Review: Stitch & Locke SLIDE Wallet

Stitch & Locke SLIDE Wallet Review and Giveaway

Unless it’s fat with cash, a bulky wallet is hardly a good thing — it weighs you down and competes with your other essentials for precious pocket space. Calvin Kwok of Stitch & Locke designed the SLIDE wallet as a solution to keep the cards and lose the bulk. In this review, we take a look at the wallet (graciously provided by Calvin) and give you a chance to win one for your EDC.

The SLIDE is a fresh update to an otherwise classic, frontpocket wallet design. Perhaps the most obvious distinction from other wallets is its use of unconventional materials: denim and cork. A denim pocket for cash and less-frequently used cards makes up the core of the wallet. The denim itself is surprisingly sturdy, able to provide enough structural support to form the pocket despite it being so thin. The outer pocket is made from a thin layer of cork, looped from one end of the wallet to the other in a single piece. This simplifies the design, localizing all of the stitching to one side of the wallet. The outer edges of the wallet are not finished or sealed in any way, resulting in some loose fibers and the possibility of something slipping between the layers of denim. Aesthetically, it’s not too flashy, but tastefully striking thanks to its mixed media construction.

While the materials used are unusual, the design is still familiar. The SLIDE takes cues from classic cardholders but adds its own subtle, clever features that aim to improve the functionality of the wallet. One feature I appreciated and found worked well was the slighter shorter outer pocket, as it allowed vertical clearance about the width of my thumb for easy identification and access of frequently used cards. Having an outer pocket at all was a good move for the sake of accessibility, and using super thin and resilient cork was a good way to implement that extra storage without compromising the slim form factor. The only issue I had with the outer pocket was sometimes I’d grab the top of the wallet and end up sliding out the two outermost cards instead of pulling out the entire wallet. That should give you an idea of how easily accessible the cards are, which could be a problem if you’re not careful, especially considering that your cards are visibly exposed. Once you get used to it, the outer pocket makes the SLIDE live up to its name.

Moving along, the inner pocket, I feel, is less successful. I think it’s a great addition to keep cash and other cards out of the way, but in practice, it’s not as easy-to-use as the outer pocket. To help with accessibility, a slanted notch is cut out of the bottom corner to let you push the contents up using your thumb. However, in my case, this only works for cards and even then, the outer cards get pushed up along with them. Furthermore, cash designated to the inner pocket has to be folded into thirds. The extra fold makes stored cash slightly thicker than it needs to be, and too narrow to easily access using the thumb slit. Once I managed to get cash out, putting it back in is a bit of a hassle—the inner pocket often needs to be opened up a bit to stuff cash away easily. With thicker materials or with wallets stitched on both ends, it’d be easy to simply squeeze the sides and cause the pocket to open up. With the SLIDE, the wallet instead buckles in on itself and doesn’t open up very well. I had to use my fingers to open the denim pocket cleanly.

Everyday Carry Score: ★★★½ out of 5

Pros:

• Simple, slim design
• Eco-friendly, lightweight, resilient vegan materials
• Ample storage and easy access to cards

Cons:

• Inner pocket not an ideal solution for cash carriers
• Forgoes reinforced, finished edges for simpler construction

For something so seemingly simple, the SLIDE performs really well at what it was designed to do — proudly carry cards in a “cashless world.” Unfortunately, for the rest of us not on that planet, the wallet’s other features to accommodate our bills will feel like afterthoughts. You can still carry cash, it just might be a hassle to do so. But for those of you who deal mainly with cards, you’ll appreciate being able to easily identify and access them. For its intended use as a minimalist’s card wallet, it’s a triumph.

PRE-ORDER ($26)

You’ll only have until next Friday, 5/23, to rummage through your bulky wallet, pull out a credit card and order your own SLIDE wallet via their Kickstart campaign… OR you can also leave a comment here via Disqus for a chance to win a brand new SLIDE wallet courtesy of Stitch & Locke’s Calvin Kwok himself. A winner will be chosen and notified via Disqus reply, and we’ll send out their SLIDE wallet once the official Kickstarter campaign concludes. Good luck, everyone!