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Alright, I admit it: I have a soft spot for leather wallets now. After years of swearing by metal wallets like Ridge, Axwell, Ekster, and more, I’m starting to have some serious appreciation for the newest crop of leather wallets. Forced into being thinner than ever, these leather-style wallets have made huge leaps and bounds in their usefulness, both staying high quality and effective but also compact.
I’ve tested over 50 wallets at this point, and these ten leather wallets have stood out as the best.
Quick Note: All of the wallets on this list were given to me by their respective brands. We are also now a retailer of some of these wallets, which link to our shop, and others are paid links, where we get a commission at no cost to you.
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1. Double Oak Cloud Wallet
- Full-grain leather is high quality
- Very compact for a bifold style wallet
- Fantastic value for the price
- Has interior cash storage
- May not have quite enough room for some
If you are someone that is going against the grain of the modern smart wallet trend, but wishes they could cut on bulk in their pockets, there is no better option than the Double Oak Essentials Cloud wallet. It’s not often that I go back to a wallet after testing it out, and reviewing it, but I did just that with this one.
The full grain leather on the wallet patinas extremely well; you get scratches that wear in, and you get all of the benefits of a leather bifold. However, it maintains a slim design with cards displayed in easy-to-access slots. Two slots for your most used cards up front, a hidden card slot behind your cash, and an external card slot for your lesser used cards that is still easily accessible via a pull tab (also an ID slot on the back of the wallet).
The whole wallet is kept closed via the perfect amount of magnetic closure. This is one seriously good wallet for an awesome price. We sell it with a 100-day satisfaction guarantee in our shop.
2. Proof Wallet Leather
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- The leather is high quality and feels great
- The pull tab works extremely well, and is held in place
- It seems to be very durable
- Fantastic card capacity
- It’s very compact
- It doesn’t fan out your cards
If you are someone that wants all the benefits of leather, but also appreciates the sandwhich design of the modern cardholders, the Proof Wallet (specifically the leather version) is exactly what you need. Everyone I’ve shown this wallet to, or has used one has been thouroughly impressed. In fact, its my overall favorite minimalist wallet.
Up to 25 cards can be stored in this wallet, cash is held behind a leather and elastic strap (which by the way works extremely well), and the full-grain leather is very similar to the Cloud Wallet I’ve already talked about, and feels incredibly soft, and patinas well.
After quite a bit of usage, I’ve found the wallet to be durable and usable, and it is now a permanent addition to my wallet collection. The only downside I can think of is that it definitely has a hefty price point (which my discount code above helps out with).
3. Bellroy Card Sleeve
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- Easy access to my most used cards
- Reliable access to lesser-used cards
- Leather build
- Attention to detail
- Worry-free cash storage
- Compact sizing
- Larger than some competitors
- I miss fanned-out cards
- Dimensions: 4.05" High by 2.79" Wide
- RFID Blocking: No
- Card Capacity: 2 to 8
- Cash Organization: Rear Facing Cash Slot
- Coin Storage: No
- Weight: Unknown
This was the original slim wallet that set me on my minimalist leather wallet journey. It’s an incredibly simple wallet, where you put your cards in the top (which are retrieved via a pull tab), your most used card on the front (away from the others), and then a small slot on the opposite side for a couple of bills.
This slim-sleeved wallet from Bellroy feels amazing in your pocket and is barely noticeable. Its full leather construction has a lot of give to it and absorbs the impact and sound from everything else in your pockets. Top that all off with a reasonable price, and you have an awesome setup.
The only major downside I found with the wallet was that if you add too many cards for a brief period, it stretches the leather out so that when you switch back to fewer cards, they like to try and fall out.
4. Dun Wallet
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- Extremely thin for its size
- Looks simple and great
- Cool way of storing cash
- Smaller card capacity
- Leather isn't quite as nice as some competitors
If you’ve landed on this article, hoping to find a true bifold (even more so than the Double Oak at the top) but want something slim, you can’t go wrong with this Dun Wallet. They tout this as the slimmest bifold in the world, and I can see why. The moment I took it out of the packaging, I was impressed with it. Sure, I can’t verify that claim, but it is impressively slim for a wallet that has similar dimensions to your standard bifold.
Now, while I prefer the leather feel of other wallets on this list better, if you prefer that sleeker leather feel, this gives that in spades. I also really like how the wallet stores cash, where you slide it through a slot on the inside, rather than in through the top of the wallet. It’s a great way to store cash safely, without adding bulk.
The only major downside I have with the wallet is its card storage. I honestly wouldn’t put more than four cards into the wallet. They say you can put eight, but you’ll be stretching the leather to do that, along with making it harder to get any of the cards.
5. Double Oak Slim Wallet
- Aluminum cardholder is magnetic
- Leather feels fantastic
- Very high build quality
- Lockable cardholder (cards don't fall out)
- Not much card storage outside of the cardholder.
Yes, I know; this is the second Double Oak product on this list. But can you blame me? This Cardholder stands out as one of my favorites. It’s the one that got all of the other brands to offer a 7-card cacpcity in their cardxholders. However, ti continues to also stand out as being one of the few leather cafrdholders that can have teh metal cardholder removed from the leather, to become a MagSafe wallet. Genious.
Just like the Double Oak Cloud Wallet at the top of this list, this wallet continues that soft leather that I like and gives you an additional ID card slot on the rear of the wallet. The only major downside to this wallet is the fact that it doesn’t have much extra space outside of the Cardholder itself. It makes up for that, though, by having a locking mechanism that keeps cards from falling out. Make sure to check it out in our shop!
6. Ekster Wallet Pro
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- All-metal button and ejector mechanism
- High quality Italian leather
- My favorite cardholder ever
- Amazing alternative to a bifold
- Still a bit bulky
It’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of the original Ekster Wallet (not to be confused wiuth the Ekster Cardholders). It felt cheap, the cardholder was plastic, and it didn’t feel like it fit well into the lineup of an other wise favorite wallet brand of mine. That’s why I was so excited when Ekster relseased the PRO version of the wallet.
This introduced an all-metal cardholder, an all-metal ejector mechanism, and a metal ejector button (and added their lifetime warranty). This wallet is truly a great alternative to a quality bifold. If you are someone trying to get easy access to your cards but can’t bring yourself to leave a bifold, there aren’t many better options than this one right here.
Now, that said, it’s not without downsides, as the extra stuff needed to make this wallet work adds some bulk to it. It also still struggles a bit with closing all the way if you put cash into the cash strap.
7. Trayvax Contour Lite
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- Extremely high quality build
- Adjustable to your needs
- Made in the USA
- Uses top-grain oil-tanned leather
- Sometimes struggles to release your cards
If you find yourself preferring the more tactical feel with your gear, there likely isn’t a better option than a Trayvax. This is a ridiculously well-built wallet that features plenty of card storage and cash storage in a small package. You can easily adjust the capacity of the wallet with a simple screw drive, which also helps when the leather stretches. On the rear of the wallet, you have simple cash storage that is released via a button (this button also gives you access to your cards).
While the wallet itself may seem complicated at first glance, its a simple design that should last a lifetime (or 65 years according to its warranty). This wallet is definitely for the more rural person looking for a compact wallet rather than urban styling.
8. Harber London RFID Card Wallet
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- Very high quality leather
- Pliable leather feels great in the pocket
- Extremely thin build
- Magnetic closure
- Pull tab for easy access to lesser used cards
- Wish it had an external quick access pocket
If you prefer a leather that doesn’t scratch quite as much as the Double Oak Cloud wallet at the top of this list, but like the form factor, this is the wallet for you. It’s made of high quality full grain leather, is extremely compact, and even has the same pull tab as the earlier wallet. This thing is extremely pliable, and easily forms in your pocket around the rest of your gear.
The interior of the wallet has four quick access card slots, and you can fit a few extra behind (where the pull tab is), and your cash fits well behind the right-sided cards. It even has a similar magnetic closure, which is oh-so-satisfying to close up. There aren’t too many downsides to speak of, other than the fact I wish it had an external card pocket (but that would mess with the clean aesthetic).
9. Nomad Card Wallet Plus
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- Horween leather build
- Separated card slots to help with damage to cards
- External card slot
- Large card capacity
- A bit larger than the competition
This is by far the largest of the slim wallets found on this list! It’s not quite a true bifold wallet, but also not quite a cardholder. That said its made with the some of the best leather around, being Horween leather. This means its incredibly durable, and has a unique patina that happens with use. The wallet has plenty of storage on the interior (although, no pull tabs here), and even a quick access slot on the outside of the wallet.
All of the card slots are lined with their own liner, meaning no single card is rubbing up against another card, which is rare in a slim wallet like this. If you are looking for a bit of a heavier, but not too heavy, cardholder slim wallet, this likely is going to be your best bet. However, if you prefer to go as compact and lightweight as possible, stay clear.
10. Bellroy Slim Sleeve
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- Great build quality
- Awesome color options
- Very compact, slim design
- Pull tab for easy access to lesser used cards
- Not quite as nice as some direct competitors
If you liked the Double Oak Cloud Wallet and the Harber London wallet above, but they just still aren’t quite right, then you might be itnerested in this one. Thsi is a similar minimalist leather wallet to those, in the fact its a bifold style cardholder with a pull tab to access y our lesser used cards. It also has two quick access card slots on the interior and a small slot for cash behind the left side of the wallet.
As for the feel of the wallet, it’s closer to Harber London in being a bit sleeker in leather, but it is still a high-quality built wallet. I very much appreciate the dark green color that this wallet came in, and I would recommend it.
