Should a passport wallet be your primary wallet when traveling? We’ll look at that through the review of the NOMAD Passport Wallet. Made of Horween leather and microfiber, the clean lines and durability demonstrate its more than capable as your best travel passport holder, which still being thin.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
We have all seen passport wallets, and many of us have used them. However, are passport wallets just a home for your passport, or should you use it as your primary wallet when traveling? In order to answer this question, we will be taking a look at the NOMAD passport wallet, and we will discuss the idea. Because of COVID-19 going away, or rather becoming an endemic, time to travel is back again.
It comes in a nice retail packaging. Besides, the nice microfiber bag that it comes in can be reused for something else. It provides all the capabilities by way of description and function, and it is Horween leather. The passport wallet has no additional layered pockets, it is a single layer, which contributes to its thinness. The stitching is very simply done since it is just one layer all the way around. It is not bad as a travel wallet.
When you travel, do you make your passport wallet the only wallet you use? Well, I have some guidance on that at the end of this review. This wallet shows no features on the exterior, other than the beautiful Horween leather. The interior has three card slots with a capacity of one to two cards each. The secondary slot can be used for cards or cashed folded twice. The passport slot is on the interior and underneath is a secondary slot that can be used for a vaccination card, credit cards, boarding passes, etcetera. This is a miscellaneous spot that you can use, and your passport lays over that. Therefore, it is probably not the best place for ready access, but it is suitable for long-term storage. This wallet measures 5.5 x 3.8 x 0.4” and weighs 67 grams, equivalent to 2.36 ounces. This passport wallet functions well enough without being an everything wallet.
So, does it pass the test of being your only travel wallet?
The company recommends up to eight cards, and each of these cards is independent, meaning that the lining goes all the way down in between. These cards do not actually overlap with each other on these slots, which is quite nice. Minimal card carry is three, and reasonable is five plus some cash, which I believe should go in the back, but it depends on your preference. Furthermore, as you would expect, it is large since it is a passport wallet, because it has to fit a passport. But it can still fit in your pocket, front or back. However, I would recommend that you put it in whatever carry bag you have, a sling bag, backpack, or in a secure spot.
From a quality perspective, this is designed in the United States and made in China. Yes, you read that right, Horween leather is sent to China to be built, then sent back. This is a full-grain Horween leather, and the sewing is quite good, as mentioned earlier. It is composed of only two pieces, the exterior Horween piece, and the really nice microfiber piece. It is soft and very durable, thus you can expect it to last a long time. Moreover, it smells amazing Horween leather. Compared to the previous version of this wallet from NOMAD, this one is more streamlined, it possesses less functionality than the previous one which had a SIM card storage as well as tools and more slots. However, this one is more targeted and serves a real purpose. I think it is to be slimmer and more usable instead of being a big, almost tote purse thing, that becomes more of a clutch than an actual wallet.
Personally, I am always concerned about how and where I carry my passport. I always have a photocopy stored in a different piece of luggage than my passport, and I always have my passport zipped up, locked, or close to me if I take it out in public. I try to be careful with my passport. In lesser crime countries like Japan, the UK, Dubai, or even China, I take my original with me, especially in countries where I could be picked up. In more crime concerning countries where pickpockets are out of control like for example Paris, I only take the photocopy of my passport with me. Additionally, I do not carry all of my credit cards in one place, I take the main ones and I have a separate wallet that has other credit cards, which I do not carry with me. By separating them I make sure that I am protected, even in the event of my hotel being ransacked or my wallet being heisted somehow. I carry two credit cards, as well as a Metro pass or an ID pass wherever I am going, with local documentation should I have a need to carry it. I have been stopped in the street before by security police personnel, and when I have shown them my photocopied passport, they were fine. They always gave off a vibe that they were annoyed since a passport is leverage for them, good or bad.
The size of this wallet is good with no additional layers, it is really thin and I like that. The layer will patina very nicely and this will fit in your pocket, albeit larger. For me, since I never keep my passport wallet in my pants pocket, I like this as my single travel wallet when out and about. I always keep a cheap sacrificial wallet in my back pocket in the event of a pickpocket that hits me, it helps in case you end up in an unsavory confrontation and need to give something up before you make your escape. In the end, I hope you all have your own procedures that you follow when traveling internationally, and to answer the question, yes, this passport wallet could be used as my primary on-person wallet. I like how it is laid out, so I will call it a nice offering.
The final score of the NOMAD passport wallet is five for quality, it is Horween leather and microfiber that are built very well. Price scores a three, it is really good for a passport wallet. Features score a three because you get pretty much just what you need. Usability is good and scores a three. Finally, perception scores a four, NOMAD makes high-quality products. This gives a final score of 3.8 out of 5.
