I’ve been on the hunt for a good fanny pack for the past few months and finally sprung for the Low Profile EDC Fanny Pack from Ex Umbris Designs. I’ve been running their chest rig recently and was impressed with the quality of their work, so I figured why not give the fanny a try. After two weeks with the Ex Umbris Designs fanny here is my honest take
Rare Camo Patterns
First things first, looking cool.
If you’re into the whole grey man thing rare camo patterns might not be for you, I guess you can get a jansport or something. For my part rocking rare camo patterns in my blue suburb is likely to cause confusion and bewilderment in onlookers if they realize what it is, which is exactly what I’m going for. For this reason I opted for one of my favorite rare camo patterns, Rhodesian Brushstroke.
They have a bunch of other awesome patterns too but some of them sell out pretty quickly. New releases seem to typically be on Fridays.
What The Low Profile EDC Fanny Can Fit
Size is a funny thing in a fanny. The one I had before this was a bit too big, to where if I just had a few items in it they would slosh around too much while moving, but if I loaded it up it’d get bloated and heavy. Overall, the Ex Umbris Designs Low Profile EDC Fanny is on the smaller side. You’re able to fit your smartphone, subcompact pistol, slim wallet, etc. It won’t however fit a full size pistol.
Measurements are 5”H x 7.5”W x 3”D
Pistols
I tested a few different pistols in the fanny to see what would fit.
The Ex Umbris Designs Low Profile EDC Fanny next to a Glock 26, Glock 19, Glock 45, and Sig Sauer P320.
First up, a Glock 26 in a kydex holster. It fit just fine and I could easily add my wallet, knife, keys, and phone. I also tried an extra mag below the pistol which did fit. The extra mag changed the way the pistol sat in the fanny pack but I could still draw it just fine.
Inside the EDC Fanny with a Glock 26, phone, and keys.
Next up, a Glock 19 in a kydex holster with a Streamlight TLR-7. This is a pretty standard loadout these days and it was also able to fit just fine with my wallet, keys, phone, knife, etc.
The Glock 26 and Glock 19 fit without issue.
Third I tried a Glock 45 with a Trijicon RMR and Streamlight TLR-7 on it. I could get the zippers to close on this one but with an overly snug fit, which made it hard to draw if needed as I had an extra step to clear it from the fanny. Owing to the longer grip on the Glock 45 over the Glock 19 I don’t think I’d recommend using it with that sized pistol, at least not in the configuration I had. Doable, but less than ideal.
The Glock 45 could fit but was a bit tight.
Finally I tried fitting a couple of full size pistols in to no avail. The dimensions are simply to small for the full size Sig Sauer P320 I was testing with.
The full size Sig Sauer P320 did not fit.
So, overall it’ll fit a Glock 26 or a Glock 19 in a kydex holster just fine. It gets pretty snug when you go to a Glock 45, and it won’t fit a full size pistol like a 5″ Sig Sauer P320 or 1911.
Movement
To test out how well this thing would work I took it on two 7 mile runs on varied terrain and with significant elevation changes. One of the primary use cases for a pack like this for me is when exercising or wearing board shorts. I hadn’t done much running with a fanny pack before this so that took a little getting used to.
The first run I started with the fanny at the twelve o’clock position, which was a mistake as it just slapped me in the junk over and over. I quickly stopped to adjust it. I tightened the strap to take out some slack (which was easy to do), then I moved the pack to the ten o’clock position just off my left hip. This turned out to be a pretty great position and I was able to go the rest of the run without any significant changes.
From time to time I’d slightly adjust the pack to stay somewhere in the 9:30-11 position but overall found 10-10:30 to be the best location. I put in some wind sprints near the end of the run to see how well it would hold up with more aggressive movement. I expected the fanny to flop a bit here and be a bit problem but it actually remained pretty stationary. I was able to sprint without issue.
Build Quality
Like their other products it appears Ex Umbris Designs has used high quality materials in the construction of their EDC fanny. I didn’t do a significant wear test as I’m actually going to keep and use this thing, but it appears as though it is going to hold up well to use and time.
The stitching and the zippers all looked good and worked fine.
Overall Thoughts
I definitely like this as a minimalist off-body carry option. I’m not that big into off-body carry but there are times where you just can’t practically carry with certain types of clothing. The size is great if all you need it for is your wallet, keys, phone, knife, and a compact or sub-compact pistol. If you’re looking to store a full-size pistol, med kit, camera equipment, or other bulky items you’re going to want a larger pack.
It’s smaller size also helps when using it during movement and the build quality appears to be excellent. Overall I would buy it again and do recommend it for anyone looking for a minimalist low profile fanny pack.
Update (8/31/2022)
It looks like Red Balloon Industries is now making velcro backed holsters designed for the Ex Umbris Designs fanny pack. Looks to be a great option with a lot of matching camo patterns to boot.
Thank you for the review and thank you for your service.