If you want a traveling wallet that’s almost as small as popular minimalist bifolds, but fits ALL currencies without needing to fold notes, then pickup the Pioneer Carry Altitude wallet. It’s amazing!
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
The Pioneer Carry is a delightful wallet. We have the slate color for review, and I am super excited about this particular wallet. As is the case with most Pioneer Carry wallets, it feels stiff, but less stiff than other Pioneer Carry wallets.
The edges are wrapped all the way around, leaving a very nice presentation. Sewing is clean and reinforced at all required stress points. For some reason, I’m just really excited about this wallet because of how it handles currencies, and that’s where this becomes super important.
On the exterior, we have no features, just a nice clean billfold. When we open it up we start seeing some of the magic. On either side at the top, we have two card slots, both vertical. On the inside next to the spine of the wallet we have two more card slots, one on each side. The exciting thing really comes from the billfold pocket. It is a proper billfold pocket, nice and deep. There are no secret pockets anywhere, just four slots for cards and a billfold pocket space.
Through the card and cash insertion test, we will more often than not find currencies that are too tall to fit in the wallet and even many with billfold pockets. But the Altitude is different, it fit all currencies tested including the larger £50 note and even 50 and 100 Euro notes and Yen. Absolutely amazing. This is a traveler’s wallet. The company says it can hold up to eight cards. It’s designed in the United States and made in Vietnam from a couple different materials they use because it’s all very scientific. Pioneer Carry uses two different materials. There’s the 3PN and 10 XD.
3PN is a little smoother with a matte finish and it has an amazing feel in your hand. 3PN is a three ply nylon with dirt and water resistance capabilities, and it can outperform leather, except it’s not leather. Different colors determine which material is used. The 10XD uses “Umphwhoopie”, UHMWPE is Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. It’s classified as a ballistics type material. Aero Collective Stealth wallets also use UHMWPE.
If it’s easy in your front or back pocket, it is sweat proof and machine washable. Really, this is an all condition type wallet and it breaks in with time like leather. It will conform with heat and pressure, so it will start to gain some shape based on where you have it, but it never breaks down. This color is non-RFID which is excellent!. They do have an RFID capable wallet, it’s in the Onyx color, but I do know from talking to the company that they only do the one RFID wallet because of demand, but the demand is based on a marketing scam.
And what blows my mind is all the currencies fit, no exceptions, this is the world traveler wallet, and if you look at the layout and the dimensions, it’s very close to the Bellroy Slim Sleeve. It’s just a little bigger. To be able to place your cash, any currency without folding it into this billfold pocket and have the same kind of interior layout that we see with the Bellroy Slim Sleeve, I would be happy to take on a little more in dimensional size of the Bellroy Slim Sleeve to get this wonderful billfold pocket.
I’ve shown in previous reviews where I ran the Pioneer Carry Flyfold under water and actually submerged it, and there were no ill effects at all. Pioneer Carry wallets are meant for this kind of usage.
Measurements are, 3.9 x 3.4 x 0.5”, and it weighs 48 grams. I really enjoy the clean lines of this wallet. There are no seams in any of the pieces that make up this wallet. They have a 10 year warranty if you purchase the wallet directly from them, which is amazing, and it is a testament to the durability of the material and the build quality. There are many customer comments who have owned Pioneer Carry wallets for several years who say that they still look new despite everyday use, and even I’d say abusive use because they’re active individuals.
Now, onto the final score. For quality, a 4, price, a 3, features, a 4, usability, a 4 and perception a 4. That gives us a final score of 4 out of 5.
The modern all-rounder billfold wallet with a clean vertical layout. Holds all currencies for seamless international adventure while maintaining a slim profile using our durable performance fabrics.
