REVIEW – I’m desperately trying to minimize my wallet, and the Troubadour Flip Wallet is here to help! This little piece of lovely leather is designed to hold some cards and a few bills while eliminating the extra bulk in your pockets. How does it work in practice? To the review!
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $79.00
Where to buy: Troubadour Goods
What is it?
The Troubadour Flip wallet is a compact wallet designed for quick access to up to 8 cards, with a little room for some folded bills.
What’s included?
You get the wallet. I’m testing the Livid Green color, but several color options are available.
Tech specs
3.9″ by 2.7″ by 0.4″
1.5 Ounces
Full grain dutch calfskin Napa leather
Holds up to 8 cards
Magnetic clasp
Design and features
The Troubadour Flip Wallet sits on the smaller end of the brand’s wallet lineup, with a capacity for up to 8 cards and/or a few bills depending on your use case. The design is simple and streamlined, with just a bit of an embossed logo on the front face.
Can we take a moment before we get into the details to admire that gorgeous color? I chose the green option and it’s stunning. There’s also a grey and black version, but something about the green combined with this buttery soft calfskin leather that just feels luxurious and unique.
Size-wise, the Flip Wallet is just big enough to fulfill its mostly minimalist mission. Its net measurements are 3.9″ by 2.7″ and 0.4 ” thick. Here’s a size comparison against a $5 bill for reference.
Here’s a second size reference shot against my Lamy Safari pen, which is about 5.5″ long with the cap in place.
A close-up reveals some of the stitching detail and the leather grain. The leather is premium quality, with a supple hand feel and unexpected toughness. Attempts to scratch it reveal surprising resistance to wear and a dye job that runs deep into the leather.
The finishing is excellent at every corner. The edges are burnished and retain the dye color with a bit of extra toughening to resist bumps and dings. Not only is the stitching tight, but it’s deployed strategically at the critical stress and/or seal points so it doesn’t detract from the minimalist finish.
Here’s a top-down shot to show how the edging carries through the build in the closed position. There’s a magnet-assisted closure to keep it from accidentally opening. What’s interesting about that is that I have yet to see any impressions or wear marks from any magnets after the first month of use, like you see in cheaper leather products. Impressive.
The design and layout provide numerous enhancements that increase usability. On the back side of the wallet, you have a card slot designed for tap-in/tap-out use.
This slot snugly fits one card. I have had no issues with this card slipping out. If you tap in at the door, this would be a great place for a transportation pass or a work badge.
Open the wallet up and you’re presented with multiple options for organizing your cards and bills.
The right side (with the Troubadour logo) has a front pouch that partially exposes the card(s) contained within. I usually keep my license here, but you could get a second card behind that if needed.
Behind that, you’ll find a deeper pocket that holds up to three cards or some folded bills. This is my less frequently used card space. One of the nice details I found here is that the dividers have a bit of stiffness that has yet to loosen up, keeping the cards from sliding out by accident.
The opposite (left) panel has a clever little addition to facilitate access to cards you may use more regularly. There’s a leather tab that connects a flap of leather that runs to the back of the pocket. Give it a little tug.
… and it pulls whatever you’ve got stashed in there out for quick access. I have two cards and a couple of folded bills in there for this picture for size reference, but you could comfortably fit up to four cards in that slot. You just stuff them back in to push that tab back into the “loaded” position.
This nets out a total of 6-8 cards comfortably with a couple of bills, which you could stretch with an additional card or two if needed.
Performance
I have struggled with minimizing my wallet carry. Dropping down to a simple 2-3 card sleeve is too extreme for me, but I also hate those big fat wallets that take up a bunch of pocket space. The Troubadour Flip Wallet is hitting a sweet spot for my use case with that 6-8 card capacity along with room for a few bills that you may need in a pinch.
The magnet is *just* strong enough to keep it closed when not in use, but not so strong that you’re fighting to open it. I have occasionally stashed a few receipts in there or a couple of bills, but more than that kills the magnet’s ability to close.
The usability is well thought out throughout the build. You may have heard me talk about zone organization in other bag/carry reviews, and this wallet fulfills that mission nicely. You have four different areas to prioritize your placement of cards based on frequency of use and access needs. I particularly like that pull-tab pocket for keeping my most used shopping cards for quick access.
Materials and build are also excellent. I have seen no issues with tearing, wear or leather degradation so far. The leather is amazing, and durability has been outstanding. I’m not seeing any stretching of pockets yet.
The small, low profile size is also excellent for front pocket carry. The 1.5 ounce weight means you barely notice it. This is a great choice for small wallet lovers who want a little extra room for more than 2-3 cards. It also fits perfectly in the utility pocket of the Troubadour Apex backpack if you’re accessorizing your carry.
Final thoughts
This is my second Troubadour product review, the first being for the Apex Backpack 3.0 in October of last year. Very much like its bigger brother, the Flip Wallet packs a surprising amount of practical usability in a stylish package. It is a more expensive wallet purchase at $79 USD, but I feel that the quality leather, premium build, and excellent usability are in alignment with the price point. I expect that this wallet will perform just as well for years to come.
What I like about the Troubadour Flip wallet
- Beautifully crafted piece
- Compact and lightweight
- Excellent usability features
What needs to be improved?
- Nothing that I have seen so far
Price: $75.00
Where to buy: Go get it at the Troubadour Goods web site
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Troubadoor Goods. Troubadoor Goods did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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Highly recommend the similarly-sized Serman Slim Men’s leather wallet. It’s also very compact, stores a similar number of cards and folded cash, yet is still easy to fish things out of. It’s offered in a number of colors and clocks in at just under 2/5ths the price of this Troubadour Flip wallet.
https://a.co/d/ey4rUwI