The Lowdown
The Near Mint DJ Tour Pack Waist Bag is a fanny pack with DJs in mind. Stylish and practical, it has enough space and compartments to hold your gig essentials, including a pair of smaller headphones. Since it’s splashproof, it makes a great everyday carry pack too. Highly recommended if you’re into streetwear.
First Impressions / Setting up
Waist bags are all the rage in 2019, thanks in no small part to streetwear megabrands like Supreme and Off-White spearheading the current fanny pack obsession. These bags are so “now” that even high street designer brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton have their own packs.
Not all DJs want to plump hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars on a small bag. After all, you’ve probably already spent quite a bit on a DJ backpack or flight case for your gear. This is where the Near Mint DJ Tour Pack comes in: at about US$50, you get a waist bag that’s got enough storage for your DJ bits and bobs, especially if you spin with thumb drives.
It’s basically a hybrid waist and sling bag: you can adjust the strap to wear the bag like a fanny pack around your waist, or strap it across your chest or around your shoulder like a sling bag. It’s made of a splashproof heavyweight nylon with splashproof zips too.
There are two main compartments: the front opens up to reveal the main storage area that features two zippered mesh pockets and two pouches. You can store thumb drives here, SD cards, your keys, ear plugs, and even a collapsible pair of headphones like the Sennheiser HD 25.
The rear zippered compartment can be used to stash more sensitive items like your wallet, passport, travel documents, or phone.
In Use
The Near Mint DJ Tour Pack has replaced my daily driver (a Peak Design Messenger Bag) because of two reasons: it’s small enough for me to take along everywhere I go and it forces me to leave the laptop at home, but it still has enough storage to take along my day-to-day essentials including my Kindle Paperwhite. On longer commutes, it can even hold a powerbank for my smartphone.
I’ve also used it for DJ gigs, though I still take along my DJ backpack and controller case. I keep my phone, wallet and keys inside the DJ Tour Pack and have it either strapped to my waist or kept safe with my technician. I prefer spinning with a laptop, but if ever I have to play a gig with just thumb drives, I’m 100% sure this is the bag I’ll be taking along.
The best part about the DJ Tour Pack is it’s functional and stylish without grabbing too much attention. I’m not a fan of most designer waist bags because they’ve got very loud logo branding and colours which make them prime candidates for theft in and outside the DJ booth, so I’m happy that the DJ Tour Pack is minimal and unassuming.
Conclusion
I love this bag because I feel like it just “disappears” and becomes a part of my outfit. I dress as functional as possible most days, and the DJ Tour Pack has no problem fitting in and letting me have my essentials within easy reach. If you’re looking for a waist bag that can fit your everyday carry items and also your crucial DJ items, look no further. Highly recommended.
