Thirteen50 Leather Archives

July 31, 2017December 19, 2017

Thirteen50 Wrap Around Card Wallet Review- $30

Choosing which wallet to carry is a big deal for a lot of people. It’s something you use a few times a day, everyday, for years on end. A lot of folks want something that’s convenient, pleasant to look at, and durable. Thirteen50 hopes you’ll find all of that in their Wrap Around card wallet.

Last week I wrote about the Big Hoss belt from Thirteen50 Leather. If you look back at that review, you can read about how great the leather is, the quality of their production, and how their team got started in the leather business. Along with that piece, the guys sent me a minimalist wallet in a matching style.

The grains really pop in the Old World leather

CONSTRUCTION

This specific wallet is made of Old World Harness leather, just like the Big Hoss belt. Obviously, the leather used here is much thinner. It runs around 3.5 oz., just under a sixteenth of an inch. The hide is also vegetable tanned, so it has a very natural look and feel to it in your hands.

In terms of the build, the design is pretty straightforward. Essentially, the wallet is two pieces of leather laid on top of each, folded over halfway, and then sewn shut on two sides. This creates three pockets for cash and cards: two thin outer slots, and a thicker one on the inside. At the end of the process, the edges are burnished and waxed by hand.

FUNCTION

As described on the website, this wallet aims to be minimalist, and I found that to be the case. The whole thing is really thin, especially for something with two layers of leather. I’ve been using the inner pocket for four cards, a few folded bills on one side, and my ID and registration on the other. If you’re shocked by how little I walk around with, you might not be interested in a minimalist wallet at all.

I found the Wrap Around to work great for my carry. Access to the cards and cash was pretty convenient. To get a card out of the middle slot usually means sliding them all about halfway out, then plucking out the one I wanted. If that last sentence sounded tedious to you, I assure you that it isn’t.

Remember that when using this kind of leather product, any stretching the wallet undergoes can’t be “unstretched.” So if you want to switch from using six cards to three, you might find the wallet too loose.

AESTHETICS

Like I mentioned, this wrap wallet has a very natural feel to it. You can see the grains and slight imperfections which make each hide unique. It’s not as smooth as a pull-up leather, so this style may not be the one you’re looking for. But you can expect the leather to develop a nice patina and softness over time.

With that in mind, the Wrap Around comes in a variety of leathers (Bridle, Old World, Chromexcel) and colors (ox blood, black, brown, tan, etc.). If you want something more supple, one of the Chromexcel options should be perfect.

CONCLUSION

If you’re looking for a wallet that you’ll hardly notice, the Wrap Around card wallet from Thirteen50 might be what you’re looking for. It’s a quality piece, it looks interesting, and it’s incredibly thin. The wallet comes in a ton of styles and colors that can satisfy any taste you might have.

February 15, 2017July 13, 2018

Economic Wallet Roundup

This article will be an ongoing coverage of less expensive, quality leather wallets. If you’d like your company’s to be considered, please email [email protected].

We love the highest end goods out there, but sometimes one needs to enjoy leather and save the bank. Here we’re going to bring together some of our favorite recent wallets that fall within a lower price range.

North Star Leather Horween Leather Money Clip – $45

It’s becoming more and more rare to carry cash these days. So much so that most people had to ask me what the clip part of this wallet is! For those who do still practice the art, let me present the North Star Leather Horween Leather Money Clip.

Made of Horween’s Chromexcel, you can be sure the leather itself is of high caliber. I have the red brown version, and it’s offered in natural as well. The design is simple and good looking. The stitching varied a little, actually getting closer to an edge than I would have liked in one place, but not enough to cause any durability issues.

Functionally this will favor those who like to carry just a few cards and like a big space for their cash and receipts. The card pockets on each side held two cards each for me; you could probably manage three. Then there’s the money clip, which functioned well and held as much as I ever needed to carry. Pop it open, lay things flat, pop it closed, and hold it together with the rest of the wallet.

For those who do recognize and appreciate a good money clip, you’ll like this wallet. There’s no frills but at only $45 it’s a shoe in for our economic wallet roundup.

Kendal & Hyde Simpleton 1

Most of Kendal & Hyde‘s customers can’t get enough of their boots, belts, and bags. Their Simpleton 1 wallet is made with the same fantastic leather concept and is a great minimal card carry.

The Simpleton uses a classic wrap-and-sew card holder design, with a main storage pocket and a single easy access slot in front. I’ve found an ideal fill to be about four cards in the main pocket. This makes them fit snugly but leaves some room for cash or receipts if needed, and doesn’t put too much pressure on the single card slot.

Edges are gently burnished, and stitches are a nice thick marine grade polyester, machine sewed. The construction leads me to believe this little cardholder will last a lifetime.

The Simpleton 1, sadly, isn’t sold anymore on Kendal & Hyde’s website, but we’re told they have some other wallet ideas coming out soon. If Kendal & Hyde has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes the best products are worth the wait.

Update (March 2017): Sadly, Kendal & Hyde is no longer in business. Many of their designs have been revived by SALT Co.

E3 Supply Co Holster Style Slim Wallet – $39

Gotta love a design unique enough that it’s hard to know what it is: I showed E3 Supply Co’s Holster Style Slim Wallet to a friend without cards in it, and was immediately asked “…what is it?” Once I put cards in it, that confusion turned to envy. Something about the open corners design feels both cool and rugged, and being made of thick, strong, and supple Chromexcel obviously doesn’t hurt one little bit.

Functionally, the Holster is a single, slim card pocket. It needs at least a few cards in order to keep things snug, and will get hard to use with too many. I’d say 3-6 cards is ideal. With a single large pocket it is sometimes necessary to pull out all of the cards to reach one, but thankfully you can put your most common cards on the outside of the pile to make them easy to access. Folded up cash and receipts slip in nicely.

Once you get used to where you place your fingers as you take cards in and out (at first I kept accidentally pushing out all of my cards!), the design is great to use, and is overall extremely minimal. If you just need to carry a handful of cards and love the rugged look, the E3 Holster Style Slim Wallet is inexpensive, made with the incomparable Horween Chromexcel, and should last for years to come.

Great and inexpensive wallets will continue to be added to this roundup as we come across them! Email [email protected] if you’d like your company’s to be considered.

April 6, 2016December 19, 2017

THIRTEEN50 LEATHER WHISKEY TRAVELER WALLET REVIEW – $69

Pocket-sized notebooks have always been around, but recently more and more people seem to have these handy little things to whip out and quickly write something down. While some people have their phone do the job, I personally prefer writing it down. The Thirteen50 Leather Whiskey Traveler Wallet not only conveniently holds my Field Notes; it also functions as a wallet. This is the type of functionality I see so many people needing, and this high-quality item is sure to impress.

ABOUT THIRTEEN50 LEATHER

Thirteen50 Leather was founded after a successful Kickstarter campaign that concluded back in July of 2015. After beginning with belts, their impressively priced selection of leather goods has expanded to various wallets and accessories. The brands name is derived from the 13 stripes and 50 stars on the American flag, where all of their products are crafted and materials originate from.

CONSTRUCTION

The Whiskey Traveler is constructed out of full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather. The leather is not your average cheapo, flimsy, mass-produced product you would find in a department store. This stuff is the real deal, and I was blown away at what you get for the price. The team at Thirteen50 Leather machine-stitch their wallets, and the end result is a quality item that encourages confidence that it will last a very long time, and look even better after use. The Traveler Wallet that I reviewed quickly started to darken and age making it an even more personal product.

FUNCTIONALITY

I personally really enjoy these types of wallets that function as a cover for my Field Notes, as well as being a true wallet, without being too bulky. I am a college student so I am always needing easy, quick access to what is in my wallet. This wallet definitely delivers, because of the ability to hold at least 4 cards initially, folded cash, and business cards. I found that it simplifies things quite a bit if you tend to have multiple wallets to carry all your stuff.

AESTHETIC

I love the simple look of this wallet. The Thriteen50 logo is neatly and subtly placed in the bottom-left corner inside along with uniform, contrasting white stitching to hold it all together. As mentioned above, the leather is a beautiful Whiskey color that darkens a bit over time as you use it, making the aesthetic even more pleasant to show off to your friends. And then they will probably buy one too because of the great price of this piece.

CONCLUSION

After several weeks of use, I can confidently say that the Thirteen50 Leather Whiskey Traveler Wallet is a steal for what you can get at this price for a product of this quality. Thirteen50 offers this wallet in Whiskey, Black, Natural, and Natural Horween Chromexcel. Don’t forget to check out the other quality products they offer on their website and keep up with all the action over on their Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

August 5, 2015December 19, 2017

Thirteen50 Leather Announces Kickstarter for their Full Grain Leather Belts

Thirteen50 Leather, based in Oceanside, CA, has just announced a new Kickstarter campaign for their full-grain leather belts. From their website:

Thirteen50 is a leather company with a passion to create quality leather goods, made in the USA. The saying, “they don’t make em’ like they used to” is said far too often in this day in age. This is sad, but so very true. At Thirteen50 we wanted to do as our ancestors did, and make a quality product at an affordable price (not to mention, offering a killer traditional look).

Each full-grain leather belt is made by hand in the United States. If you fund their Kickstarter, you can choose to be rewarded with a leather bracelet, leather key fob, or one of their belts. The belts, priced at $50 on the Kickstarter, come in the following colors: Chestnut, Black, Dark Brown, and Natural. You can also choose your hardware finish color: Silver Matte, or Antique Brass. Sizes 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 4, 48 and 50. Each Thirteen50 product comes with a lifetime warranty and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Check out their Kickstarter now, as you can save $20 or more on their sturdy belts. Thirteen50 Leather will also be debuting a line of bags and accessories in the near future. Be sure to keep an eye out for a BestLeather review of Thirteen50’s belts, coming soon!