While I've been busy with family stuff, my stack of fitness products to review has been piling up on me. I received this doodad in the mail a couple of weeks ago. It's a "small personal item belt" (SPIbelt, get it?) for exercisers. You wear it around your waist and it has a little pouch for your keys, money and phone. I was very excited about this thingy because I could never figure out how to carry my stuff while wearing, say, running tights and a cute tank top or thermal shirt. No pocketses!
As a result of the storage dilemma, my outdoor workout-wear tends to include a lot of cargo shorts and ugly capri pants with big pockets. How else am I supposed to carry my phone, keys, dog treats, ID and cash? With a SPIbelt, I can wear something a little more fashionable and still have a place for my stuff.
At first, I was shocked at how tiny the pouch seems. It looks like you could put a stick of gum in it and not much else. The good news is it stretches a whole lot. I was able to carry my chunky iPhone in its big honkin' tire tread case and my giant jingling key ring complete with the dog bone keychain and the flying saucer flashlight. It was snug, but it fit. I put the keys behind the phone and the phone facing the zipper. That way when I got a text, I was able to unzip it, peek at the message, and continue on without removing anything from the pouch.
I wish it were a little bigger. The pouch was too snug to add the dog accessories, but it's just right for a phone, keys and ID. Fully loaded with heavy stuff, it bounces a bit as you run but nothing too annoying. I'm sure I could minimize the wobble by tightening it up some more. After testing it on a run, later that day I found myself putting it on again to take the grandkid to the petting zoo. I wanted my money, Chapstick, phone and keys but I didn't want goats rummaging through my purse. This was a good solution.
The SPIbelt is $19.95 and it would be a great gift for fitness geeks. It has kind of a Batman, superspy, gadgety feel to it. It's a good place to put your MP3 player or your micro death ray. At no point did I feel like I was wearing a dorky fanny pack.
I have no affiliation with this product. I like it but I don't make any money if you buy it. See my Disclosure Statement.
