Money belts

Money belts seems to be a one sided issue for most people: either you use them or think they are completely ridiculous.

Ever since I started traveling seriously, I’ve been wearing a moneybelt. I’ve seen too many people who were vicitms of pickpocketing, and the hassle it causes not to wear one.  

Yet most don’t wear or use them correctly. Here is a primer on moneybelts:

First, what we are talking about is not the belt with the hidden zippered pocket for a couple of bills. 

A moneybelt is always worn UNDERNEATH your clothing. It is not your primary daily source for money, credit cards, etc. Think of a moneybelt as deep storage. You only access it in private when no one is around. In it I keep extra money, credit cards, debit cards, my passport,  train/plane tickets (although these are becoming rare), or any other document I want to safeguard.

In my FRONT pants pocket is a wallet with a small amount of cash and  perhaps one credit card. This is what I use for purchases. If I should get pickpocketed, the thief won’t get much. Women might want to carry the wallet in their purse but the principle is the same…only enough for the day.

There are four types of moneybelts:

1) The type worn around the waist.

This one is the most popular and can be worn either in front or in the small of your back—whichever you find more comfortable.

2) The Hidden Pocket

This is one for people who wear belts. The pocket has loops that a belt goes through and then the entire thing hangs down inside your pant leg. (This is the one I use and find the most comfortable.) Some women have told me they use this type but instead of a belt, they put a safety pin through the belt loops and pin it to the inside of either their pants. 

3) The neck wallet.

This is usually worn a around the neck but some wear it messenger style with the actual wallet underneath one of the arms.

4) The Leg Stash

This one is worn around the lower leg.(I like this the least for as the day wears on, my leg tends to either perspire or my calf muscle would flex and the wallet would drop down around my ankles.)

One other bit of advice. As the day wears on, these moneybelts tend to get wet due to body moisture. I’d suggest that you first put anything you plan to carry in the money belt into a small ziploc bag to keep moisture out. 

The photos here show models made by Rick Steves and Eagle Creek. I’ve used both and find them functional and comfortable. Pacsafe is making some with extra security and I’ll have a review shortly.

Whether you use them or not is a personal choice. But if someone asked me, I’d say it’s one of the most important items you can take with you on any trip. It gives me piece of mind knowing the likelihood of having to waste a day either getting my passport replaced or filling out police paperwork is greatly reduced. 

(Frank II)

Comments

[GardenerCat]

I'm a woman who travels every year for an extended vacation in Europe. I always wear a neck wallet, but not around my neck...around my waist on my hip under my clothes. This means that I have less risk of being strangled by a thief who can usually see a neck wallet under a woman's top. Works for me...I was threatened once for my money, but all he got was my daily wallet from my pocket...a few bills and coins, but no credit card or passport. Wearing a neck wallet around your waist is cooler, too.

[Esther]

There are pants that have an inner hidden pocket. I try to keep only cash in the daily wallet and the card in the pocket.
One of the things I keep in the money belt is a copy of my credit cards. Obviously, these go into a ziplock baggie and I hope to never need them.

[Diane]

I use a hidden pocket and love it. I pin it to the inside of my pants and find it very easy to access. That is because I wear pants with an elastic waist. My husband, in the past, has put his belt through it but no longer uses it after having been asked by security, many times, to remove his belt and having the pouch fall down his leg.

[Elaine]

Thanks for the great review Frank II, although I wish you'd posted it sooner! I normally use a waist money belt but it's not the most comfortable thing to have on. So I decided to purchase a leg stash a few weeks ago. After reading your review I wish I'd bought a hidden pocket instead.

For some reason I thought I'd be able to strap the leg stash to my thigh instead of calf, but it appears that they've shortchanged me and the straps aren't long enough (it couldn't be that my thighs are a tad too big?!)

[Dan]

The review was very helpful.I am always on the look out for new products.
Check out CORPORATETRAVELSAFETY.COM They have some interesting
selections under-- " Travel wallets and money belts".

[Monte L. Steiger]

I could never get used to the money belt so I use the secret pockets and neck wallet. In the illustration above of the necke wallet you see a toggle adjuster on the neck string. Those things are uncomfortable so I take them off, measure the string to where the wallet hangs at a comfortable place, and have my collegue resew in using her Bernina sewing machine. My main neck wallet is a Victorinox and we also have an Eagle Creek one. The hidden pockets I carry in my personal bag and put on upon landing are Eagle Creek and Magellan's.

Coincidentally, or not, one of the most memorable travel photos I didn't take involved money belts. This was in Tibet on the front steps of the Lhasa Hotel where we (our group of ten) were waiting for our guide to take us out for the day. We were all sitting on the hotel front porch steps when he walked up and asked for the passports of the three people who had signed up for the yak trek extension. Three women sitting next to each other simultaniously pulled up their shirts, unbuckled their belts, unzipped their pants and took out their money belts. Only my demeanor as a gentleman prevented me from taking a photo of three women with their pants open. The memory still lives, though.

[Mary]

I use a neck wallet but in a different way: I loop the line around my bra strap at the front and tuck the wallet into my bra at the side under my arm. Easy to access and not visible at my neckline.

[Sarah]

I'm an avid traveler and have used all of the above except for the leg one. The best thing I've seen on the market is the travel clip. (safertravels.net) When I found it online I thought it was a little spendy but I was so tired of money belts making me grossly sweaty and breaking every 3 weeks. I shelled out the travel clip and never looked back. It clips to the pants or bra, perfect for me since I wear a lot of sundresses on my travels. It is made of cotton mesh so it is light and breathable. I don't get sweaty anymore and guess what!? It's been on 3 separate trips with me and hasn't broken yet!!! I'm a fan.

[Sonia]

Have you tried the detachable, secure and water-resistant ‘pock-its’ that attach to comfy bamboo undies for both women and men? You can attach in 3 different spots.
You can get them at https://65fifty5.com/

I used to use a money belt or a hidden pocket, but find these better as they sit flat, and can be taken off when I don’t need a pocket & they become regular undies. I use them to store my passport, and cash I won't be using plus an emergency credit card.