Women and men might not always have much in common, but we do have at least one thing… We both need a way to carry our currency and credit cards. The Waterfield wallet has been my favorite for almost 4 years. I love it, but I’m always on the look out for something better, niftier and eye catching. I’ve got a wallet to show you today that is definitely eye catching. It’s the RAGGEDedge Gear wallet. Let me show you.
RAGGEDedge Gear is a mother and daughter company that offers wallets, gear bags, tote bags, purses, pouches and more. What sets their products apart from all the other similar products on the market is the fact that they’ve all been handmade with sailcloth. This is the same incredibly strong, waterproof, lightweight, stain resistant, and quick drying material that is used to make performance racing sails.
Sailcloth comes in all sorts of colors and patterns. Some of them are laminates that include fibers such as Carbon Fiber, Pentex, Aramid, Kevlar, Mylar, and Technora. These fibers not only make the finished product look super cool, but they make it stronger as well.
RAGGEDedge Gear sent me their Bifold ID wallet (they also offer trifolds and mini wallets). Folded and empty it measures 3 1/2h” x 4 1/2w” and less than 1/4″ thick.
I went with the White X pattern. The material is slick and shiny, with a stiff feel to it. Grosgrain ribbon and a triple step zig zag stitch of heavy weight thread is used to bind all the layers together. Unfolded, the bifold wallet is 9.5 inches wide.
Inside on the Left panel, you’ll find three card slots that fit standard credit card sized cards. On the opposite side, there are two more card slots. The top one is a transparent ID window which is made of marine window vinyl (not plastic). That material is designed to remain clear and not crack with exposure to the elements. Behind it is another card slot and below the Right panel is a horizontal slot that can accommodate more cards or folded papers.
The Left panel lifts up to expose an easy access slot that you can use for receipts or other items.
Here it is loaded up with several cards.
The currency slot is deep and really wide.
There is plenty of room for your moola 🙂
Since I don’t carry a wallet in my back pocket, I didn’t test the butt comfy factor for this one. I carried mine around in a Timbuk2 Laptop messenger bag. During the couple of weeks that I’ve been using it, I’ve had no complaints with regards to the construction or utility of this wallet.
In the end, I’ll be going back to my Waterfield wallet because I like the zipper feature. I tend to put my iPhone in the wallet when I go out to lunch, so I only have one thing to hold. That said, I really like the RAGGEDedge Gear wallet because it stands out in the sea of boring brown and black wallets. It’s also a great alternative for for those people that prefer not to buy leather products.
The Bifold that I reviewed sells for $35. Other versions sell from $18 – $50.
Product Information
| Price: | $18 - $50 (depending on size and customization) |
| Manufacturer: | RAGGEDedge Gear |
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I picked up the same wallet in CF black and green when it was mentioned here a little while back. I love it! I normally either carry it in my back pocket or in a bike jersey. It’s nice and flat, so no discomfort in a pants pocket, and it never moves in my jersey, even on mountain trails (and crashes). My only nag so far is that it’s a little large to fit in a small saddle bag, but I can live with that since it sits well in my jersey. I’ve been recommending them to other cyclists for that reason.
I’d have a hard time whippin’ this thing out from a business suit, but I do use an all black sailcloth wallet from another manufacturer. (Reviewed previously here.) I like the material, the thin-ness, and it lasts a long time.
Mine’s still kicking as well, the CF black bifold. I can confirm that I absentmindedly sat down too far on the pool steps this weekend and it got soaked! Everything inside was fine, and the wallet itself dried out before the contents did 😉
I bought this as a (hopeful) replacement for my all-ett leather “international” bi-fold. The quality is definitely there for the RaggedEdge wallet. However, it’s thicker than my all-ett, even the leather version, because the sailcloth is thicker than the spinnaker cloth.
Also, this wallet (I got the CF ID Bi-fold) is BIG. It’s much bigger than the all-ett. It’s a weird size for me. I’m a front-pocket wallet carrier. I tried it out briefly in the back pocket and found it to be uncomfortable, probably because I haven’t carried in my back pocket for a decade. Still, this wallet is bigger than most others.
Seems like a nice wallet. I have been in the market for a new one, but haven’t found a good choice yet.
Do you realize that you posted an un-obscured picture of your driver’s license?
@Vince I obscured the license numbers. My address is all over the net. Not a big deal…
@Eric We recognize that our wallets are a little bigger because of the way we construct them, and we are actually in the process of making some smaller bifolds that we’re calling Petite Pocket Bifolds with folded outside dimensions of 4.25 x 3.125, much closer in size to an all-ett I believe, although the material will still be thicker.
I have an All-Ett in leather too, an “Original” — love the ultra-thin factor and it’s kept wear and tear to a minimum. Almost two years old and just a little rubbing at the outside corners mar the leather’s smooth finish. Maybe I should have alternated what side faces away from my body, still can I suppose. Spinnaker cloth crinkled somewhat noisily when it was new, something that doesn’t happen anymore. But the nylon is just a bit too slick at times and credit cards will slide out of their pockets if you’re not careful — luckily all of those slots open inboard.