Was the LGD designed to be a waist pack, a sling bag, or a cross-body/shoulder carry bag?

The LGD was originally designed to be a waist pack AKA lumbar pack AKA hip pack AKA fanny pack. 

It also makes a great cross-body or one-shoulder bag: clip one of the optional shoulder straps to the d-rings on the side of the bag and you’re ready to go. 

Though it wasn’t designed as a sling bag, we know some of you will use it that way. That’s cool. We’ve used it that way too: it works great as a sling in a pinch.

Here's a reel we posted on Instagram that shows off the different ways to wear the LGD:

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How long does the waist belt extend to?

It extends to 48". We also make and offer an optional extender for the LGD waist belt; it's available for order on the LGD page as well as our Parts page.

Here's some photos of it in use, courtesy of Christa Giles. These photos also do a remarkable job of showing off the Orange 152 color:

I like the compression straps on the sides — what’s the idea behind those?

Whether the bag is stuffed full or relatively empty, you can cinch the compression straps down to lower its overall profile and keep its contents from sloshing around. The degree to which you’re achieving that goal depends on how much stuff is in it (well duh.)

Does the LGD have a dedicated water bottle pocket?

While the LGD doesn't have a dedicated water bottle pocket, we do find it easy to pack a 8oz - 18oz water bottle upright in the middle of the main compartment, nestled between other items. Larger water bottles can fit in the pack, laid down lengthwise. 

We find we’re happy stowing our water bottle in the main compartment — we can shift the pack around to the front, zip open the main compartment, pull out the water bottle, and hydrate as we go, or stop to drink and take in the scenery for a moment or two. 

All that said, Nik was inspired by feedback we received from a few folks asking for a quick-access water bottle pocket. He's in the process of designing a potential optional water bottle pocket that'd slip on to the hip belt of the LGD. After seeing two prototypes, we're pretty excited about what he's come up with: it'll fit smaller water bottles (think 8-16 ounces), dog treats, monocular, and other stuff around that size.

We'll keep you posted on the progress of the design.

The main compartment zipper of the LGD is flapped; can you share the pros and cons?

Pros: 

• Some folks prefer the aesthetic of a flapped zipper.
• The flap keeps rain, dirt, and sand away from the zipper (note: we also use water repellent zippers on the LGD).
• The original LGD had a flapped zipper; a lot of packs did back then.
• You get all that and if you add cord pulls to the metal pulls, it’ll be even easier to open that main compartment. 

Cons: 

• Some folks prefer the aesthetic of an exposed zipper. 
• Some folks may find it more difficult to zip the main compartment open and shut — though adding cord pulls (we include a pack of 8 Cord Zipper Pulls with the LGD!) largely solves that issue for those folks, in our experience.

Can you show us some cord pull options for the LGD?

We thought you’d never ask! (Wait, honestly, you didn’t ask that question: we just wanted to show you more photos so we asked ourselves that question. hehe.) 

LGD with DIY Robust Knot Pulls

Add our Cord (5 Yards) in the color of your choice and watch Ben's Robust Knot video tutorial, and you too can have Robust Knot Pulls like those shown above in Island and Ultraviolet.

LGD with Modular Paracord Goods brand pulls 

Above: MPG Cord Mods v2 in Lemonade Stand

We love the pulls from Modular Paracord Goods, a quarantine hobby turned small business: MPG is a Latina owned, one woman show out of Chicago IL. 

What devices fit in the LGD?

Devices up to the size of the 10.5" iPad Air or Pro in a protective case like our Cache sleeve will fit in the LGD. Because the LGD isn't padded, we'd recommend using a protective case for any device you store in the bag.

Does the LGD work well as a hiking pack?

Of course. As longtime avid hikers who try our best to put in 10-15+ miles over any given weekend, we think it works great as a hiking pack. After all, that's how people primarily used the LGD back in the 80's / 90's when Tom first made it.

The LGD holds a surprising amount of stuff yet doesn't feel too heavy or bulky when worn around the waist as a hiking lumbar pack. It's actually really, really comfortable, as the weight of what you're carrying rests on your hips. Folks who get sweaty backs on warm hikes while wearing backpacks (and are bothered by that) might also appreciate using a lumbar pack instead of a backpack.

Here's some photos of it packed completely full with a large human + canine first aid kit, head lamp, insulated mug, peanut butter pack, Reese's, Honey Mama's bar, wallet, car keys, satellite communication device, bear spray, light rain shell, and animal tracks guide book.

Swap out the big first aid kit for a smaller one, and you've got room to bring noodles and reusable chopsticks:

What about for urban use? 

You bet. Walking through the city, taking photos, people watching, stopping for a croissant and espresso, going into a shop and finding the totally perfect notebook, discovering a farmer’s market in process, checking out a book from the library and spending the next hour reading in the park, walking from one neighborhood to the next — ah, it’s fun to explore the city. 

Let’s not forget it makes a great dog walking pack — enough room for you and your dog’s stuff. 

Can you share an example of what can fit in the LGD? 

Sure! Here's a reel we posted on Instagram showing what we packed in an LGD:

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Would you consider making a smaller version of the LGD? 

Perhaps; it's definitely a possibility. We wouldn’t be able to make it too teeny tiny, otherwise the two front pockets would be more difficult to access, wouldn’t fit phablets, stuff like that.

How about a bigger LGD? 

That's a cool suggestion. We'll think about it.

Will you offer the LGD in Halcyon in the future?

It’s possible. We’ll make a sample LGD in Halcyon at some point and see what we think. Halcyon works as a fabric for some designs, not others.

How big are the exterior pockets? What can fit in them?

The exterior zipper pocket can fit a U.S. passport; it's a flat pocket, which means it doesn't have much depth. Anything bulky you stow in that pocket (like a deck of cards) will steal a little room from the main compartment. But maybe that's cool with you. 

The exterior flap pocket has a good amount of depth to it. In that pocket, you could fit Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies in that pocket. Or perhaps a can of Pinot Noir and a deck of Critical Thinking cards. We think these are extremely common examples of what might one would put in that pocket. Getting serious for a moment: you could fit a can of soda in that pocket and still buckle it shut. 

Either exterior pocket will fit even the largest phones.

How long is the interior open-top pocket?

That pocket extends the full length of the back panel of the LGD.

Can you provide a size comparison vs. other bags like the Side Kick or Co-Pilot or Small and Medium Cafe Bags?

You bet! See below. Left to right: Side Effect, LGD, Side Kick, Small Cafe Bag, Medium Cafe Bag.

Would you like to ship a sample for review? (Joking, of course). This pack has me drooling.

Hehe. Thanks for offering. We get it, it's a pretty cool pack.

Fill in the blank! The LGD is right bag for me if ______

• I'd like a larger waist pack that can be used as a shoulder bag or even a sling bag in a pinch.

• I'd like a shoulder bag with a tuckaway hip belt that could be used as a sling bag in a pinch. 

• It makes me happy when I look at it.

• I'd like one bag that can serve as a reasonably-sized hiking hip pack, a day bag for traveling, or an everyday shoulder bag or sling.

And the LGD isn’t the right bag for me if ______

• I'm looking for a bag specifically designed to be a sling bag. 
• I'd prefer a smaller waist pack.
• I need it to fit a 16" MacBook Pro. 
• I don't like the crazy colors or the solid black option. 

What are the dimensions of the main compartment? Is the stated 6” depth right?

We measured the LGD using the same methodology we use to measure all our bags: we completely, totally fill them with .75” / 20mm hard plastic spheres and pack them reasonably tight. We then measure the tallest, thickest and widest dimensions using a large caliper. The thickest (deepest) dimension of the LGD is just over 6”.