Adjusting to a tubed pump was easier than expected. Caleb loves his OmniPod, has been a user for more than ten years, and only entertained the thought of a tubed pump because it is the only closed-loop option currently attainable. One of the drags of a tubed pump is having to have it on you at all times. Surprisingly, floating in the bed at night works out better than storing it in a pocket, or clipping it to his PJs. Keeping it in his pocket during the day is easy enough once he figured out what to do with the tubing while wearing a button-down dress shirt. Placement during activity is harder to manage.
Caleb dances competitively, is an avid biker and plays baseball. These all proved to be awkward with a tubed pump. Also, for Loop to work, his phone and Riley Link need to be on him (or at least in close range of him). We used a SpiBelt daily wth the Dexcom Seven Plus system. That was a perfect size to store the receiver that had to be close to him in order to stay in range. The SpiBelt is a good solution for the pump, but doesn’t provide enough room for everything else. (Note, we did not try the multi pocket versions of SpiBelt).
Caleb has used a FlipBelt which works better because it can hold everything and keep it pretty secure against him. He likes the zipper compartment for security.
StashBandz is a product I hadn’t heard of until I received an offer to trial it for free. We were sent two black StashBandz Running belts, one extra small and one small. Caleb, my daughter, Lila and myself have all used them.
Lila uses it to store her phone while running so she can listen to music. I’ve used it as an extra pocket while out and about and to store my phone and keys while biking. Caleb uses it to store his pump, Riley Link, phone and carbs while biking and to hold his pump while playing baseball.
When it’s empty, it’s a snug piece of fabric that rests nicely around your hips. The added width of the belt seems to add to its security in placement. It’s comfortable and barely noticeable. When it has a smaller cell phone in it, it’s kept snug to your body with no noticeable movement while walking, running or biking. My larger cell phone was a little awkward because the larger flat surface has less of an opportunity to hug your body’s curves. Stashbandz still kept it snug and secure, it’s just not visually appealing to have this large rectangular bump sticking out of you.
It fits me best when it’s around my hips. If higher, I don’t find it as comfortable and it has too much movement and folds over. As far as I can see that’s not how it’s intended to be worn anyway.
The belt itself has very little, if any, bulk. I’ve worn it under a dress and under a pair of Tiros and it’s seamless. It only gets bumpy and bulky based upon what you put in it. For running and biking, none of us are concerned with our appearance. For baseball, Caleb chooses to wear the Stashbandz higher, above his waistline and under his shirt, with only his pump in it. He opens Loop for games and manages his bg “old school.”
We’ve found Stashbanz to be a good option for stashing our stuff while on the go.
This is Caleb... 