"I'm old enough to remember men carried stuff like you do"
I'm not all that old. I just don't often see men wearing fanny packs.... It's not all that uncommon with tourists, but just around town? Nope. ;)
My theory is that almost any man who wears a fanny pack for two weeks will become ADDICTED to them. In my own case I started wearing a fanny pack when I bought a whole bunch of them dirt cheap at a yard sale. They were brand new fanny packs with the USC colors and letters on it. Then I took them down to USC to sell them off. Of course, I wore one of the fanny packs to demonstrate how they look. I kept that one and within a few days was ADDICTED to fanny packs. I simply cannot go outside without one. All my stuff I need conveniently located in one place.
I challenge any male non-fanny pack user to wear and use a fanny pack for about 2 weeks. I guarantee he will also become a fanny pack addict.