The Flowfold Vanguard Wallet Review

Flowfold is doing things their way. Using “stronger than steel, so light it floats” reclaimed material, they make extremely durable minimalist wallets for the outdoorsy, adventuring crowd. Their looks are unique and potentially not for everyone. Nevertheless, the unique material and aim towards reusing recycled materials the Flowfold will appeal to many in the culture and environmentally focused time. Let’s take a closer look at what this wallet has to offer. 

‘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’.

Look & Design

The Flowfold Vanguard Limited, despite being touted as having a “classic look,” is underwhelming at first glance. Let’s get the worst out of the way: the ballistic nylon lining just doesn’t look great; it reminds me of the first Spider-Man velcro wallet I used as a pre-teen. I was frankly surprised to be reviewing this, given the elegant luxury of the other wallets that have been featured on the site. 

I think this isn’t for someone who’s looking for a luxury wallet. It’s for someone who wants a cheaper wallet maybe for use outdoors while camping or even sailing. The material is strong and water-resistant and has never failed to stay intact regardless of what I put it through. I’m a big fan of Parkour and I used this wallet during one of my training sessions. In the past, I’ve made the mistake of having a leather wallet on me which wasn’t ideal as it absorbed a lot of sweat. I didn’t have that problem with this wallet which was great.

Upon further inspection, however, there’s a lot more to the Flowfold wallet than meets the eye. They’re built of ultrastrong, ultralight “X-Pac Outdoor Fabric,” and incredibly well-designed. I started out thinking I’d use it for a day or two at most, but it won me over and has been in my pocket for several weeks now.

Functionality & Utility 

The Vanguard Limited is a bi-fold designed to hold bills flat and capable of storing an impressive array of cards and cash without ever bulking up. At writing, I have seven bills, two business cards, and fourteen credit/membership/fuel rewards/gift cards stored away comfortably in there, and I still find myself checking my pocket to make sure the wallet’s actually in there. It’s that good at staying oh-so-slim, and that’s thanks to the materials used. Because of the strength of the fabric, the empty wallet is much slimmer than your average leather wallet. And it’s water-resistant. You could take this on a rafting and hiking trip and it’d be the least of your worries.

Its design is simple: two hidden pockets and two ID windows. I keep my three most-used cards in one window and my ID on the other side. Everything else was tucked away into the hidden pockets, but accessing them remained easy. Cards slide right out of the pockets, meaning you can stay minimalist in your wallet but maximalist in cardholding. As much as I prefer a slim wallet, I hate showing up to Costco or TopGolf having forgotten my card at home because there’s just not enough room for the cards to stay in the wallet full-time. Not a problem with the Flowfold Vanguard. Shove ‘em all in there and it stays impressively compact.

Final Verdict

This deceptively successful wallet didn’t take long to win me over. I wish there was a way to swap out the nylon binding for something a bit sleeker and more stylish to complement the fabric’s futuristic look and feel, but Flowfold is going for function over form and winning. The ballistic nylon is necessary to maintain the extreme durability of the wallet. It’ll take a serious beating and live to wallet another day.

It’s proven to be a conversation piece as well. It feels good to use an ethically sourced, vegan wallet constructed primarily of reclaimed materials. Its unique look invites questions, so you may find yourself talking like a brand representative advocating for Flowfold. And there’s nothing wrong with that: these could very well be the wallet of the future.

If you find yourself missing RFID-blocking technology, Flowfold has you covered as well. For more information on the Flowfold Vanguard wallet check them out by clicking the link below.