I'll be honest, I just didn't want to wear a money belt during my travels to europe. I think they're stupid, albeit practical. This is a perfect alternative. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but there are two loops for hanging from your belt, one is black and other is brown (for different belt colors). For extra security, I always use both loops, since my shirt covers my belt anyway. The pocket hangs inside my pants along my hip. You can also position it to hang in front of one of your thighs, but I find this less comfortable. I use it to carry my passport, medical vaccination records, emergency cash (or excess cash, if you've just visited the ATM and don't want to have a lot of money in your standard wallet), and emergency credit cards. Basically, I only use my regular wallet for spending cash, my ATM card, and one credit card. If my wallet gets stolen I will still have identification, some cash, and at least one credit card.
So anyway, buy this if you don't like the idea of the money belt. I'm a fan of this product.
I already owned two types of money belt: the kind you wear with a tape around your waste under your pants, and the kind that looks like a normal belt you wear through your belt loops. But when my boss asked me to carry thousands of dollars in cash on a three-week trip to several countries in Asia, and not to leave the cash in hotel safes, neither would do--the one was just too uncomfortable or impractical for wearing all day, every day (I have a bit of a paunch, and these types of belts end up riding right under my belly), while the other just didn't have the capacity for so much cash.
This pouch easily accommodated my little stack of $100 bills, and had I wanted to I could have added my passport and some credit cards. I wore the pouch in the 4 o'clock position (on my right side and a bit to the rear) under my pants; one of the loops came up over my waistband, then folded down on the outside, where I slipped my belt through it to keep the pouch from falling down my pants leg. Even knowing the loop was there, I had a hard time seeing it in the mirror. There is one black loop and one brown loop; use the one that matches your belt, and let the other remain inside your pants. I wore this hidden pocket constantly for three weeks (we never ended up needing the cash), and I never even felt it at all except for those occasions I felt for it to make sure it was still there; it's that comfortable.
I did not wear this through security in the USA, with their fancy imaging devices that have picked up my handkerchief in the past, but I did wear this through every other security screening I encountered at a variety of Asian airports. No matter whether I was screened by machine or frisked by hand, this pocket was never discovered at any of the checkpoints. In spite of the fact that the zipper seems metallic, I walked through metal detectors and detector wands passed over me that did not alert on the hidden pocket. Upon my return to the USA after three weeks of constant use, my hidden pocket shows no signs of wear other than a few creases.
I would second the advice given in these reviews not to plan on accessing the contents of the pouch in public. I carried a smaller amount of cash in my wallet if I thought I'd use any. In the USA, I kept this pocket in my carry-on bag until I went through screening, then went into a restroom and locked myself in a toilet stall to put it on. The "narrow range of problems" for which I recommend this hidden pocket are those times when you need to discreetly carry a modest amount of currency (the legal amount of US dollars in $100 bills should be fine) or documents (e.g. passports or papers folded into a similar size) that you will not be accessing in public view.
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I've used the Eagle Creek Hidden pocket for 10+ years to travel internationally. I find it superior in accessibility and relative seclusion.
I purchased a new hidden pocket a few weeks ago to bring to India. After only about 4 days of use, I was traveling to the train station where I was about to take a 36 hour trip. I randomly went to check something in my passport (stored in my hidden pocket), when I realized that the strap on my hidden pocket had broken cleanly off.
This kind of defect in workmanship is unacceptable to the serious traveler. I hope that Eagle Creek takes a serious look at their quality control with the product. I recommend all travelers who use this product to test their hidden pocket, prior to and during it's use.
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We bought two of these for a trip to Barcelona (a notorious pick-pocket city). They are a very nice solution; easy to use and safe. However, on the first day the loop on one of them started to pull out of the seam. By day 10, both loops had completely shredded and disconnected from the bag. The seam didn't fail, it was the loops that fell apart. The other bag had no problems and made it through the whole trip just fine.
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This is a great idea for a travel bag for carrying passport, etc however, the loop frayed and came off the pouch and I nearly lost the pouch, money, and passport in a market before I felt it sliding down my leg. I had seen others that had the same problem so I guess I hit the jackpot. Other Eagle Creek products have worked well, but they need to find a new manufacturer for this one. Close, but no cigar.
I got this for my girlfriend as a "going back to school" gift.
