Those of you familiar with my men’s style column at the now defunct Examiner.com are likely well aware of Bellroy. This is the company that brought you the ultimate life-changing tiny wallet, the Slim Sleeve, as well as such marvels of wallet engineering; the Micro Sleeve, Note Sleeve, and Phone Wallet. Every single one of these carriers of important things is truly excellent, so it should come as no surprise to learn that the recently released RFID Edition of the Travel Wallet is no different.
Smooth, buttery-soft, blemish-free, vegetable-tanned leather? Check.
A long list of innovative features? Check.
A product that gets better with age, use, and abuse? Check.
The Travel Wallet is by no means tiny, but it does have a slim profile that belies the fact it can hold a whole heap of stuff. The Travel Wallet has room for 10 cards, a passport, plane tickets, and cash from all over the world. In addition to all this room, the Travel Wallet comes with a passport-sized notebook and a tiny pen (with one refill), both of which are very handy.
As is the case with everything from Bellroy, the Travel Wallet is designed to deliver maximum performance while using minimal material. This isn’t a case of Bellroy being abstemious or stingy. It is, instead, done to eliminate bulk, helping keep the wallet from whiskering and puckering as the leather ages and stretches over time. Thanks for keeping it handsome, Bellroy.
Since it is 2016, and since most passports and credit cards use some sort of RFID technology to store and share your deeply private information, Bellroy was nice enough to include a layer of material that prevents the contents of the Travel Wallet from being electronically accessed. This is especially good for something used to carry a passport. To see how effective this layer of material is at blocking an RFID reader, all you need to do is try to use an RFID transit pass without taking it out of the wallet. Two words: ACCESS DENIED. This is a good thing to keep in mind when travelling. Keep the bus pass out of the Travel Wallet for easy access to public transport.
For an all-in-one travel partner, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything better than the Bellroy Travel Wallet. The materials are impeccable. The craftsmanship is unparalleled. The innovative features are a thing of wonder. For more information about Bellroy, click here. $124.95 for the RFID Edition, $119.95 for standard leather.
**Full disclosure: This wallet was provided at no cost for editorial consideration, to think otherwise would be silly.
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