There are certain accessories that have become synonymous with the world traveller and the almighty bum bag is no exception. The bum bag has certainly cycled its way through fashion – 90s kids can’t quite believe that the thing their Mum wore at the car boot sale that made them cringe is suddenly on the front page of the ASOS website – but has remained a tried and truly essential for those who like to travel.
It’s small enough not to be a nuisance, yet handy and a versatile accessory. As with everything else, though, things aren’t quite so easy for those of us who are plus size. Bum bag shopping means lots of trial and error, as ‘one size fits all’ certainly doesn’t fit ‘all’ when it comes to a bum bag strap. We’re rating a handful of plus size bum bags on affordability, size and style so that you can spend less time browsing and more time exploring!
Roamlite Bum Bag
While Roamlite has previously sold bum bags with waist straps up to 72 inches, the company only currently stocks sizes up to a 51-inch waist – which is still well within what is considered plus size. The website promises to be comfortable for use with a wheelchair or mobility scooter while appearing large enough to carry all of your essentials – you could definitely even fit a bottle of suncream in there along with your phone, keys, passport and money. The design isn’t the prettiest in the world, but with a classic black leather design, you can’t go wrong.
Affordability: At only £12.97 for this bum bag, we really can’t give it anything other than 10/10 for the price!
Size: The 72-inch straps would have got this bum bag a 10/10, but 51 inches is still pretty good – it’s a solid 7/10 from us.
Appearance: It’s not the worst bag in the world, but we’ve definitely seen cuter. 5/10.
Walk the Walk Plus Size Bum Bag
The Walk the Walk bum bag is fantastic because, not only is it spacious yet discreet, but buying this bag means also supporting a breast cancer charity. The bag comes with multiple compartments which are perfect for organising travel documents, and the pop of pink inside offers a style element that the first bum bag lacked.
Affordability: While the Walk the Walk bum bag is slightly more expensive than the first bag at £15.99, it’s still a great price and the money is donated to a breast cancer charity. 10/10.
Size: The strap on this bag can be extended to fit a 53.5-inch waist – and what’s even better about that is this isn’t a ‘plus size’ bag, it’s just designed to be as inclusive as possible! It’s a 9/10 for the Walk the Walk bag.
Appearance: It’s an inoffensive design, and though the pink inside is cute, this is definitely a piece you would buy for functionality rather than style. 6/10.
Gürteltaschen Bum Bag
The next contender is the Gürteltaschen bum bag, which is available in a rustic brown and has multiple zippable compartments. This bag is made of leather, offering it durability and style, though the compartments do not appear to be as big on this bag as they are on others.
Affordability: This bag is available for €32.90, which is around £28, making it the most expensive bag so far. We give this bag 6/10 for affordability.
Size: Perhaps some of the cost of the bag is in the length of the strap available, as this bag proudly boasts about the 200cm strap – which is just under 79 inches! 10/10 for size, we need more of this from every brand!
Appearance: This bag has a classic design, but again isn’t particularly pretty – and considering that it is the most expensive bag so far, you want to be splashing out on a style that you love. We give this bag 4/10 for appearance.
Boohoo Quilted Plus Size Bum Bag
When we hear ‘one size fits all’ and ‘Boohoo’ in a sentence together, we must admit that there is a slightly sharp intake of breath, as they can tend to run a bit small in their sizing. But this quilted bum bag is a pleasant surprise, with a 135cm strap – or just over 53 inches – making it a definite contender against the other bags.
Affordability: Keeping in line with Boohoo’s prices, this bum bag comes in at only £14.00 – though it is discounted to £11.20 at the time of writing, so it’s worth checking for sales. This bag is a bit cheaper than the Walk the Walk bag, but because it doesn’t get the extra charity point we’ll give it a well-deserved 9/10.
Size: In terms of strap length, 53 inches is fantastic – the bag itself looks a little bit small though, making us think this one is a case of style over function. We’d give it a 9/10 for the waist size, but because the bag is quite small we’ll drop it down to a 6/10. It’s pretty, but might not be the best travelling companion.
Appearance: This bag is certainly the cutest in the selection, so it can have our first 10/10 for its style appeal.
Waterfly Bum Bag
The Waterfly plus size fanny pack is made by an American brand, offering a cute and multi-functional bum bag (sorry, fanny pack!) that is available in a range of colours. The standard waist strap is available up to 51 inches, though the website FAQs do advise that there is an additional strap that you can purchase if you need an extension, which will add another 11 inches to the length of the strap.
Affordability: This bag is available for $22.99, which is just over £16 before postage. It’s also worth bearing in mind that if you need the strap extension, you’ll be charged another $6.99 (£5.09) for the privilege. This bag gets a 7/10 for affordability from us.
Size: In terms of space in the bag, the design of the compartments are great, and it looks like you’d have room for everything you’d need. While we like that you can go up to 62 inches with this bag, we don’t love that you have to pay extra for the privilege. We’ll give this bag a 7/10 for size, because we’re salty about paying extra when they could have just made their strap adjustable up to that size in the first place!
Appearance: We love that there are a number of colours available, and the design is really simple but was clearly built with functionality in mind. In terms of appearance, this bag is a comfortable 9/10.
The Results
It appears we have a tie! If you’re in the market for a plus size bum bag, our recommendations are definitely with the Walk the Walk bag, and the Boohoo quilted bag. If you want something stylish and discreet then go for the Boohoo bag, or if you want something that will be durable for travelling (and you want to donate to charity while you’re at it!), then the Walk the Walk bum bag is the perfect option for you.
Do you have any other plus size bum bag recommendations? We’d love to hear them below!