****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I'm pretty particular when it comes to things that I need to carry at all times when I'm out. When looking for a new wallet back in 2014, I initially went with the oft recommended Saddleback Leather Medium Bifold. Initially, that wallet seemed to be both durable and well made. Unfortunately, after several months in the back pocket, two things became clear: first, the leather was so taught that it was breaking my credit cards in half at the pinch point of the credit card slot. Second, what I took for durability in the thickness of the leather quickly turned into nuisance as I ended up with an inch thick brick that ruined my seating comfort. I called Saddleback regarding the first point and they told me that it was a known issue and if I didn't like it I could send the wallet back, which I did. That left me at a crossroads with a new requirement: I wanted a leather wallet that was thin enough to not be uncomfortable, held 6 credit/id cards and a handful of bills. I searched around until I came across Bellroy. The travel wallet seemed to check all the boxes and added some features I never knew I needed. After 6 years of use, I finally decided that the original travel wallet I bought in 2014 had run its useful life, down to holes in the leather and all. I liked it so much, I bought another one. There are some subtle differences which I will highlight below.1. Fits in Your PocketThis is ostensibly the best feature of the wallet. It is large in the two dimensions you shouldn't care about and thin where it counts. I have not found a pair of pants that I would wear that it doesn't fit in. With my passport, 6 credit/id cards, and a dozen bills it is roughly 3/4 inches thick. Fabulous.2. The Right PenI had no idea how useful the pen would be. I find occasion to pull it out at least once a week. I used to carry the wonderful Fisher Space Pen, but no longer do as this fills the role in a much for optimized way. Bellroy is kind enough to include an ink refill with every wallet and I still have the refill from 2014. That's not to delegitimize the previous point; the kind of things I write are forms and other short memos. I wouldn't use the pen to write a novel. The new wallet looks to have a pen that Bellroy have either white labelled or made themselves. I haven't yet written with it, but if it is at least as good as the Walkie it replaced, things should be fine.3. Added SecurityThe new wallet takes the split billfold and adds a flap that conveniently hides away the back section from prying eyes. In theory this seems like a useful feature. In practice, the flap is not quite long enough to allow for more than one or two bills without the cavity being visible when the wallet is opened. The new wallet also has RFID shielding which I don't recall being a feature of the old wallet. It sounds like a useful feature now that at least one of my credit cards has a contactless payment feature.4. LeatherIt's a thin wallet so you should expect the leather to be thin as well. I got 6 years out of the first wallet and I'm not a guy who is easy on wallets. It has been in my pocket on rooftops doing solar installations, in machine shops, and on every kind of seat imaginable. My old wallet has been fully submerged in water more than once. With all that punishment, it outlasted the warranty by two times. None of the stitching has failed and the only real damage is two small holes in the outer leatherwork. If you are a business traveler, this should go out of style before it is rendered unusable from wear.In short, this is a great wallet for everyday use. I approve to the extent that I didn't look for a new choice when my old one wore out.I had been looking for something that could easily hold my passport, boarding passes and other important documents that would be readily available at the airport. The included pen is a huge bonus and a great feature. I think this passport wallet is the pinnacle for travel gear when it comes to managing important travel documents.Materials, design, and construction quality are very excellent.I would buy it again.Zero negatives.This is a great wallet with plenty of slots for your cards. Fit US passport perfectly and still fit in my jean pocket.However, as of end of April 2022 my wallet came without the Micro Pen. I contacted Bellroy, they do not have a spare micro pen and told me to contact Amazon warehouse. I requested a replacement from Amazon warehouse, the replacement also doesn't have a micro pen. There seem to be missing micro pen at the moment.I'm still going to keep the wallet but it would be nice if it come with the micro pen as described.It hasn't seen a whole lot of use yet, but so far I'm enjoying it. It's very convenient having everything in one place and there is plenty of room to store whatever documents and cards you need.Overall I approve and I'm not going to spend too much time talking about the positives (there are plenty) so don't take this as me focusing on the negatives. I wouldn't really call them negatives either, more like concerns.1. The wallet is large. This is to be expected, but it's very large once you have it in your hand. It's twice the size of my daily wallet (not in thickness - as in two of my current wallets side-by-side.) This concerns me because the wallet doesn't fully fit in my pocket (front or back) so I'm afraid of it slipping out or being pick-pocketed. Due to the size, I think I will probably end up primarily using this wallet while in transit (e.g. at the airport) but once I'm at my destination I'll probably go back to my regular daily wallet.2. While it's convenient to keep everything all in one place, it also makes me nervous because if it's stolen I lose everything all at once. This isn't so much against the wallet itself (the wallet can't help it if it get's stolen) but as the purpose of this wallet is to have everything centralized together it does kinda defeat the purpose a little bit. I don't count this against the wallet but I do think it's something to consider.Overall I'd say it's main strength (it's size) is also it's main weakness (it's size). It so far seems to be well constructed and I like the idea of having a pen on hand -- though will digital passports and custom's kiosks paper forms are quickly becoming a thing of the past. So, I think time will tell ultimately how I feel about this product. It's either going to be a nice way to keep everything centrally organized while traveling, or it's going to be an overly large, overly complex solution to a non-problem (for example, no longer needing a pen for custom's forms).--Edit: Bellroy fixed the issue for me and sent me a replacement directly since Amazon was the one that shipped me an empty box. Appreciate the good customer service from Bellroy to fix Amazon's problem.Just used this on a trip for the first time - really practical. Of course the size of a passport limits how small you can make the wallet, but this is about as slim and unobtrusive as you can get. The passport is easily accessible, there's room for two currencies, and the side-by-side card layout makes good use of the space opposite the passport, keeping it flat overall. It fits very easily in a jacket pocket, and even pretty well in jeans etc.A side benefit is that now I can keep my international health insurance card together with my passport in one place and not spend time hunting!My only slight reservation, personally, is the pen. It's a perfectly fine pen, and if you're only filling in a landing card, it really does give you everything in one place. Certainly a selling point. But I think it does slightly limit the amount of 'give' in the fold between the two halves. (Possibly without the small tubular pocket, the fold area could be even slimmer.) This is a minor point and if you're carrying pens anyway, you can always leave it out, which I did.Really pleased - I like the philosophy of decluttering, which makes travel go a bit smoother.Another Excellent wallet from Bellroy. This is my second Bellroy wallet, my first being the "Note Sleeve".This wallet perfectly and snugly fits a UK passport, and has plenty of room for Cash, Tickets, Cards etc. The only thing it's missing is a place to put coins but I don't like those anyway. The tiny pen that comes with it is nothing special, but I imagine it could come in useful in a pinch.The description and notes that come with it make a big point about how well it will hold all your travel stuff and still fit comfortably in your pocket, but I'm not sure I agree. While it does easilly fit everything I need for travelling in a very small space, I still wouldnt put it in my jeans pocket. Probably inside jacket pocket or maybe back pocket at a stretch.The stitching and all round build quality is excellent. My Note Sleeve is a year old and is still in near perfect condition despite use every day, and this wallet looks to be made in much the same way.I shall be flying with this wallet next week and honestly look forward to putting it to use. I may have more to add upon my return.Great thin wallet - you could put a lot in it, and it still looks and is very slim and elegant.Bellroy Leather Travel Wallet even when holding all my cards and my passport is about 2 times slimmer then the previous wallet of mine (empty) and about 3 times slimmer when both are full.The only drawback of this product, is that you cannot carry accidental change/coins in it. Still it is a great wallet and I am very happy to have bought it.Bellroy is one of the best wallet brands. The Travel Wallet won’t disappoint.Cons: Lack of a coin holder. Limited space for cards.Pros: Beautiful. Excellent craftsmanship. Awesome leather that ages well. Fits my passport like a glove. Comes with a passport-sized notepad. Hidden notes compartment is very useful. Fits printed boarding passes. Very convenient. Classy looking.Great quality travel wallet with main pockets large enough to hold both travel money, drivers licence(paper and plastic), and boarding cards.The section which holds your passport is snug and ensures your document won't fall out. Would happily suggest to any other frequent traveler.
