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Le Grand Derriere fanny pack returns

Apropos of our recent discussion re: fanny packs, I pulled this from email I received from Tom Bihn 2021.02.13 :

Le Grand Derriere (LGD) is (you guessed it) a hip pack. Its padded hip belt tucks away so you can carry it sling-style or over-the-shoulder with a strap, if you'd prefer. The LGD is generously sized and somewhat boxy ... back in the mid 1990’s — when Birkenstocks, patchouli oil, and fanny packs were de rigueur in Santa Cruz ... [are now coming] back in fashion gave me the deja-vu that inspired the LGD redux."

Projected availability: March/April 2021 at the Tom Bihn store and from the website.

Tom Bihn LGD

Posted by
2740 posts

A tangential item that we missed in the recent discussions re: fanny packs is that people used to have cameras as separate items from their phone, and those cameras spawned a lot of camera pouches and cases -- one by Mountainsmith that has the same shape as this 'new' item from Tom Bihn now serves me as a way of protecting portable hard drives when I have to throw them in my briefcase.

So, I think it's a little bit twee to credit Santa Cruz fashion police in the mid 1990s for this particular look -- it was a technological issue to keep cameras handy.

Posted by
1259 posts

Great minds. Parallel universes. Is Mountainsmith resurrecting their camera bag from 30 years ago, too? That would add synchronicity to coincidence. Or was it all industrial espionage?

Posted by
9436 posts

And it may have been in Santa Cruz in the 90s but it started long before then, in the 70s at least. But i digress...

Posted by
10344 posts

Don't call it a fanny pack in the UK.

Posted by
3319 posts

We've been using bags similar to TomBihn's since the 70's for hiking. LL Bean and other sources had/have them. I prefer them to hiking with a backpack. Besides the contents/water, etc. are much more accessible. I am not much of a style maven, to say the least. I'm practical. Well, that's one adjective anyway... LOL

Posted by
7859 posts

In the UK or elsewhere, referring to something as “Big Backside” could be a questionable marketing concept. But in French, it sounds charming, so there you go.

Posted by
294 posts

I have used a Mountainsmith Tour lumbar pack for over 25 years. My most recent one for trips to Europe involving day hikes in the hills as well as city trips. It is a great design. I use Bihn’s Co-Pilot for urban only aadventures.

Anyone who has made silly comments about my hiking pack changes their mind when they see that my back is not covered in sweat when stopping for breaks and lunch. Plus, it is much more secure in crowded environments.

Posted by
2740 posts

Cyn -- has the meaning of French terms stopped you from using 'cul de sac' for dead-end streets in the suburbs?

Posted by
7859 posts

See, avi, anything in French sounds elegant, even body parts describing “No Outlet” streets.

And MountainSmith packs, large and small, have hidden Inner Sanctum zippered pouches. Do Tom Bihn packs have secret compartments?

Apparently, this kind of bag suffers from nomenclature issues. I suppose Mountainsmith owns the title lumbar pack which is best. Waist bag needs to be distinguished from waste bag. We already covered the “Fanny” matter extensively. LGD needs to be distinguished from LGBT. Even the Grand Derrière can evoke a chuckle.