Just after the reveal of its fantastic Apple Find My Wallet Card Tracker with MagSafe charging, Nomad continued its run on your carry gear with its new leather passport wallet. Once again implementing its Horween leather treatment, the brand spent years developing its new travel carrier, has now launched two different models, and we have had a chance to go hands-on with it to give it a run for its money in the latest edition of Tested with gadgetnewsonline.
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Hands-on with one of the best leather passport wallets
Nomad’s new passport wallet comes in two flavors, both with a brown Horween leather build. The Standard model sells for $90 while the Pen Edition with an integrated steel pen and magnetic holster sells for $130.
Take a closer look at the specs:
- Horween leather from the USA
- Develops a rugged patina
- Slim thermoformed leather shape
- Protective microfiber lining
- 4 card slots
- 3 larger slots including one passport slot
- Quick access flap with magnetic & silicone attachment for travel documents
- Interior slot for SIM card and removal tool
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
Nomad told us it has been developing its latest Passport Wallet for years. I’m not sure why it would take that long, but I’m also not a product designer and, frankly, it turned out so well I’m glad they did.
There’s not a whole lot to say about the Horween leather build here, save for its inherent beauty, wonderful texture, and classic look. That’s probably enough. It’s simply gorgeous and both looks and feels like something that I will be putting some serious mileage on for many years to come. I happen to love the look of leather, be it brand new or otherwise, and this thing is likely to just look better and better with time if the brand’s other Horween products are any indication.
The size and heft of passport wallet are also just right for me. I want to feel like I’m carrying a piece of leather and it’s just large enough to fit a passport inside. It’s not overly heavy or bulky, but there’s certainly some presence to it. Some might suggest that the traditional paper boarding pass is going to stick out when you insert it inside, and that it will, but most folks are moving to all-digital check-in at this point anyway (wherever possible).
The bi-fold design opens up to reveal a host of organizational pockets and compartments. More specifically, a main passport holder pocket layered with an additional, nearly as large slot, and four traditional card slots on top of that – you know your usual ID or bank card-size.
On the other side, you’ll find another full length/width pocket resting beneath a magnetic flap of sorts. It flips open to accomodate the aforementioned boarding pass and snaps closed again using a pair of magnets. I really wish I never have to see another paper boarding pass again, but this flap-style pocket is a notable solution that looks and works great with easy access – you don’t have to fight to neatly slide the somewhat flimsy boarding pass (or other similarly sized documents) in there, you just place it down and let the magnetic flap do the work. The magnetic action remains functional even with a much thicker piece of card stock resting in between.
As mentioned above, there are two models of this new Nomad leather passport wallet – the Standard issue and the Pen Edition. This is might be the only place I can even find something negative to say here.
While I very much appreciate the Pen Edition – it’s always handy to have one of those around if you ask me, the spine of the wallet is a little but thicker to accomodate the pen.
It is a particularly gorgeous steel and aluminum pen that writes nice and smooth, and it is a perfect tubular magnetic holster, but it does add some extra girth to the form-factor I could do without. Perhaps it could have been a thinner, mini pen and holster? But I, perhaps, would have just complained about that too. If you want a pen in your passport wallet, this is a super nice implementation of it, but it could have been more slender in its execution. If you don’t want a pen in your passport wallet, get the standard model.
And here’s a quick excerpt from my launch coverage of the Nomad passport wallet regarding Apple Find integration:
The only way to make them any better, if you ask me anyway, is to scoop one of the brand’s flawless new Apple Find My Wallet Card trackers to ensure you never lose your most precious piece of travel kit. I guess you could argue they should have just built one into the new passport wallets, but this way you can use the card in your traditional wallet when at home, or both when you arrive at your travel destination.
I have reviewed a number passport wallets around here, some traditional, some with Apple Find My built-in, but thus far the new Nomad offering is my favorite. Sure, that has a lot to do with my penchant for real leather goods, and sure, I happen to love Nomad’s gear in general. But it’s also because it’s a really nice example of what I think a passport wallet should be. It’s not perfect, but it’s extremely close for me. I prefer the non-pen model, and it’s a little bit pricey, but I prefer to invest in something that can stand the test of time both in terms of build quality and aesthetics.
Buy the Nomad Leather Passport Wallet
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