Leather is a fantastic material. Superb handfeel. Exquisite smell. The whole “better with age” thing is nice too. But when it comes to wallets, I find these qualities irrelevant. I need a tool that can take a thrashing. After a few bike commutes and early-morning nines, my favorite leather wallet became a frumpy, soggy piece of cowhide with bent corners and dad vibes.
Fortunately, Pioneer Carry’s Ion Wallet arrived at my doorstep earlier this week. I swapped out my cards and stashed my current leather model at my desk as a contingency — you never know how these things will go, right?
I’ve made every effort to be as unwelcoming as possible to my new associate. So far it has shown very promising signs; the ripstop material is quite durable and has held up to crosstown cycling and long stints in my sweaty back pocket while I’m on the tee box. My favorite feature, though, is the design itself. It’s gorgeous, and the packaging was a showstopper. Cards were a bit snug on the first few uses but I’m noticing that the wallet is adjusting just fine. This morning’s MetroCard removal was flawless.
I’m guessing my old leather wallet will stay tucked away for the foreseeable future.
