By Jason Snell
November 7, 2024 1:46 PM PT
Review: Belkin Travel Bag and Head Strap for Vision Pro
Belkin has just released two new Vision Pro accessories—a $50 add-on Head Strap that supplement Apple’s Solo Knit Band, and a $100 Travel Bag. They’re now for sale at Belkin’s website and the Apple Store.
I’ve been given a sneak peek at both, and they’re really nice—so nice that I’m starting to wonder if Apple is admitting after the fact that it missed the mark with the original Vision Pro configuration. (Unfortunately, they’re not giving these products away—you will need to pay for them.)
First, the Head Strap: It’s a soft, adjustable hook-and-loop enclosure band that’s quite similar to the one included with Apple’s Dual Loop Band. However, at both ends, there’s a plastic attachment that slides on the end of the Vision Pro’s built-in straps. This is a bit different than the $40 Spigen Head Strap, which is padded and seems less adjustable.
I haven’t been able to use Belkin’s Head Strap in a marathon Vision Pro session yet, but in my first uses, it seems to be very adjustable and comfortable, offering a little more support than just using the (otherwise quite comfy) Solo Knit Band on its own. It’s also a lot less wild than some of the 3-D printed options you’ll find out there, including the Solotop, which I was previously using to add a second Solo Knit Band as head support.
I’ll just point out that during Apple’s initial Vision Pro demos in June 2023, the devices were equipped with a combination of a Solo Knit Band and an over-the-head band that was extremely similar to the experience with the Belkin Head Strap. I don’t know why Apple went with the options it did, but if you’re struggling to get a proper fit with the Vision Pro, Belkin’s accessory is a nice compromise between Apple’s two included options. (And, yeah, it’s $50—I’m resigned to the fact that every Vision Pro accessory is going to cost a lot.)
Now, to the Belkin Travel Bag. It’s half the price of Apple’s Vision Pro travel case, which kind of looks like a pillow, but of course, at $100, it’s not cheap, either. I’ve been traveling with a no-name case I bought on Amazon for $25, which was clearly designed for the Meta Quest. It was fine, but the Belkin bag puts it to shame.
I’m impressed with almost everything about Belkin’s bag. It’s got a carrying strap as well as a longer, adjustable and removable shoulder strap. It perfectly fits the Vision Pro, which is smaller than your garden-variety Meta Quest, so it feels compact. It’s not big and puffy like the Apple case, but it feels like it offers at least some padded protection. It’s got a flip-up protector that covers the device’s eyepieces, and there’s a velcro-enabled battery holder to hold the battery unit in place. I was able to slightly zip open the bag and plug in a USB cable to charge the battery, which I really liked.
The bag also has a pocket on the back and a zip pocket on the front, so there’s room for some small additional storage (so long as it’s small and thin). My only complaint is that you can’t open the flap entirely when you unzip it, but that’s probably better in terms of making it impossible for the Vision Pro to fall out when the case is partially unzipped.
Basically, I refused to buy Apple’s case, and while I thought my cheap Amazon case was better than nothing, Belkin’s case really puts it to shame.
It’s funny—the Vision Pro has been out for many months now, and by all accounts there aren’t that many of them out there in the wild. Yet here’s Belkin rolling in with some new accessories that feel very strongly like they’re the accessories Apple should have initially launched with the Vision Pro. And they’re both available at the Apple Store! Hmm.
So is this Apple working with a partner to right some initial wrongs? It sort of feels like it. Regardless, both of these products feel practical and sensible in a way that some of the decisions around the original Vision Pro launch didn’t.
