Reviews

Review: Nomad Leather Charging Wallet – Carry your Cash, Cards, and a Charge for Your iPhone

Sure, you might use Apple Pay for most of your purchases nowadays, but you still need something to carry a bit of cash, your I.D., and store credit cards around in. Plus, Apple Pay doesn’t work if your iPhone runs out of gas. Enter Nomad’s Leather Charging Wallet.

Overview

The Nomad Charging Wallet is a beautiful, handmade bi-fold leather wallet, which offers storage slots for 6 cards, two storage pockets for I.D. and such, a roomy cash slot, and something most wallets don’t offer: A 2400mAh battery with a convenient Lightning cable that can fully charge your iPhone from zero to 100% in a short time.

Just like the Nomad Leather Strap for Apple Watch we reviewed awhile back, the Charging Wallet is handcrafted from Horween leather. Horween leather isn’t a marketing concept, like Chrysler’s “rich Corinthian leather,” but is instead made by a company founded in 1905, and is well known for offering a high-quality leather product that isn’t matched by many in the business. This is made of some great leather.

Right off the bat, let me warn you, this wallet isn’t cheap. It’ll run you $149.95 for the bi-fold, or $119.95 for the slim model. However, this wallet looks like it’s going to last you for quite a few years, you won’t be replacing it every six months like those cheapies you’ve been buying at Target. Plus, it has a built in 2400 mAh battery you can use to charge your iPhone when it’s running low, so keep that in mind.

I found the Charging Wallet could easily handle my usual assortment of things I carry in my wallet, (5 or 6 credit cards, my Driver’s License, AARP card, Dudeist Priest I.D., and a few other assorted cards), as well as the usual few bucks in cash and unchecked lottery tickets. The wallet also includes a layer of copper foil, which provides RFID blocking protection for your credit cards.

The Charging Wallet may not be for those Millennials who are still squeezing themselves into “skinny jeans.” However, those who enjoy a pair of jeans or pants with a bit more “skosh” for comfort, will find the Wallet fits easily in their back or front pocket. (I carry mine in my left front pocket, and experienced no discomfort.)

As mentioned above, the Charging Wallet is made of the finest leather, and looks as if it will give me quite a few years of service. After 3 weeks or so of use, riding in my pocket alongside a bit of change, and a pocket knife, the wallet shows signs of wear, with a few scratches here and there, but it’s the kind of wear any wallet would show in a similar situation.

OK, let’s look at the reason why you’ll likely consider the Nomad Charging Wallet. The built-in 2400 mAh battery that is built-into the wallet offers one full charge of a fully depleted iPhone. There is no need to carry a Lightning cable with you, as the Wallet has one built-in, which slides out of a convenient holding slot.

The Wallet’s battery will quickly charge your iPhone, making it valuable in case you need a quick charge in a short amount of time. I charged my iPhone from 10% to 65% in just under an hour. The Wallet’s battery showed it still had half a charge left after charging the iPhone to 65%. While I keep my iPhone charged during the day, and haven’t needed to hit the Wallet’s juice more than a few times, it still feels good knowing I have a handy power source I can tap into any time I want.

Verdict

The Nomad Leather Charging Wallet offers a beautiful way to carry cash and cards, plus it offers a handy way to charge your iPhone from dead to 100%, which is always close at hand. If you keep your hands in your pockets, that is.

The price of the Wallet is a bit dear, but it is constructed of the same high-quality leather that any number of fashion wallets are made of, making it a decently priced value. (Plus most wallets don’t provide a handy charging source for your iPhone.)

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Price: $149.95 – Available at the Nomad website. A Slim Model is also available for $119.95.

Pros:

  • Made of beautiful, durable Horween Leather
  • Has a built-in 2400mAh battery with convenient Lightning cable
  • Built in RFID protection
  • Carries 6 credit cards, has slots for cash and other cards.

Cons:

  • The price could be considered a bit high
  • Might not fit well in “skinny jeans”

 

Disclaimer: I received the Nomad Leather Charging Wallet at no cost for performing the review. I have not received compensation for the review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Photos are a mix of Nomad supplied photos, and my own.

Chris Hauk

Chris is a Senior Editor at Mactrast. He lives somewhere in the deep Southern part of America, and yes, he has to pump in both sunshine and the Internet.