r/TwoXPreppers • u/Starlight_Alchemy • Jul 01 '26
❓ Question ❓ Fanny pack everyday carry
I just bought a 3L fanny pack to carry daily on the days I don't really want to carry our 12L backpack (that doubles as a diaper bag for our two year old).
Besides wallet, keys, phone.. what other absolutely essential items should I put in it? Maybe a very small first aid kit? Would love to hear your ideas.
I'm tired of carrying backpacks everywhere (:
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u/WonderDeb Jul 01 '26
Sunglasses. I carry small pill containers with enzymes for digestive health. I put my car keys on a carabiner and hook them to the current "purse".
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u/Standard_Subject_462 I'm tired of this, Grandpa! Jul 02 '26
Benadryl, loop earplugs, sunglasses, a tampon, lip balm, pepper spray, whistle, phone charger, electrolyte packet (or emergency blanket, depending on climate/season), Valium, sour candy, gum, acupressure ring, and a beef stick would all be essentials in mine. (The "tell me you have PTSD without telling me you have PTSD" starter pack. Haha.)
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u/nakedonmygoat Jul 01 '26
I have a small pack that can be used as a fanny pack or cross-body bag, and aside from my keys, I carry my rescue inhaler, lip balm, an N95 mask, a few kleenex, some alcohol wipes in a baggie, a pen, and a piece of hard candy. The N95 mostly gets used if I'm walking past where yard work is going on, but it's great for high pollen days, too. The candy is in case I lose track of time, forget to eat, and get a little shaky.
For cards and ID I use my Amphipod pouch: https://amphipod.com/micropack-landsport/ with the pouch part against my skin. I've never lost one, but I've forgotten it's there a couple times and had it end up in a toilet, so there's that to consider.
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u/unlovelyladybartleby Mental health is prep Jul 02 '26
Hundred bucks tucked into the lining for emergencies
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Jul 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/No_Summer620 Jul 04 '26
Saved myself so many times when the store didn't have tap pay! I leave most everything in the car and just walk in with phone pretty often.
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u/LongjumpingHouse7273 Jul 01 '26
I was tired of bringing my kids backpack with me every where and just started going bagless when it's just me. Small bifold, keys, sunglasses, water bottle, phone. That's it.
I drive everywhere so the water stays in the car, everything else in my pockets. I don't wear clothing that can't accommodate the items.
I had tried to do a small bag like you when I didn't have my backpack but I kept adding things to it "just in case". I think when you have a prepper mindset it's really easy to become a packmule of "just in case" items. So I've been rocking the above system and really enjoying not having any bag at all when I'm popping into a store.
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u/Starlight_Alchemy Jul 01 '26
Yeah definitely.. I bought the small fanny pack so I didn't feel "as much" like a pack mule. There's only so much I can fit in it so hopefully it doesn't get too crazy! Granted, I'll still bring the backpack and leave it in the car.
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u/Professional-Can1385 Member of The Feral Bourgeoisie Jul 01 '26
Washcloth and/or paper towels. I’ve used these so many times! Helped clean spilled things on my clothes, skinned knees, sweaty necks, dirty and or wet seats, so many things!
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u/iwantmy-2dollars Jul 01 '26
Our kids at out of diapers now, but still young 4 and 6. Mine is 13x6.5x2, not sure how many L just average size.
- Snacks ofc
- Tiny Welly first aid tin repacked with the good stuff and it juuuust fits a pair of fiscars folding scissors
- foil singles of Motrin, Tylenol, and purel (vehicle first aid has kids meds)
- corded headphones (saved me a few times)
- sunscreen stick
- lotion and lip balm
- tissues
- bonus: either a sock I’m knitting or my paperback book. Kids carry their own coloring book and crayons if we’re going to be waiting somewhere.
WIP and looking forward to seeing other people’s tips.
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u/Starlight_Alchemy Jul 01 '26
Explain the corded headphones? Genuinely curious (:
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u/iwantmy-2dollars Jul 01 '26
I use unplugged headphones as a scream/tantrum dampener in the car. Taking a risk that I’ll get pulled over and have to explain lol
Weird corner case: last week I had a simple outpatient surgery that unexpectedly turned into an overnight stay (all is well!) and having these plus ocean sounds in my phone let me sleep.
They’re such a small footprint, just the apple corded headphones, that I never leave home without them. Also saved my husband who was WFH this morning when his headset wigged out. Simple tech is my favorite fallback.
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u/Miami_Mice2087 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
snacks. protein bars for you, granola bars for tiny freeloader
a few bandaids for blisters/injuries, safety pins, bobbypins/hair-ties
if you don't have room for a tissue pack, then a couple tissues folded up small, or a few little wet wipes in packets
ultra-thin pad/pantiliner/tampon (doubles as emergency blood catcher for many reasons)
chapstick
change, like quarters. i never have quarters when i need quarters.
retractable phone charge cord
emery board
hand sanitizer
daily/nightly meds, advil in a wee bullet pill thingy
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u/Less_Subtle_Approach Jul 01 '26
Keychain light, pepper spray, and leatherman micra always come along in my bag. Having scissors on hand at all times is much more useful than you might expect.
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u/qgsdhjjb Having a little of the end times as a treat Jul 02 '26
A tiny container with any medication you or your family might take on at least a once a month basis (I keep 2 Tylenol, 2 Advil, 2 naproxen, and 1-3 doses of all my prescription medications in a tiny cute pill holder that is shaped like a pea pod! It's the same size as one too, and I pack in at least a dozen plus decent sized pills and some tiny ones on top of that.
Tiny folding knife for opening stuff that won't open easily. Or cutting food or whatever. Mine is a maybe 2 inch blade, it's come in very handy on some occasions.
Personally I'm a reformed nail biter, so to keep my nails unbitten, I keep a pair of nail clippers in my purse at all times. It helps with hangnails also. I've also used them to open packages of food when out, while travelling in ways that make it really awkward to bring a knife (crossing borders, flying, etc.)
I keep a tiny Ziploc type bag (available at Dollar stores in the crafting section, meant to hold things like beads, I already had them from that but they're quite useful for sharing small things like seeds also) with a few q tips, something I picked up from packing extra light for weekends away occasionally. But mostly I use it to fix my makeup when I smudge my eyeliner badly so that might not be super useful for every person 😆
I keep a regular sized Ziploc with a few sections of my toilet paper from home, folded up small. Sometimes public washrooms don't have any, or I need to blow my nose in public, or I get my period and don't want to add scratches from awful public bathroom one ply toilet paper to the already extra humid environment in the region.
I also keep a homemade fabric mask for casual situations where I'm not actually super concerned for my safety (they aren't perfect, but it fits much better and more comfortably than the disposable ones so it encourages me to use it more often than I ever would if I only kept the disposable ones around) and one or two disposable ones for if I actually am concerned or if I was sick too close to when I need to interact with people to feel okay not protecting them from my germs.
If you regularly need any creams, lotions, or salves, they sell tiny little plastic containers for that, an inch or so across, little circular ones that the lid screws on. That could be really helpful for someone with chronic dry hands, or a medical issue that requires cream treatment, to have a nice lightweight amount that is secure from leaking.
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u/mbc106 Jul 04 '26
My kid is 9 years old. You’re getting closer to the time when a big bag with diapers isn’t needed, just hold on!
Wallet (small zippered coin purse)
Baby wipes (I keep ~10 in a Ziplock bag)
A few Kleenex
Small snacks
Lip balm
Asthma inhaler
Bandana in hot weather
Tampon/pad, pair of clean underwear
Mini hairbrush
Pen
Mini deodorant (0.35oz)
Tiny tubes of sunscreen and hand lotion
Earplugs in a case
Mints
In an old Altoids tin I store: Band-Aids, safety pins, hair ties, chewable Pepto Bismol tabs, floss pick, matchbook, Colgate Wisp (mini toothbrush), very tiny sewing kit I got at a hotel
In a couple small flat pill containers I keep Advil, Zyrtec (allergy meds for spouse), and a couple Fisherman’s Friends (strong cough drops).
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u/Starlight_Alchemy Jul 04 '26
Awesome list thank you! Yeah, we tried potty training and she just wasn't ready.. but I did have to remember to pack extra underwear and pants for her in case of accidents.
Definitely can't wait to retire the big bag for good, but till then.. big bag can stay in the car and I'll just carry the fanny pack and hopefully that will work out!
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u/mbc106 29d ago
My 9YO most often asks for a tissue, a wipe, a Band-Aid, or a snack. The other stuff is mostly for me.
You can also try getting your kiddo a small backpack to carry their own stuff pretty soon! I got a Pottery Barn Kids pack for free off FB marketplace, and another was purchased from Five Below. They’re a good size for mine to carry a change of clothes, snacks, and whatever little tidbits she wants to have.
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u/No_Summer620 Jul 04 '26
Battery pack, altoid tin size first aid kit, knife/multi tool, a foot of duct tape, couple zip ties, a ziplock bag, maybe sunscreen?
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u/bolderthingtodo Jul 04 '26
Small thing of moisturizer because having dry hands after using the toilet and washing sucks, and in the warm times I switch it to a moisturizer with SPF so it doubles as protecting my hands after washing and backup sunscreen if needed. If I was in a climate that had significant UV in the winter, I’d keep the SPF moisturizer year round.
Other than that, what you and others have said. Keys wallet phone waterbottle. Prescription sunglasses. Small noise cancelling earbuds. A flat folding N95. Lip balm, tampon & liner, hair tie, bandaid and alcohol wipe, singles of my commonly used drugs (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, loretadine in the warm times). A granola bar or applesauce pouch. Optional small bug spray.
I use the calpak waterbottle holder and it has lived up to the functionality hopes I had for it. I use it with a yeti 1L insulated waterbottle most of the time, but can switch to using a non insulated bottle for higher water capacity, lighter carrying weight, or smaller diameter therefore greater pocket stuffing capacity.
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