Recently, the manufacturer of Paperwallet, a new lightweight wallet made from a thin, tear-resistant, elastic fabric called Tyvek, asked me to try out their product. Although I don’t write a lot of product reviews, I agreed in this instance because I have been searching for a solution to the “wallet issue” for years. When I am not traveling I carry a large wallet that has room for money, coins, ID, photos, and a myriad of credit, debit, and membership cards. But when I hit the road, I leave behind all the extraneous stuff and pare down to a small wallet. Over the years I’ve tried many different styles, but I have never been able to find one that suits me. For example, the man’s style tri-fold that I am currently using is a has a slot for paper money that is not long enough for many foreign currencies; I end up crumpling and double folding bills to get them to fit, which often makes the wallet too thick to close.
While the Paperwallet is not a product I would not consider for everyday use, its design was perfect for traveling. It has two credit card slots, two contact card flaps, two easy access pockets, and a cash pocket that handles U.S. bills with room to spare. And because it’s made of Tyvek, Paperwallet is recyclable; you can send your old wallet back to the company for recycling and the company provides a 15% discount on the purchase of your next wallet.
Paperwallet is also ideal for a ploy I use against pickpockets or robbery. I carry two wallets; one with a dummy credit card, some old business cards, and a few dollars of local currency. My “real” wallet is buried somewhere deep in my backpack. If I happen to be the victim of a pickpocket, Paperwallet would be a great decoy that doesn’t cost a lot to replace.
Currently, Paperwallets are available in solid colors only, but a variety of patterns will soon be available. Solid colors are priced at $14.99, with free shipping on every order.
Disclosure: The manufacturer of Paperwallet provided me with a free sample of their product. The receipt and acceptance of complimentary items/services received will never influence the content, topics, or posts in this blog.
I love it!!!!!
Interesting product – however I must say – it seems really expensive for a ‘disposable wallet’. $15 for paper…how long does it really last?
Hi Sherry: Well. it’s made of Tyvek, which has the feel of a very strong paper, but it’s virtually impossible to tear. So my guess is it will last a good long time.
Wonderful to get your impression of the Paperwallet. They sent me one as well, although currently it’s in Europe and I can’t get to it. Seems like an interesting concept, and a good alternative to bulging wallets that many people tend to carry.
I like the idea of a decoy wallet to hand over in emergency situations.
Neat idea! I carry 2 wallets (the real one for me, the stunt one for potential thieves) when I travel most places, and something like this would be so much easier to stash in a pocket and not be overly bulky. Thanks, I think I found my stunt wallet for my next trip!
The Travel Documenters
I love those colourful designs and it’s definitely my motto when I travel not to have anything too precious with me.
This product is really getting popular nowadays. Almost all the travel companies are gifting this product to their clients.
I also got it last month from my tour planners when I bought a package of Thailand from them.
Nice!! cool designs..
Thanks for this – I struggle with the wallet while traveling issue, too. I think I’ll hold out for the new fancy pants designs, though!
This could either help or hurt.
In one sense, it’s smaller and less noticeable, which means thieves won’t see a wallet bulging in your pant pocket.
On the other hand, it’s lighter, which means it could be easily stolen or lost and you would never feel it missing from your pocket.
Yeay! I like it because it is eco-friendly! I usually stuff my pockets with coins and bills and documents; whatever doesn’t fit goes to my husband’s pockets. I don’t like handbags as they are easy to steal. Wallets hardly fit in a pocket. But it’s good to know there are options.