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Just who was it, way back when, who decided a passport had to be just the wrong size for most pockets and containers? Ever since then, travelers and travel outfitters have been trying to deal with that larger-than-a-wallet, not-very-bendable shape.

Now that Americans need those passports for any trip by air to Mexico or Canada, the annoyance has multiplied. Meanwhile, tales of clever pickpockets (foreign and domestic) abound.

Hence these products, made of such mysterious substances as eXomesh and holofiber, which you wear over your clothing. Or under it. Or affixed to your ankle. Or at your belt. Or dangling from your neck.

All are lightweight and relatively small. Most are designed to carry a passport, cash and/or credit cards, and the passport is always the hard part.

I wore each of these for a day.

INCOG-NEATO

First look: Seattle-based Amphipod mostly makes products for runners, and its Micropack Explorer wallet is aimed at somebody wearing shorts or sweats -- somebody not wearing a belt. The Micropack Explorer clamps inside your waistband. The clamp is metal (so you'll take it off at the airport security line), the material is black and the compartment, roomy enough for a cellphone, closes with Velcro.

Likes and yikes: The passport slips in neatly. Even clipped to the inside of your waistband, this item, made of brushed nylon, will likely be no secret to passersby, but it is comfortable. You can attach sunglasses to the outside. To the rest of the world, it will look like an overstuffed cellphone pouch, but what cellphone comes with metal-clamp protection?

The 411: Available for $24.85 from Magellan's Travel Supplies, (800) 962-4943, www.magellans.com; or $22 from www.amphipod.com.

DISGUISED AS A SOCK

First look: Zip It Gear Inc. in San Diego makes Passport Security Pocket Socks with a breathable "holofiber" material "shown to reduce swelling." But the marquee attraction is the ankle area of the left sock. That's where the zipper and pocket are and where your passport will just barely fit.

Likes and yikes: The socks dry fast, look fine and feel fine. They come in black, tan and white (medium and large), and work for money and cards. Also, the zipper is nylon coil (whatever that is) so there's nothing here to set off metal detectors. But wedging in a passport is difficult, and all day long, the itch and pressure may remind you that it's there. Also, beware of deep puddles.

The 411: $24.75 from (800) 950-1600, www.travelsmith.com; $29.99 from (888) 494-7769, www.zipitgear.com; or $24.85 from (800) 962-4943, www.magellans.com.

THE INVISIBLE PLAN

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