Midi pedal for looping on IOS (iPhone/iPad)

[conticreative]

Some time ago I decide I sucked at looping, so I abandoned the whole idea. But I have changed my mind thanks to... some good old fashioned practice. Who would have thought?
Anyway, I took stock of my gear and the situation is a bit maddening.

I have a Looping app on my iPhone and iPad that is miles better than the loop feature on my Digitech pedal. My digitech is old and it has only enough recording time for a real quick 12 bar blues but only if I run it at 140bps (actually, not even that). Besides regular looping, I really would like my Looping gear to let me practice with a decent recording length. I don't think that's outrageous. In fact, I'd like to use it to write songs as well without having to fire up my DAW all the time. By the time I configure it, solve the inevitable issues with sound cards and MIDI devices (because I don't have a dedicated music computer), I am usually cranky and no longer inspired.

I recently purchased a Peavey amp that has a looper built in, but that too looks like is underpowered. Not only that, the pedal that activates the looper is a $100 and has basically nothing onboard. It's a midi controller but doesn't send note impulses.

On the other hand, the Apps on my iPhone are awesome, so I thought "I'll go buy me a generic MIDI pedal board with at least two buttons and I am in business"

NOPE! The only pedals I could find for IOS are primarily made for turning pages on sheet music and they are bluetooth. I don't trust bluetooth and the pedals are also pretty expensive. The cheap ones have terrible reviews.

I have a small MIDI keyboard, so I re-purposed it by gluing some rubber stoppers far enough from each other so I can (carefully) stomp on it and it works really nicely. Nicely enough that I am getting a lot better at layering sounds, making beats, etc. And my IOS devices have acres of space. I can loop a symphony if I am in the mood.

However, my rigged MIDI keyboard/pedalboard has no feedback at all. It's still better than my first solution (naked foot, iPad on the floor and activate pedal graphic with big toe (I am glad my wife never got around to filming me while using that method).

Now I am at a crossroads: I am buying a new tower for work/play so my fnances are going to be strained. My options are:

$40 mini-pedal with single looop. I have a feeling I am going to outgrow that rapidly
$100+ Boss Loop pedal (As high as $240 for the dual pedal model)
$100 for the Peavey pedal (I list it as an option, but it really bothers me that it's just a bunch of switches and a pot for $110, but it would allow me to select some stock sounds as well, which is an issue with that modeling amp)
No Affordable MIDI pedalboard to drive my iPad?

Is it possible that no one sells a 2 to 4+ button MIDI pedalboards that can interface with an iPad through the camera kit for less than $120? If there is such a beast, I am either using the wrong searchphrases or I am not recognizing it.

MIDI controllers have been around for decades, I find it strange that no one is making an affordable unit I can find either new or used. All I have found so far are huge, programmable pedalboards that are way too much for my needs and cost a small fortune.
After reading the forum for Quantiloop (the best app for IOS since it ha MIDI Learn) it sounds like those that use it do it manually, meaning using a set number of bars and recording as if on a DAW. If I wanted to do that I could use GarageBand.

Any ideas? Does anyone know of even a discontinued product I may search for in the used market?
I just checked a used Behringer FCB1010, which is more than I need but would do the job, and it is being sold at $50 over MSRP on Amazon. When it came out it cost $130 or so, now they are selling it for $175.
Similar pedals either are not MIDI or are equally expensive.

It's not like it'll kill me to drop $200 on a good looping solution, but I am also not a pro and I am going to be the only one listening to the end product. I could afford it, but I'd rather not spend the money.

So, here I am hoping somebody has a lead on a midi paperboard. Eventually I may just go and buy the BOSS pedal and be done with it, but I really like Quantiloop and with a better foot activation it can do a lot more than any pedal I have seen.

Well, thank you for reading my little rant here. My apologies for the Internet whining.

[GuitarBilly]

Well MIDI is MIDI so you could buy any old MIDI pedal that sends CC and PC messages and if your iPad can accept MIDI, it will work.

Look for older 80s/90s units from ART, Rocktron, Yamaha, Rolls etc

For example, I bought a Rolls MIDI Buddy for $35 a few months ago. Works fine.
Like I said, MIDI is MIDI. The protocol hasn't changed in 35 years.