Flowfold's New Matchbook Wallet Is Their Most Interesting Design in Years
The Maine-based brand has released a new X-Pac lined fold-over wallet that marks a genuine step forward in design.
Unusual materials in wallets have become something of a running theme on this site, and for good reason. What a wallet is made from has a direct bearing on how it feels, how it ages, how it performs in different conditions, and how long it is likely to last. It is one of the details I find myself most curious about when something new lands. The Matchbook Wallet from Flowfold fits squarely into that territory.
About Flowfold. A sustainable brand.
Flowfold is a Maine-based brand founded by Charley Friedman, who first started making wallets in 2005 while working at a sail loft on the coast of Maine. His grandfather’s old leather wallet fell apart, and he pulled scraps of racing sailcloth from the factory bin and sewed a replacement. It was lighter, tougher, and more water-resistant than anything commercially available at the time. He started making them for friends and family, the demand grew, and Flowfold became an official company in 2010, launching its first product, the Recycled Sailcloth Vanguard, from a basement workshop on Peaks Island.
I have been using a Flowfold sailcloth wallet on and off for the best part of a decade now, and it remains one of the most durability-tested wallets in my collection. You can read my full review of that wallet here. The brand has been quietly doing its thing ever since, expanding into bags, backpacks, totes, and accessories while staying committed to sustainable, recycled materials and US manufacturing. Everything Flowfold makes is still cut and assembled by hand in Maine.
Introducing the New Matchbook Wallet
The Matchbook is Flowfold’s first wallet to use X-Pac fabric, specifically X-Pac X11, as an interior lining. It is also their first venture into EcoGrid, a 210-denier recycled nylon gridstop fabric reinforced with UHMWPE ripstop, as the primary outer material. Both are meaningful steps in material terms, and the combination marks this out as something genuinely different from the sailcloth designs Flowfold has been producing for the better part of fifteen years.
The design takes its inspiration from a classic matchbook: a slim fold-over format where the wallet folds in half and closes with an elastic strap. It is a clean, purposeful design with no unnecessary detail, which feels very Flowfold. Closed, it measures 2.5 by 3.5 inches, slim enough for a front pocket or small bag. Open, it extends to 5.25 inches. The whole thing weighs half an ounce, or 13 grams, which puts it firmly in ultralight territory.
It carries six to eight cards across three card slots, plus folded cash and an ID. A built-in key loop on the exterior lets you clip it directly to a bag, lanyard, or key ring. The X-Pac X11 lining adds structure to the interior while gripping cards in place, which addresses one of the common frustrations with minimalist fold-over designs where cards can shift or feel loose in use.
The color range is broader than you might expect from a technical outdoor brand: black, brown, blue, and a pinkish purple are all available, which gives the wallet genuine crossover appeal beyond the typical outdoor carry market.
Early Thoughts & my Opinions
I have not had the Matchbook in my hands yet, and I am genuinely looking forward to changing that. It is one of the more interesting things Flowfold have released in a while. The sailcloth wallets have always been reliable and well-priced, but in terms of design ambition this feels like a step forward.
At $50 it sits at a very reasonable price point for the material quality and construction, particularly given that everything Flowfold makes is produced by hand in the United States. A full hands-on review will follow once I have carried it for a proper period.
The Flowfold Matchbook Wallet is available now at flowfold.com. You can also read my full review of the Flowfold sailcloth wallet and my Pioneer Ion Wallet review on this site.