Allett Travel Wallet Review

We praised the Allett Original Slim Wallet for its minimalist size yet incredible capacity that fits up to 24 cards. It’s a good example of maximizing functionality while minimizing excess. Sure, the approach isn’t without its tradeoffs, but we like seeing an option for those focusing on the niche practical aspects.

In this review, we’ll be taking a look at Allett’s Travel Wallet. It takes the same minimalist approach of using thin fabric to reduce the overall size—an attractive proposition for any traveler trying to pack as efficiently as possible. So that’s why we’re here.

The Rundown

The main ingredient keeping the Allett Travel Wallet’s size and weight down is ripstop nylon. It’s no secret sauce, though, as plenty of wallets and bags use ripstop nylon. Instead, it’s how Allett “cooks” with this ingredient that makes it stand out. With the design kept to a bare minimum, the entire wallet centers around the footprint of a passport. Overlay a passport on top of it, and you’ll see what we mean; the wallet barely produces an outline.

Of course, this approach has its fair share of drawbacks. Ripstop nylon isn’t the strongest fabric out there. By design, it has a grid pattern that acts as reinforcement, while the squares within are made as thin as possible. Any tear that occurs is, ideally, localized and stopped by the grid from deteriorating further. Think of it like a chain-link fence; you can poke a stick through it, but you’re not going to be slashing across it.

Since it uses a thin fabric, the Allett Travel Wallet also lacks structure. In fact, we can empty the wallet and crumple it with one hand fairly effortlessly. Consequently, the Allett Travel Wallet relies on its contents—your passport, credit cards, and cash—for any rigidity. It’s not really the type of passport wallet with physical protection at the top of its features list. That said, there is a layer of RFID-blocking material within the fabric, so it’s not, strictly speaking, completely bereft of any protection.

Despite the minimalist design approach, there is plenty to like about Allet Travel Wallet. In fact, we think it’s quite well thought out and very functional for its size and weight. First, let’s talk about the layout of the pockets.

The Allett Travel Wallet uses a billfold design commonly used for everyday wallets. The passport slot is on the right, while the left side has two card slots, with their openings facing toward the wallet’s spine. There’s also a slash pocket in front of the card slots where you can store boarding passes and yet another behind the passport slot. We use that last pocket to store an inoculation card which is, coincidentally, also passport-sized.

Those aren’t all the pockets (we’ll look at the last ones in a bit), but that’s already a lot of storage for a wallet this thin and light. Look a little closer, and Allett even put little rubber strips along the card slots’ openings. Why? Ripstop nylon is quite slippery against PVC-based and even metal-based cards, and it also doesn’t have any stretch to stop cards from slipping out. These rubber strips are Allett’s solution, and we like the simplicity of this approach.

Embedded within the wallet’s spine is a pen slot. While the pen isn’t included, you can purchase it as an add-on or just use your own. We really dig it whenever passport wallets include space for one because it’s super useful. You never know when customs or other airport staff need you to fill out a form, so it’s convenient to have a pen there waiting and ready for you to use. Mind you, it’s quite a short pen, so it won’t be very ergonomic if you have large hands.

Next up are the slots for your cash. Well, technically, it’s one slot partitioned by a divider. One side sits a little higher so your cash is easier to access, while the other is the same depth as the entire wallet. We wish the second section was also raised because it would make it easier to sort through bills, though it’s not a dealbreaker for us. Plus, this staggers the cash so the wallet isn’t top-heavy. Regardless, having a subdivided cash slot lets you use one for your home currency, leaving the other for your destination country’s currency.

In terms of capacity, we could fit three cards in each of the card slots. Meanwhile, the passport slot can house the thicker version of the U.S. passport without a hitch. However, you should be aware of how much cash you’re putting inside. Put in too much cash, and the wallet will have difficulty closing. To be fair, a lot of wallets have this issue, but it’s a bit more pronounced in the Allett Travel Wallet because of how thin it is.

Packability

As we’ve already discussed, the Allett Travel Wallet isn’t that much bigger than the passport it holds. That said, once you’ve loaded it up with a passport, cards, and cash, it gains notable thickness.

Still, its sheer thinness means it stands a good chance of fitting inside security pockets. Travel bags often have security pockets built into hard-to-reach places like back panels. Unfortunately, those don’t tend to have a lot of horizontal depth, so you need a thin travel wallet, and the Allett Travel Wallet fits the bill. For example, it fits inside the Minaal Carry-On 3.0 Bag’s security pocket. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that this is a passport wallet you can conceivably put in the back pocket of your pants.

Quick Comparison

For more context, here’s the Allett Travel Wallet next to other popular travel wallets. You can clearly see how much thinner it is compared to even the Zero Grid Passport Wallet, another wallet we’ve praised for its small footprint compared to a passport. The main difference is that the Allett Travel Wallet isn’t a zippered clamshell, so it’s technically less secure. The same goes for the Fjallraven Kanken Travel Wallet and Passport Wallet.

A closer comparison would be against the Bellroy Travel Wallet. Both are billfold wallets with a small included pen and plenty of pockets. The Bellroy Travel Wallet’s main advantage is a much more premium-feeling build quality from leather material. Its downside is that it’s much thicker than the Allett Travel Wallet.