Craft & Lore Port Wallet Review

What makes the Port wallet stand out for me is its simplicity in design and how it leverages that to create a strong, attractive looking wallet. When I first saw the Port wallet I had doubts about how it would function. After all, it just looks like a bit of leather rolled up so to speak. But I’d be happy to be the first to say that I was totally wrong. The Port Wallet made by Craft and Lore and successfully funded on Kickstarter is a wallet with class, style, and outright minimalism. 

Craft & Lore are an independent design and build workshop with a smaller team focusing entirely on leather goods that are simple in form and function. There’s no doubt that these guys have done a great job on their branding and from the rich range of fantastic images take their job seriously in terms of quality and materials used. Let’s take a further look at this wallet and break down what makes it tick!

‘While the true beginnings started years prior, the brand Craft and Lore was officially founded on January 1st, 2014 by Chad Von Lind on his kitchen table. Since then, the brand has seen steady growth, leading to the addition of another maker. From here we’ve continued to grow and have never looked back’. – Craft & Lore.

Look & Design

One of the main reasons you’d consider buying a Port Wallet would be if you liked its appearance. This is definitely one of its defining features and its quirky design which stands out from the crowd. As you’d expect from a wallet of this class the leather is one of the highest qualities and shows in person. Made from American tanned harness leather its fullness, great feel and color really show through and give it that quality we’re all in search of. The wallet comes in a variety of different colors for everyone’s tastes. I personally got the standard brown, but it also comes in natural (as very light brown color) and Russet which is a medium shade of brown in between the two. 

Hardness Leather – Take extra care

With such high-quality leather can come to some concerns when it first arrives. Much like shoes, the Port wallet will need breaking in. Working the leather with daily usage will help it become more soft, supple easier to use (recommended one week to break in). Craft and Lore recommend you “stuff the wallet with additional cards at night” to help speed up this process which I actually followed. I’m unsure if it helped but it was some helpful advice. It just goes to show how “real” leather differs from the fake stuff and confirms the quality you get when you buy a Port wallet. 

Another thing I love is the potential for a natural patina to form on the Port wallet. Over time as you use the wallet unique markings, wear and tear will form to create a range of attractive markings. Although I haven’t myself used the wallet enough to attain the pictures shown (like the one below) how it could look over time. 

Functionality & Utility 

As a minimalist wallet, it would be unfair to claim the Port was the best or even close to the best in terms of its functionality. That wasn’t what it was made for. The wallet is very simple in its design. You have access to 3 slots. 1 main slot that lives on the very top of the wallet and 2 side slots that live on both sides of the wallet.

On a daily basis, the wallet performs at a satisfactory level. The wallet has enough room for at least 10 cards and can hold more than enough cash. That being said you will need to fold up the cash in either of the outer layer slots. Overall it performs above average for a wallet of this type and I enjoyed using it in practice on a day to day basis.  

Final Verdict

A great wallet if you’re looking for style, minimalism, and quality. The only downside is the range of functionality but it wasn’t designed for that purpose. I find the Port Wallet charming, attractive and forever in my pocket. And at a fair price of only $50, I find it hard to resist. The price reflects the quality and care that goes into producing the wallets and you can guarantee this wallet will last a lifetime and only get better with time. 

For more information regarding the Port, wallet visit craft and lore’s website by clicking the link below.