Flowfold Recycled Sailcloth Wallet Review

I always love to try wallets which aren’t my everyday style. I often favour, to my discredit, wallets made for a more luxury market. But everyone’s different and Flowfold is a brand that tries to be innovative in its unique designs, sustainable business practices, and use of unusual materials. Over the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to try something a little different. The Flowfold Sailcloth Wallet. 

As a brand Flowfold is built on the concept of adventure and developing a wallet for the outdoor lifestyle. In all honesty, I’m a big fan of the brand and they seem very passionate about what they do and what they stand for. The use of Sailcloth – as a material – was something the Founder, Charles Friedman, found when working his summer job. To him, Sailcloth had all the qualities of a material that would be perfect for wallets including being thin, lightweight, and highly durable.

It’s also worth mentioning the environmental benefits of using Sailcloth as a material. With over 36% of their product’s materials being made from recycled bi-products, it’s a great company to get behind, especially at a time when the concern for our planet’s health has never been higher.

‘I started thinking about designing gear while growing up on Peaks Island. Daily commutes involved travel by boat, bicycle, and foot. It was challenging to carry everything I might need throughout the day, and I discovered problems with the gear I depended on. Seams blew out, bags didn’t fit correctly, and they were often heavier than they needed to be’. – Charley Friedman, Founder.

Look & Design

The first thing that stands out about the Flowfold is its distinctive design. Being made from actual high-performance racing sailcloth this unusual material has a textured appearance to it that’s both durable and lightweight. It feels like what I’d imagine sailcloth to be like a bumpy and rugged feel probably due to its Ballistic nylon webbing. If one thing’s for sure this is without a shadow of a doubt a material that can tackle the environmental elements with ease. The Flowfold comes in a small variety of different colours. I got my hands on the White and cyan, but they’re also available in 5 other vibrant colours. 

The only issue I have with the Flowfold wallet is its physical appearance. You can make the decision yourself whether you think this is an attractive wallet or material used. For me, compared to the likes of leather and metal the wallet just doesn’t hold up and if you’re a design junkie this wallet probably isn’t for you,

Another thing that stood out to me was how slim this wallet is. From a side-on angle, I’d say it almost disappeared. This razor this design is exactly what you’d need and want if you’re packing light on, say, a camping trip or hike. Remember it only weighs 0.4 oz / 12g (without cards) and comes in at 4.2″ x 2.75″ x 0.06″ only slightly bigger than a single credit or debit card. Perfect size for minimalist lovers and adventurers alike. 

Functionality & Utility

At its core, the wallet is very simple and doesn’t offer anything other than a single card slot that can fit around 6-8 cards comfortably. Flowfold themselves said this wallet wasn’t designed for anything but pure minimalism at heart. A quote from their website says: “Designed for the straight shooter with no interest in excess features”. I respect that from Flowfold. Too many brands these days try to be all-singing, jack of all trades, and a lot of them fall on their face. The best types of wallets are the ones with a clear purpose and they always tend to be the ones that work the best standing out from the crowd. 

The other benefit of this wallet is how easy it is to clean. I decided to put the Flowfold through a few ‘dirt’ tests to see how well the wallet cleaned up afterwards. All I can say is this wallet is brilliant in how easily it can be cleaned. Both the sailcloth and nylon lining cleaned up nicely under warm water and dried incredibly quickly. I also wouldn’t be worried about putting the Flowfold in the washing machine but I didn’t try this. 

Final Verdict

So can I recommend the Flowfold Sailcloth Wallet? I can, but only for those people who’d want a secondary wallet for things like camping. If you’re the adventurous type who loves to get out of the house (I should probably do that once in a while) then I highly recommend this wallet. Sometimes that big old chunky bi-fold just doesn’t cut it on those long walks, or mountainous treks. This is where the Flowfold would excel and at only $15.00 you have nothing to lose. You can get your hands on a Flowfold wallet by clicking the link below.