Amy Barnum created Quivvers as a good-looking twist on the fanny pack design – so that you can “adventure anywhere with basics.” Just as quivers were made to hold arrows close to your bow, the Quivver is made to hold modern day tools – phone, cash or credit cards, and keys – things that you want to keep close at hand and not have to dig around for. I spent a month or so living with a Quivver to see how different life could be without bulging pockets and juggling the little detritus of life.
My black and silver Quivver is made of “waterproof denier” with eye-catching reflective trim, but shouldn’t be considered completely waterproof. The zipper gapes open ever so slightly, so I won’t be going for a swim with my phone. But I feel more than safe taking it out in a light drizzle. Quivvers come in two sizes, measuring from waist to shoulder and back: regular (29-48 inches) and x-long (29-61 inches). You also have the option to wear it as a waist pack if your waist is more than 29 inches wide
The key to using Quivvers is to figure out where to use it so that it won’t get in your way, and what workflow to use.
The more movement changes you make (think aerobics, jogging, spinning around in a circle), the more the contents in the Quivver shifts around and slaps you in the chest. Ooof. Even cinched down to my chest (adjustment via elastic cable in the back), my phone still whacks me while I’m jogging, so do my keys until I take them off the s-biner. The scrunched up material in the back is no longer as good-looking as the flat, unadjusted Quivver, and it digs into your spine when you lean on any chair back.
The Quivver becomes even more of an issue when I take it out dancing. I hate bulking up my pockets with my “basics” and the Quivvers would be a great addition if only it wouldn’t slide around, whack me while I’m executing turns and spins, and get in my partner’s way. And did I mention those keys?
Now let’s look at workflow.
In terms of the hiker set, I’m really not sure what to think. I always hike with a bag that contains at least water and a bit of food (if not the 10 essentials), so my other basics would go into this bag. I shrug and toss the entire Quivver into it. At least its reflective material is easy to spot, although it does have a tendency to snag absolutely everything else in the bag.
For the travelers: My passport fits, but only just. I put my phone into the clear phone pocket, a few odds and ends into the little pocket (pills, ear plugs, ear phones), and went to the airport. First, I had to pull the passport out to hand over to the TSA. Then when I tried to put it back, the passport pocket wouldn’t zip until I took out the phone and the passport, and put the passport in first. Giant fail, which leaves me juggling carry-on, camera bag, and two small items and a bunch of zippers in the middle of a moving line of impatient people.
The Quivver somehow feels like something that should transform my small pile of stuff into a giant multi-tool where I can just flick out the needed tool at any time. But if I leave my phone in the clear pocket, I struggle to use it through the plastic. And when I take off the Quivver, or take out the phone, that’s a pain as well. If I’m currently having a text conversation, does my phone live in my pocket rather than the Quivver for now?
Eventually the Quivver finds a place in my photography workflow. It’s a handy pocket to put a lens cap into, and a good place to store spare memory cards. And that’s how I concluded that for me. The key to using a Quivver is to use it rarely. It’s for those little things that you’re not always touching, but know you’ll eventually need – and you know you’ll eventually be able to have both hands free to get your tools out or put them back.
Pros
- Flat profile and simple style allows for minimalist “basics” storage in a convenient location – your torso.
- Reflective material is an eye catching piece for bikers and pedestrians.
- Water resistant for light rain.
Cons
- Passport on fits in storage pocket if it is placed in there first.
- No amount of cinching will stop weight from either shifting around or hitting you in the chest during rapid, abrupt movements.
- Workflow becomes muddled if a frequently used tool has to be removed and put back frequently – would be easier to go back to carrying the tool at that point.
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