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Trayvax Summit Notebook wallet review

I carried a Trayvax Summit minimalist wallet as my everyday wallet for about a year and still consider it one of my favorites. Now Trayvax has added the ability for the Summit wallet to hold important EDC essentials – a pen and a small notepad. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

The Trayvax Summit Notebook wallet is a Summit wallet with a leather wrap that enables it to hold a small notebook and a small Fisher Bullet Space Pen all in one small bundle.

Design and features

The Summit Notebook wallet has a black steel frame with a chestnut colored oiled Latigo leather exterior which is attached to the steel frame by an olive colored webbed strap.

There’s a rectangular cutout on the top of the wallet which is used to slide the cards out with your thumb.

The back of the wallet is plain. I like the color of the leather, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t care for the slick look and feel of this type of leather. I don’t think it looks as rugged as the leather that Trayvax uses on some of their other wallets like their Ascent wallet which I recently reviewed. There’s nothing wrong with the Latigo leather, I just don’t like it as well as the other unoiled leather that Trayvax uses.

The wallet opens like a book to reveal the black steel frame Summit wallet and the Trayvax branded Rite in the Rain 2o page all-weather 3.25″ x 2.125″ notebook.

The steel frame is exactly like the original Trayvax Summit wallet. It can hold several credit cards and there’s a built-in cash holder that can hold 3-4 folded dollars, receipts, or even a house key.

The spine of the wallet holds a Trayvax branded Fisher Bullet Space pen.

The pen slot is a little snug when you first get the new wallet, so sometimes when I would try to pull out the pen by the cap, the cap would come off with the pen still stuck in the slot.

But after several days of use, the slot stretches to allow the pen to be removed more easily.

This wallet can hold 1-8 cards. The addition of the leather cover adds noticeable bulk to the Summit wallet, which detracts from the Summit wallet’s original minimalist design. But, the nice thing is that you can remove the leather cover for those times when you prefer the wallet to be skinnier.

Positives

  • Made in the USA
  • Quality materials
  • Includes a notebook and a Fisher Bullet Space Pen

Negatives

  • A little bulky

Final thoughts

Trayvax has a great track record for creating rugged wallets with quality materials. The Summit Notebook wallet is a nice update to the original Summit wallet for EDC fans that want to have a way to carry a pen and a small notepad with them in one convenient bundle while also carrying credit cards and cash.

Price: $65.99
Where to buy: Trayvax
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Trayvax.

Trayvax Ascent rugged minimalist wallet review

I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for. Buy a $5 wallet at Walmart and chances are that it won’t last very long. But buy a wallet made of quality materials with quality craftsmanship and you might never have to buy another. If you like rugged minimalist style wallets, the Trayvax Ascent might be the last wallet you will ever need. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The Trayvax Ascent is a minimalist wallet that has a stainless steel frame and thick leather sides that are sewn to the steel frame.

The wallet is available in four colors including the canyon red version that you see here.

Design and features

The Ascent is a dual slot wallet that can hold a maximum of 7 credit cards and 5 folded dollar bills. The front of the wallet has the Trayvax logo stamped into it and a long rectangular cutout in the front card slot. This slot is designed to hold your ID cards and it is large enough to hold 2-3 cards.

The cutout is positioned so you can easily use your thumb to slide the top card up and out of the card slot. Removing cards is pretty easy, but it helps if the card on top has raised numbers so there’s something for the pad of your thumb to press against.

The other card slot on the back of the wallet can hold 4-7 cards and to remove them, you just pull the strap to raise the stack of cards so that you can remove the one you want.

The back of the Trayvax Ascent wallet also has a cash slot for folded dollar bills.

The cash slot can hold up to 5 folded bills or paper receipts. A lot of minimalist wallets don’t have a cash slot, so the fact that the Trayvax Ascent has one is a nice selling point.

With cards in both slots and some folded cash, the Trayvax Ascent is not the world’s thinnest wallet, but it is made to stand the test of time and after some use, the leather will form around the cards and lay flat.

What I like

  • Well made with quality materials and craftsmanship
  • Cash slot
  • Card pull tab that makes it easy to remove cards

What needs to be improved

  • Stainless steel frame makes the wallet heavy

Final thoughts

I’ve been a fan of Trayvax wallets for a few years now and the Ascent is another winner. It looks great and is easy to use. People will see it and want to know where you bought it and I have little doubt that it’s a wallet that will have no problems outlasting the owner.

Price: $54.99
Where to buy: Trayvax and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Trayvax.

Bellroy has a woman’s wallet perfect for minimal EDC

It seems that most of the wallets featured on The Gadgeteer are men’s wallets or unisex wallets that basically hold some cards and cash and really nothing else.  That’s not a problem for men because their clothing tends to have usable pockets, unlike women’s clothing which usually have decorative pockets if any at all.  That lack of pockets is why some women carry a small purse, even when they don’t want to.  The Clutch from Bellroy is a wallet designed for women, and it has many of the things I personally look for in a minimal bag.

The Clutch measures 7.9″ X 5.3″.  It’s zippered closed, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything, and it has a wrist strap so you don’t have to worry about laying it down and losing the Clutch itself.  A central pouch, which can serve as a coin purse, divides the wallet into two sections.  There’s room inside for cards, cash, a phone, and even your keys and a few other small items – making the Clutch a perfect wallet to take when you run out for a quick lunch or some errands and don’t need a big bag weighing you down.

The Clutch, in Bellroy’s own words, is made from “premium hides tanned under gold-rated Leather Working Group environmental protocols, then dyed through so they age gracefully. The woven fabrics we use are sustainably produced and chosen for their durability and lightweight performance.”  The Clutch is available in alabaster (shown), navy, black, and deep blush for $189.95 from Bellroy.

Nodus Compact Coin RFID Shielding Wallet review

The Nodus Compact Coin Wallet is a great slim-profile wallet with the added bonus of RFID shielding technology. The build quality and materials are top-notch with the only real drawback being the expensive price tag.

The Nodus Compact coin arrives in some great packaging befitting of its overall quality.

The wallet itself is packaged inside of a lovely little fabric pouch emblazoned with the Nodus logo.

The Compact Coin comes with a handy little info card detailing the purpose of the internal sleeves and pockets.

Nodus Compact Coin Features

  • Holds 2-17 Cards + Coins + Folded Notes + 1 Key
  • Keeps all inner cards safe & stops ‘Card Clash’ with RFID shielding
  • Pays contactless from two external RFID enabled cards
  • Expandable internal coin pocket
  • Dedicated note sleeve with key slot
  • Full grain vegetable tanned Italian leather
  • 2.7 in tall x 4 in wide

The Italian leather of the Compact Coin is soft and supple, but feels amazingly resilient. Embedded in the fabric is Nodus’ RFID shielding technology which prevents criminals from scanning any RFID chip enabled credit cards held inside the wallet.

The outside sleeves allow for easy access to cards that you use often or for RFID enabled cards that you want to be easily scannable.

After a few weeks of daily use, the Compact Coin has quickly become part of my every day carry. I’m always surprised by how easily it disappears into my front pocket and by how many items I can fit inside.

The one thing about the Compact Coin that’s both annoying and ironic is that it is definitely not useful for holding coins. Any coins placed in the designated coin section inevitably end up dispersed throughout the wallet after the slightest bit of jostling.

The key compartment is much more useful and allows you to keep one emergency key on your person at all times. It’s a bit too small for a full vehicle key, but works great for a house key or something smaller.

The zipper and surrounding material keep all of the wallet’s important contents secure inside despite my efforts to overload the wallet with credit cards and various shopper loyalty cards.

The Compact Coin comes in four colors; Chestnut Brown, Ebony Black, Dark Teal, and Taupe Grey. Nodus covers the wallet with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty against material and manufacturing defects when used under normal conditions and for the purpose intended.

Positives

  • Compact with a slim profile
  • RFID Shielding
  • Great quality
  • Holds many items

Negatives

  • Expensive
  • Not useful for holding coins

Final thoughts

I’m a big fan of the Nodus Compact Coin Wallet. It holds a ton of items, is of great quality, and if protecting your RFID chip enabled cards is important to you, this is a great option. Just don’t try to carry too many coins in the Coin.

Price: $78.76
Where to buy: Nodus
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nodus. Please visit their site for more info and to order.

Ekster Parliament + Tracker Wallet review

What makes a wallet a “smart wallet?” How about an RFID-protected card-slider mechanism for storing your credit cards? Perhaps a solar-powered tracking system so that you can find your wallet when it goes missing? These are some of the features you’ll find in the Ekster wallets, all wrapped in luxurious leather. I’ve got the Ekster Parliament Bi-Fold Wallet & tracking card for this review. Let’s go learn more!

Looking sharp and organized

Measuring in at 4.1” tall by 2.5” wide by .59” deep, the Ekster Parliament wallet is roughly the size of a pack of playing cards. It’s an all-leather wallet with a structured, formal look that pairs nicely with business or formal attire. The model I am testing is the black leather and has Ekster’s shield logo embossed on the front face for an extra touch of class.

The design of the wallet is built around a card slider system for storing and dispensing your cards. It’s a box that offers RFID/NFC blocking and is designed to hold 4-6 cards (depending on thickness). Push the thumb lever on the bottom of the wallet and your cards slide out, presented in a fan-like formation so that you can pick the card you need.

The rest of the wallet design is wrapped around the card-slider core. The front cover that will hold two additional cards, and there’s an additional card pocket on the back of the wallet. None of these slots is RFID protected so you have a place (or three) for your badge-swipe work ID, non-scannable cards, or tracking card (which we’ll discuss momentarily). Open the front flap and you’ll find a wide elastic band, finished with leather, to secure your cash or additional cards. All in all, you’ve got a total capacity in the wallet for 9 cards plus cash (or some additional cards) under the elastic band.

Overall construction of the wallet is excellent. The leather is quite good, with a substantial and luxurious hand feel. The dye work on the leather is excellent with consistent color, no color change with scratches, and no dye bleed into your clothes. Stitching and assembly is rock-solid throughout with even stitching and nicely finished seams. It’s a nice build, well in alignment with the high-end style of the wallet.

Where’s my wallet?

Ekster also offers a customized tracking card as an option for their wallets that utilizes the TrackR technology. It’s the size of a thick business card and is designed to fit in the rear card pocket on your wallet.

The card is a is designed to work with the TrackR app you’ll download to your smartphone. Choose add a new device and choose the “Works with TrackR” option to select Ekster products. Add a name for your card, and you’re paired in moments.

  

Once you’re paired up, the TrackR has some nice features for close range location. Lost your wallet? Tap a button on the app to cause your card to ring so you can find it. Lost your phone? Double press the button on your tracking card to set off an alarm on your wallet. Both of these features work as long as the app is open and Bluetooth is enabled (and in range). Leave your wallet somewhere? The app will report the last known location while within Bluetooth range. 

For long-range tracking, you’ll need to register with the TrackR Crowd GPS Network. If your wallet is within range of another device that has the TrackR app open and is part of the network, you’ll be notified of the last detected location. The app will also notify you if you helped someone else locate their TrackR enabled device. 

It’s also important to note that the TrackR card made for Ekster is solar powered. Charge it in direct sunlight for a couple of hours, and you’re good to go for a month or so before a recharge. That’s a nice bonus feature, given that a lot of tracking devices of this type are battery operated.

Stepping out with the Ekster Parliament Wallet

As a great looking wallet, the Ekster Parliament is a winner. It’s structured form and sophisticated style looks great with business wear or for formal occasions. It’s a classy accessory.

If you like your wallets super-slim, you should know that the boxy form doesn’t really favor front-pocket or back-pocket wear. It’s over 1/2” thick empty. It works great stashed in the inside pocket of a suit coat or blazer but shows a lot of bulk in your pants pocket (especially jeans or slim-fit dress pants). If you won’t mind a thicker wallet or keep your wallet in your bag (or your jacket), this won’t be an issue for you.

The card-slider system works exactly as intended, keeping 4-6 cards nestled snugly in it’s RFID-blocking chamber. Given that there’s not much of a gap between the cards when deployed, however, it’s not easy to quickly grab the card you’re looking for. You could keep your frequent-use card at the back of the stack, but I often found myself pulling all the cards out of the wallet to find the one I want. This means extra fumbling if you’re at the cashier paying for that double espresso you just ordered. I could just keep that card in the flap, but that kind of defeats the purpose of the RFID protection.If you’re only carrying those cards for occasional use (like at a formal occasion) this won’t be a big deal, but it’s irritating if you’re going for a credit card several times throughout the day. 

The elastic band for cash is also a bit of a design issue for me. On the Ekster web site, they show a couple of bills folded in half inserted behind the band. In reality, the wallet width is actually narrower than a standard U.S. bill. This means you’re either fighting to stuff your cash into the band or folding it twice to make it fit (which adds even more bulk to the wallet). If you’re used to going cash free and just keep a couple of bucks handy for emergencies, this may not be an issue for you. If you just got a bunch of bills in change for that espresso, however, you’ll find yourself fighting to get it all wrangled under the band.

Like all wallets, your satisfaction with the Ekster Parliament will really come down to personal preference. I see this wallet as ideal for formal occasions riding in my jacket pocket, where cash and frequent use of cards are not required. If you’re constantly going in and out of your wallet all day long, or carry a lot of cash on a regular basis, you may find some of these design features to be less than ideal. If you don’t mind a thicker wallet and prioritize the RFID protection, this may be the choice for you.

I do like the tracking system for close-range location, as I have a tendency to lose my wallet in the house. Or my phone. Sometimes both. The ability to ping one or the other to find where they have gotten to is really handy. This does require that the app is always running on your phone, however, to maintain the connection to the TrackR. The long distance tracking depends on other TrackR users being close to your device, which could to hit or miss… but the app does also log the last detected location of your device within Bluetooth range. This means that you can find out if you left your wallet at home or at the office before you go into a full-blown panic.

Conclusions and Pricing

If you’re looking for a classy wallet and don’t mind the thickness, you can’t go wrong with the Ekster Parliament Wallet. It looks great, has a clever RFID-protected card sliding system, and additional storage for cash and scannable cards like work IDs. The TrackR card is great for short-range location and remembering the last place you left your wallet if you wander off. Build quality and finishing are also excellent, with multiple leather finishes available. The Parliament wallet retails for $69.95 on its own or can be bundled with the custom solar-powered TrackR card for $99.95. Check them both out at Ekster’s web site! 

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Ekster. Please visit their site for more information.

 

Product Information

Price: $69.95
Manufacturer: Ekster
Pros:
  • Classy, elegant style
  • Great leather & excellent construction
  • Tracking card works well for short-range location
  • Solar powered tracker — no batteries to buy!
Cons:
  • It's a thicker wallet style, which may not be to everyone's tastes
  • Elastic band isn't quite wide enough for US bills, which means extra folding
  • Can be tricky to get to the card you want with the card slider system

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Ekster Parliament + Tracker Wallet review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 24, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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