Reviews

I ordered this money belt for a recent trip to Europe. I wore it just about every day over a 10-day period, positioning it on my lower back, just below the waist line. I honestly could not even tell if it was there unless I checked for it (this was kind of surprising because I usually had it fairly well stuffed with things like paper bills, driver's license, debit card, extra credit card, and (sometimes) my passport). As others have noted, the waist belt is a bit long, but this wasn't problem at all. I just wrapped the extra material around the clipped belt and again I couldn't even tell it was there. The belt clasp never came undone. At the end of one day, I was a bit alarmed to discover that I'd neglected to zip the two main storage pouches closed, but it turned out that nothing was missing. So, all in all, it did the job, and I expect I'd be able to use it for many more trips.

I've spent months at a time in places such as Peru, India, the Caribbean, the Canary Islands, and so forth. I always keep my passport, some backup credit cards, and backup cash in a money belt. Just in case the need arises. Fortunately I've never had to actually find out just how effective these belts are, although not having a wallet in the pocket or purse over the shoulder is bound to make one less prone to interest from thieves. - This money belt is light weight due to the silk. This potentially makes it less durable, though I think it's worth it. - The plastic lined pocket is a bonus. If you may be in seriously wet conditions (like sailing, river crossings, torrential rain, etc.) it might pay to have a suitably sized and sturdy zip-loc bag in there for complete water-proofing. Having extra freezer grade zip-locs on hand is also useful for any liquids you travel with, and any items you don't want getting wet under any circumstances. - You may find the strap way too long. It can be shortened by cutting it. - You may find it creeps up your torso after a while. Typically this will only occur if you wear it above your pants, around your waist/torso. I've found this to be the case with any money belt warn above the pants. Personally I don't mind keeping it up high. If you don't want it creeping up, position it under your pants, below the waist-line (this is where is was designed to be worn). If you have a belt holding up your pants, then position beneath and below this. This may not work so well if you have a thick passport or more than one passport in there, as it these documents may get bent into the shape of your butt. - I prefer this style of money/document holder to the ones that hang from the neck, such as Eagle Creek Travel Gear Neck Pouch. (If you don't mind items around your neck you may want to get one of each - SEE THE TIPS BELOW). Typically it is much easier to lift your shirt inconspicuously and get what you need, than to drag a pouch all the way up over your collar. Ideally, you'll only have in there the things you won't need in public. I also find the neck ones create tension in the neck after wearing them a lot. > For those people especially concerned about their safety, consider buying a cheap, thin wallet in addition to whatever wallet you plan to keep most of your money and cards in. Stuff one or more dummy credit cards in there, a little cash, and some receipts. Make it look used at first glance. You can "make" a dummy card by looking through your credit cards now and finding the one with the longest time until expiration. Call your bank and tell them you lost the card (do not report it stolen, just in case that may bring up issues of needing to report to police, etc.). They will send you a new one with a new number. The card you reported stolen is now your dummy card. You can also make dummy cards by keeping your expired cards. If someone robs you on the street, they are not going to check your cards for expiration dates. Most will not even be interested in the cards, it just makes the wallet look legit. Most will be looking for cash. Now, if you happen to be unfortunate enough to be forced to give someone your money, you can reluctantly hand them this dummy wallet. Depending on the situation, make a run for it immediately whilst they are looking through it (if you get the sense that is what they were after... chances are they will leave you to scram). You'll have to make the call on whether to bolt or not. The dummy card may also come in handy if you happen to end up in a situation where a bar, or restaurant, or whatever tries to scam you into paying a false bill that is priced too high. Give them your dummy card (the one you reported stolen, which still has a valid expiry date). There are only some countries where these types of scams take place (Turkey, for instance, is known for the jacked-up menu prices scam). Thailand is most known for their jewellery scams, which can be avoided by simply not visiting any jewellery stores by recommendation or invitation from people you meet on the street or cab drivers, etc.. Should you end up in such a fix, and don't have the confidence to say no to the pushy sales people, again you can pull out your dummy (not yet expired) credit card. The payment will fail, and you'll be free to go. > Again, if in a country where your safety is of particular concern to you, have three locations with cards and money. Your money belt (such as the silk one this review is for), your dummy wallet, and somewhere else, such as down a sock (if appropriate, perhaps not for a woman in a skirt or man in shorts), in a shoe (potentially uncomfortable), in one a leather belt that has a pouch sewn into it, or in a wallet that hangs around your neck (such as this: Eagle Creek Travel Gear Neck Pouch). Here is one example of a belt with a pouch behind it, to see what I mean (this one is a bit cheap & tacky looking by the sounds of it, so you may need to search elsewhere for a nice one) - BLACK LEATHER MONEY BELT W/ HIDDEN ZIPPER POCKET. In the unlikely event that you get robbed and the robber takes your dummy wallet AND checks around your waist or neck for your money pouch, you will at least still have a backup of cash and a credit card elsewhere. Alternatively, if staying at a (reliable) Hotel, consider keeping your important documents (passport, for instance), and a backup of cash/credit cards in their safe. When out and about, avoid taking your passport with you if you can keep it safely somewhere else. Make a photo copy of it (including any visas and entry stamps) and present that if ever asked by Police (for example) for your travel documents. Also take photos of all significant pages in your passport, and of all your other important items (drivers license, international drivers license, credit cards, insurance policies, etc.) and email them to yourself - to a Gmail account, for instance. That way you will have access to that information even in the unlikely event that EVERYTHING gets stolen or lost (including your camera). IMPORTANT:: Delete these photos from your camera once you have uploaded them to your email account, because in the unlikely event that your camera is stolen you don't want a copy of these records on there. Most importantly, once you have taken these basic precautions, simply be mindful, be aware, pay attention to your surroundings, and have happy and safe travels. I have felt safer in many so-called "dangerous" countries than I would on the streets on London or New York. I was even in Kashmir during an 8 year war, and I felt much safer than in L.A. It is highly likely you will never need any of these precautions, yet knowing you have taken them can allow for greater ease-of-mind whilst travelling. Happy travels. - Jonathan Evatt International lecturer, natural health expert, gourmet whole-food chief, and award-winning author of Peace, Power, and Presence: A guide to Self Empowerment, Inner Peace, and Spiritual Enlightenment To see many other reviews check out my Amazon profile page.

This was a great purchase, I wore it under my jeans the whole time and it was comfortable. No one could tell that I was wearing it, even with it full of money and a passport. The waist band is very elastic and adjustable so it really is great for any size person. I would strongly recomend this light wieght money belt to anyone doing international travel.

This product broke on me the first day I had it. I was trying to tighten the belt and then "pop" one of the plastic latches broke. I glued it back using super glue and it held for one of my trips in its entirety (a 2 week trip) and then held for like 3 days out of my second two week trips before the glue gave up. The belt is nicely made with multiple pockets and a plastic "case" inside of the back pocket. I had wondered what the point of it was until I realized later how much you wind up sweating while wearing it. Yes, if you're traveling in a hot area and you wear the belt then the money belt will get significantly damp. The plastic allows you to keep your money or papers completely dry. The belt itself dries out very quickly once you take it off. The belt isn't "wear it and forget about it" since, of course, you can feel it while you wear it but it's more comfortable that one would think. The first few minutes of wearing it feels troublesome but as the day goes on, you get used to it pretty handily. Besides it is a very safe to keep money and your passport when traveling. It's definitely nice having the knowledge that your passport and cash and whatnot are safe from pickpockets. In the end, I would recommend it (as a 4*) if there wasn't the worry about one of the plastic latches breaking. But since it DID break and break very easily and early upon my ownership, I really have to dock it at least 2*s. The piece that broke was a VERY thin piece of plastic and quite easy to break. But just so you know another friend of mine bought one and his was fine. Perhaps I'm not as careful as he is, but look at the plastic catches (where the elastic threads thru) and you'll see what I mean by it being thin and kind of fragile.

This was a bit overkill for going to Alaska. At no time did we feel like this was needed for this wonderful location. I can see how this can be pretty important in a less developed country. I found it to be a little awkward to use and it irritated my skin slightly.

Reviews

The concept of the Neck Wallet was great, even though I did not need it. I found the neck wallet is pointless if you are not traveling Rick Steve's style (a.k.a on the cheap) and staying in hotels with room safes and using mostly planes to go from city to city. I did find it convenient to use at the airports to keep my passport and tickets easily accessible, even though the neck wallet gives you clearly away as a tourist and unless you are wearing a sweater the wallet does show underneath a t-shirt. So if you are traveling anywhere and you have to have your important documents on you I do recommend a neck wallet or money belt, just not this one. The stitching was of low quality and I almost lost my documents because of it. The place where the neck string connects to the wallets came off unnoticed and without force and unless my better half would have noticed I would have been stuck in Europe. This seems again a product line that has a good concept, where a 'celebrity' puts it's name on, but the product quality itself is mediocre at best.

I believe Rick Steves's neck wallet is the perfect accessory for holding your passport and other important articles while traveling. I used it to hold my passport, my Berlin tourist transit pass, and a credit card and some Euros on my latest trip to Germany. I had an older version made of leather, but the cord on it was about to go, so I invested in Rick Steves's product. I wasn't disappointed. I didn't particularly like the plastic perspiration shield, but it was very warm in Berlin this last August, so I needed it to protect my documents. If it had been cooler I would use it without the plastic shield. Overall this is a great product. I still kept a wallet in my pocket, in the unlikely case that we were robbed. I kept an old wallet with a few expired credit cards and 5 or 10 Euros in it to give up in case a thief confronted us. But everything important was hidden in my wallet under my shirt. I recommend this for all travelers!

bought for our trip to ireland the neck wallet was worn under my shirt and around my neck. it easily held our passports, euro's and flight info. the thin strap was the only downside. it started to annoy me after a few days. overall, not bad.

I just got back from a 1 month trip to Europe with the Rick Steves neck wallet. I should have taken my old one - heavier, but much more functional. Here are the deficiencies I see in the Rick Steves product: - The two front pockets are too small. Credit cards are a tight squeeze, making them hard to get in and out. Neither of the pockets are large enough for money unless you fold the bills in thirds. The pockets do not have separate zippers. -The main zippered compartment contains a clear plastic pouch designed to protect the contents from perspiration, since the silk sucks up moisture like a sponge. Unfortunately, this plastic pouch sticks to itself and gets bent and crumpled, making it hard to get things in and out. -The above main compartment is too narrow to hold a passport (at least a U.S. passport) sideways. You must put it in vertically, which precludes folding the wallet in half and using it as a much more convenient pocket wallet in places where it is safe to do so. -The strap does not detach, also preventing its use as a pocket wallet as above, or as an around-the-waist under the pants money belt. - The un-zippered back compartment is nearly useless. It is between you and the plastic pouch, and anything put in here will get soaked with perspiration. About its only plus is that it is light weight, but I'd gladly trade a few ounces for more functionality. Look for one that is moisture proof, has secure pockets that actually fit credit cards, a passport and the larger European bills, and can be used as a regular wallet.

I've used various neck wallets on my trips and they are useless. Every thief knows about these and the neck strap gives it away! I found out the hard way in my recent backpacking trip through Central America that everything gets wet from sweat and humidity with these. My passport got soaked and if it wasn't for an understanding customs agent, I would have been detained until I got a new one issued. The other thing is that you have to wear a dress shirt or it will show through your t-shirt. The strap is also dangerous because if someone comes up behind you and gets a hold of the strap, they then have a way to choke you. In my trip to Europe, it was hard to tell that I had one because it was cold/rainy and had to wear a jacket but in Central America where it was hot and had to wear a t-shirt people just commented, "He has something in his shirt!" I would not recommend this for a traveler but only if you need it to carry something on the outside of your shirt or when you can wear a jacket to hide the strap. I put mine aside and purchased one that straps under my pants and onto my leg. I generally wear loose fitting pants and it's hard to tell.

Reviews

I backpack and was looking for something to keep my things in that was safe and discreet (a purse can easily eb snatched off). I order this money belt and love it. Its the perfect size for passport and anything else that is important, very lightweight and goes under clothing with no issue. Love it and cant wait to use on my next trip!

The item came to me in excellent shape. Communication was good with the company I purchased the item through. Delivery time was excellent. The only issue was that the company could not provide the color that I wanted but they did communicate well to advise that I could purchase the money belt in tan right away or wait until the item on backorder could be filled in the black color I wanted. I was glad to be able to have this choice and I was very happy with the communication.