Customer Reviews

Rick Steves Silk Money Belt

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I used this money belt when I went to Costa Rica for a week in May. It rained everyday, but my money, passport, and other papers stayed dry and secure in the plastic pocket. I was afraid it might be uncomfortable or sweaty with the heat, but I wore it under my waist band on my lower back and it dried out very quickly each night. It held everything I needed and was so light and comfortable I had to often check to make sure it was there!

The only (small) problem I had was that the elastic for the adjustable waistband was far too long for me. I cut off a length and used a safety pin to keep the loose end up so it wouldn't end up hanging down my leg.

I bought this a few months ago, and since then, I've used it on two vacations. It is very comfortable, and I really couldn't tell I had it on. On a few occasions, I patted my tummy to make sure it was still there.

I especially like that it has two separate zipper pockets. I looked at several different brands on these before I bought, and Amazon definitely had the best price for the silk belt. Most places wanted just as much, or more, for a polyester best...can you say sweaty? Ick.

For those who might be wondering, this has a really long belt. Great for plus size people. But for those skinny folks out there, just grab a pair of scissors and trim it off, since the elastic belt isn't hemmed anyway.

This money belt is great! I went to Ireland and Scotland for 4 weeks and literally wore this all day, everyday except in the shower. I even slept with this on and I didn't feel it. I stayed in hostels and was 18 at the time so I wanted my important belongings safe and wearing this gave me that sense of security. It's soft and flexible and you don't feel it when you wear it. It held my 2 ID cards, my bank card, my passport, plane ticket and all money I had on me that I wasn't going to use that day and you couldn't tell I was wearing it. This money belt is super comfortable and will fit just about anyone. The belt is stretchy and easily adjustable. I love how it's made out of silk and not stiff uncomfortable nylon like other brands. I actually gave this to my best friend who went to the UK a couple years later and she loved it. Highly recommended!

I brought this money belt with me to China recently and only used it for two days. It was helpful on the "sleeper" (overnight) buses where theft often occurs, but it wasn't particularly comfortable to wear during the day. First, the waist belt was extremely long and would not tighten enough to fit my waist well. I'm an average-sized girl in my 20s, and when I adjusted it to fit my waist, there was almost a foot of leftover strap that dangled unpleasantly (I had to use a binder clip to keep the leftover strap secure). Second, the belt was constantly shifting. I would suddenly find it up to my stomach rather than on my waist. This became quite annoying to me (especially when having to use the restroom), so I gave up and simply carried my passport in my purse (which I clutched tightly).

The money belt was quite nice in terms of size and the material was comfortable, but note that it does not work well with everyone's body type.

In theory, this is a fantastic product... it's light, it's unobtrusive, it has pockets to separate your cash and credit cards, it comes with a plastic sleeve to protect your money from getting wet...

This might have been my first clue. As other reviewers have stated, the first order of business is to trim down the excess strap to your size. Once that is done, it's not too bad, as long as you remember to keep out enough cash to spend for the day - especially if you wear it on your lower back where it's most comfortable, it's difficult to get in and out of without drawing a ton of attention to yourself. I struggled with the credit card issue, and finally ended up keeping one out, buried in a zip pocket in my pants... I decided I'd rather have it stolen then be trying to get in and out of a money belt in crowded stores.

It did it's job in terms of keeping our passports safe, as well as our excess cash. Unfortunately, these little guys get VERY nasty VERY quickly. Within 2 days, it smelled like a dead animal, and on more than one occasion, I placed our passports on the wrong side of the protective plastic sleeve, and they actually started to get warped and damp from the sweat. It was kind of gross, and a bit embarrassing handing that to the immigration people. I finally started washing it every night in the sink, which helped with the smell, but didn't stop it from getting filthy by the end of the day.

In summary, for our 2 week jaunt through Europe, this helped me feel very secure about our passports, and as far as money belts go, it did what it was supposed to do. However, be prepared for a gamey experience when you take it off at night, and unless you want to be blatantly obvious that you have the thing, keep out whatever you'll need for the day, and keep this guy on your lower back while you travel around.

This is a good item for the money. Solid construction. The material is very soft, and the belt itself is nice and light. The elastic material on the belt really helps it fit comfortably. I can see wearing this all day without issue. It was delivered on time with no problems. I recommend this belt highly. For $12, you can't go wrong.

A good and functional money belt, but you'd be better off with a money belt made of a different material. Silk retains a lot of heat, and ours absorbed a lot of sweat (even though we used it while on a chilly trip to Europe in November). We had to frequently wash our money belt at night and leave it out to dry. The plastic sleeve inside is ingenious to protect your documents/cash/papers, but it's not attached to the belt itself - so buy a non-silk money belt, fold a heavy-duty plastic sheet, and tuck it into one of the pockets, and you'll get the same result - that's probably what we'll do for our next trip.

Recently used this in Europe for 10 days and it was very useful. First off, the weather was hot, mid 80s during the day and the belt didn't really add to my body heat (which was good). Though once it reached in the low 90s and I did sweat a little into it. However, for the most part, I didn't really notice the the belt at all once I had it on. It was pretty comfortable and most importantly, the snap on buckle never gave way or came loose. I've heard some other belts have that issue.

The design is functional enough. Its very light and the silk material makes it soft. The nude color helps conceal it even through thin linen shirts. There are two zippered compartments. The back one fits passport, bills, tickets, etc. It also has a soft plastic divider which I suppose can be used to partially shield your valuables from light rain (but it is not waterproof for swimming). The front compartment can likewise fit bills but not much wider than that. It is subdivided into two smaller pockets, which is helpful- I used one to hold tokens for transit and another general coins. Also, I could tighten it enough to not move around on my waist, but not so tight that it caused me any discomfort.

I agree one setback is that the strap is so long that i needed to twine it around itself it to not stick out of the bottom of my shirt. But that can easily be remedied by just cutting the excess strap off with a scissors.

I found this money belt extremely helpful on my recent trip to a third world country known for it's hustlers and pick-pocketers.

The following are my thoughts to help in your decision

Pros:
--made it easy to consolidate all my currencies, passport and important documents
--barely felt it after a hour of wearing it
--soft and lightweight

Cons:
--the plastic sheath inside is very flimsy and got all wrinkled and cannot be straightened
--sort of flimsy, uncertain how long it will last. (only use it for 1 week and already seeing signs of wear)

I went on a cruise and bought this to keep with me at all times. It definately has pro's and cons
PROS
Keeps your things concealed
keeps your hand free (no lugging around a purse

CONS
Uncomfortable
Doesn't stay in place
you get sweaty in the place that it's at
really flimsy...one week of wear is all it has in it!
the band is way too long.