After 100 prototypes, Slimfold started selling the “world’s thinnest wallet” in 2009 at San Francisco street fairs and boutique shops. 10+ years later and after two successful Kickstarter campaigns, Slimfold continues to be innovative and has developed some interesting products.
Why Buy?
I’ve been using a front pocket/minimalist wallet since 2015. That summer I backpacked the High Sierra Trail. In preparation for the trip, I purchased a zipper pouch wallet from Z-Packs. I didn’t want to carry my normal wallet – I didn’t need to bring all of the items I carried on a daily basis and the idea of using something that was waterproof and that I could easily secure inside my pack appealed to me.
I continued to use that wallet for 18 months after that trip – until my wife bought me a leather card holder (she hated the once bright, now grimy orange pouch) for Christmas in 2017. I used the leather card holder for 3 years until I started looking for a new wallet.
While I didn’t necessarily need my wallet to be waterproof, I didn’t really like the fact that the leather and cloth in my old wallet held moisture if it got wet. The material was also starting to breakdown, so I figured it was a good time to see what else was out there. I ran across Slimfold in a google search for “tyvek wallets.” Tyvek might seem like an odd material for a wallet, but over the years I had experimented with it some myself. I had made card sleeves, ground sheets for several tents and overmitts as a way to add a layer of water protection to lightweight gloves. For me, the two most notable characteristics of Tyvek are that it is waterproof and while thin, is a tough material. Checking out the Slimfold website, I also saw that they were making wallets out of a custom, ultra durable and waterproof material. After exchanging emails with the owner, I had a Slimfold MICRO Tyvek® Wallet and Nano Soft Shell Wallet headed my way for testing and evaluation.
First Impressions
I’ve carried the Slimfold MICRO Tyvek® Wallet daily for a few weeks and have been rotating it in and out of my daily carry since that time. So far, I really like it. Here are some thoughts:
- The Good
- Price – it’s among the cheapest wallets that I’ve owned.
- I am absolutely amazed at how thin this wallet is, while holding everything I want to carry in it.
- Has RFID protection.
- The Bad
- Doesn’t have a way to attach it to my backpack, but this can easily be fixed with a product that Zpacks sells.
- After just a couple weeks of use, it is starting to show some slight signs of wear, but I’m confident that this is just cosmetic.
- Tyvek is an odd material – it may not appeal to everyone.
- The Bottom Line
- In ranking my favorite wallets, the Slimfold MICRO Tyvek® Wallet either 1A or 1B! I’m on the fence regarding whether I like this more traditional style wallet (made of non-traditional materials) or the rigid metal wallets that are so popular right now.
Future Testing
Before publishing a full review, I need to test:
- how it holds up over time
- how it compares to other wallets of the same style. I plan to take some weight and thickness measurements to compare this wallet to it’s competition.
