Hip pack apparatus and method of making and using the same

Abstract

A hip pack for walking a dog includes a bag having a plurality of pouches, such as a belt pouch, a main pouch and a front pouch. The bag may be attached to a sash to be worn over a user's shoulder and a belt to be worn around the waist of the user. The sash and belt may be worn to securely and comfortably hold the multi-pouch bag. The belt may be stored inside the belt pouch when the user only wants to use the sash. A plurality of connectors give the wearer options for attaching a leash to different points on the hip pack to allow hands-free dog walking. The bag may be reversible, such as by turning the main pouch inside-out, to store the sash, belt, buckles, connectors, and any contents of the pouches within the bag when the hip pack is not in use.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hip pack configured to be worn by a person walking a dog, the hip pack comprising:
 a bag configured to be worn at the person's hip or waist, the bag comprising:
 one or more storage pouches each configured to store belongings of the person; and 
 a belt pouch accessible through a rear of the bag; 
   one or more strips of material attached to the bag and defining a sash configured to extend from the bag over a shoulder of the person and back to the bag;   a belt connected to the bag via the belt pouch, the belt configured to extend from the bag around a waist or lower torso of the person and back to the bag, the belt pouch being configured to store the belt when the belt is not in use; and   a first connector configured to receive a leash connector of a dog leash attached to the dog, the first connector attached to one of the belt, the sash, and the bag.   
     
     
         2 . The hip pack of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the belt pouch comprises a first opening disposed through the rear of the bag approximate a left side of the bag and a second opening disposed through the rear of the bag approximate a right side of the bag; and   the belt is attached to the bag within the belt pouch, the belt comprising:
 a first portion configured to be withdrawn from and inserted into the belt pouch through the first opening; 
 a second portion configured to be withdrawn from and inserted into the belt pouch through the second opening; and 
 a belt connector comprising a first part attached to the first portion and a second part attached to the second portion and mating with the first part to secure the belt around the person. 
   
     
     
         3 . The hip pack of  claim 2 , further comprising a first closure mechanism attached to the bag to open and close the first opening and a second closure mechanism attached to the bag to open and close the second opening. 
     
     
         4 . The hip pack of  claim 2 , wherein the belt comprises a single strip of material extending from the first part of the belt connector to the second part of the belt connector. 
     
     
         5 . The hip pack of  claim 4 , wherein the belt is angularly affixed to the bag within the belt pouch at an angle relative to horizontal of the bag. 
     
     
         6 . The hip pack of  claim 1 , further comprising a belt length adjustor attached to the belt and configured to slidably increase and decrease a length of the belt. 
     
     
         7 . The hip pack of  claim 6 , wherein the first connector is slidably attached to the belt and comprises:
 a fabric loop encircling the belt and having an inner diameter that is larger than the belt length adjustor; and   a ring retained by the fabric loop and configured to receive the leash connector.   
     
     
         8 . The hip pack of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more strips of material include:
 a left sash portion having a first terminal end attached to a left portion of the bag and a second terminal end attached to a first part of a sash buckle, and   a right sash portion having a first terminal end attached to a right portion of the bag, the right sash portion attaching to a second part of the sash buckle, wherein the first part of the sash buckle and the second part of the sash buckle securely attach to each other to form the sash.   
     
     
         9 . The hip pack of  claim 8 , wherein the left sash portion and the right sash portion are each angularly affixed to the bag approximate a top of the bag. 
     
     
         10 . The hip pack of  claim 1 , wherein the bag is reversible. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for hands-free walking of a dog by a person, the apparatus comprising:
 a bag having a rear wall facing toward the person and a front wall facing away from the person, the bag comprising:
 a belt pouch partially defined by and accessible through the rear wall; and 
 a first pouch accessible through a first opening, the first pouch adjacent to and separated from the belt pouch; 
   a sash attached to the bag and comprising one or more strips of material that with the bag form a closable loop for wearing the apparatus over a shoulder of the person;   a belt that fits within the belt pouch and extends from the belt pouch around a waist or lower torso of the person and back to the bag; and   one or more connectors configured to receive a leash connector of a dog leash attached to the dog, the one or more connectors each attached to one of the belt, the sash, and the bag.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the belt comprises a single continuous strip of material having a left portion extending from a left side of the bag and attached to a first part of a belt buckle, and a right portion extending from a right side of the bag and attached to a second part of the belt buckle, wherein the first part of the belt buckle and the second part of the belt buckle are configured to securely attach to each other. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising a left opening into the belt pouch approximate the left side of the bag and a right opening into the belt pouch approximate the right side of the bag, the left portion and the first part of the belt buckle being insertable into and removable from the belt pouch via the left opening, and the right portion and the second part of the belt buckle being insertable into and removable from the belt pouch via the right opening. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the left portion is longer than the right portion and the belt buckle rests approximate the right hip of the person when worn. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the belt is permanently attached to the bag at a middle portion disposed within the belt pouch via a plurality of runs of stitching. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more connectors include a first connector attached to the belt and a second connector attached to the bag. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the first connector is slidably attached to the belt via a loop of material. 
     
     
         18 . A method for hands-free walking of a dog, the method comprising:
 donning a hip pack comprising:
 a bag configured to be worn at a person's hip or waist, the bag comprising:
 one or more storage pouches each configured to store belongings of the person; and 
 a belt pouch accessible through a rear of the bag; 
 one or more strips of material attached to the bag and defining a sash configured to extend from the bag over a shoulder of the person and back to the bag; 
 a belt connected to the bag via the belt pouch, the belt configured to extend from the bag around a waist or lower torso of the person and back to the bag, the belt pouch being configured to store the belt when the belt is not in use; and 
 a first connector configured to attach to a dog leash, the first connector attached to one of the belt, the sash, and the bag; 
 
   attaching to the first connector a leash connector of a leash attached to the dog; and   without holding the leash, walking the dog.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the hip pack further comprises a left opening into the belt pouch approximate a left side of the bag and a right opening into the belt pouch approximate a right side of the bag, the method further comprising removing a left portion of the belt from the belt pouch via the left opening and removing a right portion of the belt from the belt pouch via the right opening, and wherein donning the hip pack comprises attaching the left portion of the belt to the right portion of the belt around the person's waist.