REVIEW – My normal bicycle ride routine is to employ a cutting-edge, high-tech case to protect my phone and wallet from both rain and sweat: the classic zip-loc bag. It usually lasts for two or three bike rides, and is then retired to contain nails in the garage, or small items going in the Goodwill pile. Occasionally, they leak. How does the booē waterproof belt bag measure up to a sandwich bag? Let’s find out!
What is it?
The Booē waterproof belt bag is a small wallet / utility container for carrying and protecting your phone, keys, and wallet.
What’s in the box?
The Booē case, and an adjustable strap. For the purposes of this review, I’ll call it a ‘case’, because it is containing my wallet and I found myself using it infrequently as a ‘bag’, with the strap.
Hardware specs
- TPU waterproof fabric
- 6.875″ H x 3.75″ W x 1.125″ D
- 0.09 lbs / 40.3 grams
Design and features
Watertight welded seams
Mobile phone clear window/panel
2 side loops for strap attachment
Installation and setup
I tested the Booē case on several occasions while cycling. The case easily carries my wallet and my phone (iPhone 8 plus). When I carry a small money clip wallet, there is room in the case for phone, wallet, and key ring. When I am using my larger bifold pen/note wallet, the case has the space for wallet and phone only.
The Booē waterproof case is perfect for bicycling. It fits easily into the center jersey pocket and was protective against sweat and road spray. The strap isn’t needed on a bicycle ride.
We also took the case out for paddle-boarding on the water. The strap is long enough to loop around a strap or attachment point on the paddle-board, and it handled the intermittent splashing with no problem. For testing purposes, I launched some hefty paddle-full of water over the case with no effect; the waterproof zipper is well made and provides a good seal. The strap prevented it from sliding off into the lake.
Carrying the case and the paddle-boards down to the lake is a 2-block walk. I wore the case in cross-body style, and it felt secure, but the case did have a tendency to rotate around my body, even when tightening the strap down. Putting the case on as a belt bag was a better solution – when the strap was tightened securely as a belt, the case didn’t move or rotate around the body, and it felt unobtrusive in the small of my back, under the t-shirt.
What I like
The case is seriously waterproof and secure.
When I closed the zipper without squeezing the sides, there was enough air retained in the case to provide a modest cushion effect.
Phone access by fingerprint is naturally not available through the clear panel, but I was able to open a Samsung Note 8 with facial recognition – this allowed me to engage the phone while it remained safe inside the case. I tested voice response from the phone for various tasks (“Set a timer”, “Call Joe mobile”, “Remind me to work on my paddle-boarding skills”) and it was successful each time. I placed a couple of calls with the phone sealed inside of the waterproof case, and the calls were successful. The outgoing sound quality was slightly muffled, and hearing the incoming voices was not perfect, but there was a bonus effect that wind noise was reduced. I found the calls were preferable by removing the phone from the case.
What I’d change
I can’t think of anything to change.
Final thoughts
For my core purpose – a dedicated protective case while bicycling – this is a fantastic upgrade to the zip-loc bag. The fit in the jersey pocket is perfect, and I could access the wallet and phone with the same ease as before. It is small enough to travel well as a ‘just-in-case’ item, and will protect the phone and wallet from rain and random water intrusion. (Splash Mountain, anyone?)
Price: $59.99
Where to buy: Booē
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Booē.
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
Thanks for your review, I am clearly late to the game but glad I found out about this product. i purchased their newer model of this case before I saw this review. Cheers! Splash mountain sounds good, I’ll be repelling off of waterfalls soon with mine soon. Eager to see how it goes.
Functionality of bag is a 4 star. It worked great to keep my items dry in the water. But it was inconvenient that the bag strap didn’t keep the bag upright. It kept flipping upside down and I had to pick up my items that fell out of the bag. When holding it across my chest it flipped less, but holding it like a handbag on the shoulder or arm it always flipped upside down.
I purchased the white color and for the $80 price tag I was hoping to use it for a long time. I wore a black bathing suit with the bag and after one use the bag was already heavily stained around the edges! I was so disappointed that I have to be so careful and worry about stains. It doesn’t come off easily. Even customer care mentioned the following: “We’ve tested a number of cleaning agents and processes without much success so far unfortunately. The best solution we’ve come across is letting it soak in isopropyl alcohol or a vinegar/water mixture for a couple hours followed by a quick rinse off and light scrub with dish soap (repeating as needed).”
If I knew it was going to be this high maintenance I would have never purchased it and bought a cheaper option through Amazon.