The Best Bag to Bring to a Concert Is Actually a Running Belt

When getting ready to attend a concert or festival, you’ll likely have coordinated your transportation (and your outfits) ahead of time, but the bag you plan to use may be an afterthought. With venues imposing restrictive bag regulations, your usual purse or carryall might not make it past the gate — something I learned the hard way. But don’t worry: You can just bring a running belt instead.

Today’s venue rules: Mostly clear or tiny bags

What I thought was a rather modest 11-by-8-inch purse was recently turned away on a visit to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, New York, where size limits are approximately 8.5 by 5.5 inches before you'll need a clear bag. (I was redirected to a bag check at the far end of the security line; by the time I finally got to my seat, I’d missed the opening act, who I was there to see.)

While longer events like Coachella and Bonnaroo allow you to carry backpacks or bags that can hold multiple days of supplies, most concert venues, especially indoor venues, have strict limits on how big your bag can be. For example, in order to “reduce staff contact with guest belongings,” Live Nation Entertainment venues only permit attendees to carry “clutch bags” measuring 6 by 9 inches maximum—smaller than nearly all of the fanny packs we recommend.

Roomier bags are typically permitted at most venues so long as they’re see-through, but you’re not alone if buying a clear tote or backpack feels like throwing away money on a cheap piece of plastic. As supervising editor Catherine Kast, puts it, “They’re ugly, they show off all your personal stuff, and they’re only designed for one use, really.”

Wanting to bliss out to my favorite bands without stuff jangling in (and possibly falling out of) my pockets, I hit upon an inexpensive alternative: the running belt.

A running belt fits all the concert essentials

The truth is, I often brought superfluous stuff to shows, which I then had to keep track of. At the three concerts I’ve attended since my purse drama, a running belt has helped me sail past security and still fit my pared-down list of must-haves: ID, a charged phone, a credit card, cash, keys, pain relievers, earplugs (such as the Loop Experience Earplugs we recommend), and a portable phone charger (the TravelCard Plus we recommend is the size of a credit card and requires no extra cables). For outdoor events, senior editor Christine Ryan, who oversees our travel coverage, suggests adding travel-size sunscreen and hand sanitizer, as well as first aid like bug-repellent wipes and Band-Aids. Obviously, this pared-down packing list might not work for everyone, particularly those with specific medical needs, so make adjustments accordingly.

Not only does my running belt stay put against my midsection as any well-designed running belt should, but the resulting silhouette is virtually undetectable beneath a loose-fitting shirt. I’m sticking with the running belt from now on, even if a venue allows bigger bags.

Nathan Adjustable-Fit Zipster

Staff-favorite running belt with more pockets

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Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 1

The best wallet phone case

If you’re looking to ditch your wallet, this case holds a few cards—and can even keep a single card secure—without sacrificing a nice design.

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$20 from Amazon

Tune Belt Sport Armband

The best running armband for iPhones

This affordable and reliable armband provides a better combination of comfort, stability, and ease of use than any other armband we tested.

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$20 from Amazon

The only potential issue with a running belt: If you keep your phone in the same slim pouch as your other items then try to pull it out, you may cause things like cards and cash to fly out as well. You can solve this by keeping your phone secured in a separate pocket (we hear cargo pants are back), or you can use a wallet phone case to squirrel away your credit card, ID, and cash while adding minimal bulk to your phone. Our top pick for iPhones, the Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 1, fits up to three cards plus cash, and in our testing, the case’s contents remained intact even after “aggressively shaking” the phone.

If you’re still wary of pockets (or you’re wearing an outfit that doesn’t have any), consider stashing your phone in a second piece of fitness gear: a running armband. Although it may feel a little goofy to wear, our iPhone running armband pick, the Tune Belt Sport Armband, accommodates phones of several sizes and doesn’t bounce around. What you might forsake in cool points, you’ll make up for in never losing your stuff again.

This article was edited by Mark Smirniotis and Annemarie Conte.