How about a new place to stash your cash while traveling?
There are lots of products invented for another type of customer that eventually get co-opted by travelers. (Swiss Army knives, Tevas, trail runners, wicking clothing, and bandanas for a start.) Here’s a new one that could join those ranks: banjees wrist wallets from Sprigs.
The primary market for these banjees is fit women who need to have their apartment key and Starbucks card with them when they go out for their morning jog or power walk. Subtract the apres-cafe and that’s my wife, so I’ve had her trying this item out as she pounds the pavement in the neighborhood.
The verdict is that this is a pretty cool item that solves a simple problem in style. When it’s hot out, you don’t want to be wearing extra clothing, so this banjee keeps the essentials on your body without you having to wear something with pockets. She likes how these are stylish and allow some personality to shine through: they come in solid reflective colors, reversible polyspandex, eco designs from organic cotton, and more.
For the traveler, the benefits are more defense-oriented: keep a stash of cash in a place where nobody is looking. Who tries to pickpocket your wrist? I’m a big fan of money pouches that go inside your pants, but you still need to keep some ready cash somewhere else for bus fares, food stalls, and market bargaining. (The quickest way to lose your bargaining leverage is to pop out a money belt and start thumbing through giant banknotes.)
Plus there are times you want to keep your valuables locked up in a room while you go out clubbing or hitting beach bars. With one of these on you can still wear your cute skirt and t-shirt but have some money or a credit card on hand—in something that just looks like a fashion statement.
If you’re the type that needs to record your every move at night and share it as well, don’t worry: there’s a phone banjee too.
See the full line at www.Sprigsville.com or get them at REI.
#1 by K Haugen - May 15th, 2011 at 10:32
Just a note of caution: We no longer have an unexpected place to stash our cash. Today’s pickpockets use a 2-person approach: One waits in a subway or train station entrance, cafe, etc. – any crowded place where people make purchases – and watches to see if you’re unfamiliar with the currency, tickets, language, etc. They note exactly where you put your wallet or cash, then instead of following you (which you might notice), they text or call their partner with your description. The partner does the job where there’s enough of a crowd that you won’t notice getting ‘bumped’ by someone until it’s too late – say, the next subway stop, where they’ve already gotten off with your stuff. Their job has gotten easier and our job of staying safe is just that much tougher…
#2 by Tim L. - May 15th, 2011 at 10:51
True, this is a problem in many areas. The first line of defense is always to keep your money inside your clothing, in a money belt/pouch that can’t be picked without you pulling it out of your clothing. But then keeping your ready cash in a place that’s also reasonably secure—a zippered hidden pants pocket or one of these Banjees for instance—is another line of protection. The idea is to make it much tougher, no matter what scam or teamwork you encounter. Putting money into a wallet or purse in a place like Italy or India is just asking to get robbed.