Product Review: Banjees Wrist Wallet

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

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What Is It: Banjees Wrist Wallet.

Price and Where to Buy: Between $16.50-$20.46 at Amazon or Sprigs’ website.

Pros: Going for a jog but still need to bring your keys and a phone? Or leaving the hotel for a quick walk, and don’t want to bring a bag? The Banjees wrist wallet lets you carry a small amount of stuff—hands-free.

The Big Banjees style that we reviewed has a zipper pocket to keep everything secure, and a larger pocket for additional items. This style fits most smartphones. (Our iPhone 5 was a perfect fit.)

Cons: The Banjees is a bit awkward—on smaller wrists, it slides up and down, and on larger wrists, it can be uncomfortably tight. On a hot day, the Banjee would definitely get sweaty during a jog. I used it to hold my phone, keys, and credit card on a run, and found it fairly uncomfortable—it kept sliding around on my arm.

How It Rates:

Usefulness: 9/10. The Banjee wrist wallet is great for toting small items (like your phone, iPod, keys, and chapstick) when you don’t want to bring a bag. We would use this when going running or if we were traveling and wanted to leave our hotel for a quick walk.
Portability: 10/10. It’s hands-free, lightweight, and is slightly larger than a deck of cards.
Value: 6/10. $16.50 is a bit steep for this product,
Durability: 5/10. The elastic on the Banjees seems like it would stretch out over time, making the fit less tight. It also seems like it would get dirty and sweaty easily, but it is machine washable.
Cool Factor: 3/10. I felt like Michael Jackson wearing one glove when I tried this out with a normal outfit, but I wouldn’t be embarrassed wearing this on a run.

Final Verdict: Worth it if you work out a lot and need a way to carry your keys and phone while exercising and don’t mind the movement of the Banjees.

(Photo: Sprigs)

Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews, or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us at editor@smartertravel.com.

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