This is ideal for when hiding clothing as you can carry two sets of clothing which can be hidden separately for additional security.
The final two from my bumbag stable are the Peak Runner and Mesa Runner. Both have similar storage capacities of around 6 litres and both have external straps for carrying items externally. They differ only in design with the Peak Runner having a smaller main compartment with two mesh outer pockets which are ideal for holding water bottles or waterproof clothing. Both also have small zipped pockets for small item security and padded waist belts with compression straps to ensure a snug fit against the body when running. Very useful when you need to make a fast exit. The Mesa Runner has the greatest capacity and is mostly used in winter when warmer and therefore bulkier clothing is required.
Of all the above, the Peak Runner is my favourite, being the most versatile and is used more often than not on all my secret naturist outings. Being all-black in colour it is easy to hide in vegetation and will hold shorts, t-shirts, trousers and jacket in the main compartment, while a water bottle and waterproof jacket or other item can be carried externally. Room can still be found for a torch or other small items.
On a typical secret naturist outing, I would arrive wearing one set of clothing, with the other inside the bumbag. Keys would be secured inside a pocket or attached to the internal key clip. Once at a suitable spot, I would strip off and pack all clothing inside, giving a compact and secure means of carrying my clothing. The bumbag would either go round my waist or be slung over a shoulder, the latter method giving the feeling of being more naked. Shorts would always be carried protruding for quick access if required.
Most quality bumbags come with short lengths of cord or ribbon attached to each zip pull to aid use. These tend to be only up to around 50mm long and should be replaced with longer lengths of around 75 - 100mm, making them much easier to use. Use 3mm accessory cord available from outdoor and climbing shops and remember to use the flame from a match or lighter to seal the cut ends to prevent fraying.
Bumbags also tend to have two way zips, i.e. the zip can be opened from any location along the length of the zip. A useful tip is to always have the zip pulls in the same location all the time with the best place being in the middle. That way you do not need to remember which end the zip pull is in the dark.
