Bellroy Under Cover Review

The Bellroy Under Cover is one of the brand’s many wallets that take a more minimalist approach. Focusing more on storing cards rather than cash can be a bit jarring for those looking to try it out. But hey, at least Bellroy’s easing them in with good build quality, premium-quality leather, and an aesthetic we think most would find agreeably tasteful.

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at its layout and features and tell you what it’s like using one as a daily wallet—let’s check it out!

The Rundown

The main material is eco-tanned leather, a staple for many Bellroy’s wallets we’ve tested, such as the Slim Sleeve and Flip Case. It’s easy to take for granted once you’ve handled plenty of their wallets over the years, but we still appreciate the quality and attention to detail. You only get a small Bellroy logo at the front, which is in line with the minimalist aesthetic. Though you probably don’t want a wallet that’s too eye-catching anyway, some available colorways do. We’re sampling the rather mundane Everglade for this review, but the Caramel one will probably appeal to a lot of people.

Overall, build quality feels up to par. The stitching at the sides is tight, and that’s really the only place that stands out where it could fail. There are simply not a lot of “moving parts” to worry about, like a zipper, a pull-tab, or metal and plastic accents. Our only real long-term concern is whether the leather develops a patina over time. It’s almost always inevitable, though our sample hasn’t developed any after two weeks of testing. Of particular note is the area where the Under Cover folds. We’re confident a crease will eventually wrinkle that area, but the arch is still pretty wide, rigid, and spotless at the time of writing.

The lone card slot on the outside is honestly one of the more useful features of this wallet. How many times have you had that moment where you’ve just finished paying for something via credit card and would like to hurry along because you feel people in the queue behind you already staring daggers? For us, plenty of times, so you can imagine our delight when presented with a pocket like this.

It might not seem that much more effort to simply open your wallet to put a card back, but those tiny “fussing around” moments add up over time. That said, we don’t forget to put the cards back inside later just to be safe. Yes, the Under Cover is RFID-blocking, but the external pocket isn’t sealed, so we’re just being prudent.

Bellroy’s website quotes storage for up to eight cards; this pocket can handle two. That said, the leather’s out-of-the-box rigidity means fitment is somewhat awkwardly tight, though it should loosen over time, as should the slots inside, which accommodate the rest of your cards.

Inside are two slots facing inwards and opposite each other. At first glance, the layout seems pretty much mirrored, but there are differences. For starters, the left slot has a slight chevron cut, while the right slot only has a shallow divot. This slight difference should help you remember which slot has which cards. There are further distinctions when deciding which slot to use for what card.

The left slot is further subdivided into two, with up to two cards fitting in each. We keep our most frequently used cards in the front half since the chevron cut makes it easy to shimmy them out. It’s worth noting that these cards are also the ones that usually end up getting stashed outside. The rear half is trickier to access, and we wish there was a pull tab like in the Bellroy Slim Sleeve.

As for the right slot, we can technically fit up to four cards for a total of ten, or you can use it to stash folded bills. Either way, we had to be careful not to overload this space for two reasons. First, we’re not comfortable stretching the leather. Secondly, magnets help clasp the two halves together, but they’re only strong enough to handle eight to nine cards. If you add a few bills, the magnets won’t hold if you jostle the wallet around.

The weak magnets aren’t a total deal-breaker, as they don’t really factor that much into daily use. Even if the wallet swings open, the slots’ tightness means cards don’t fall out. That said, that could potentially change as the material breaks in more over time.

Packability

The Under Cover’s packability is quite good compared to other leather wallets. It’ll fit just fine in your pocket, even more so in slings and daypacks. Out of the box, the stiff leather arches the wallet’s spine quite noticeably, though that should shrink over time as the material breaks in.

All that said, the Under Cover doesn’t excel in packability either because of the inherent thickness of the leather. For context, the similarly sized Slim Sleeve is arguably more functional, fitting up to twelve cards. Plus, if you’re looking for a truly small wallet, you should check out the RE:FORM RE:02 Card Holder and RE:01 Coin Holder.

Quick Comparison

The RE:FORM RE:02 features an identical layout to the Under Cover, with two inner slots and one external slot. We’re comfortable stuffing three cards in each, for a total of nine, so it’s not all that far from the Under Cover in terms of capacity. The RE:01 Coin Holder even features a built-in coin purse. Plus, they’re both substantially smaller, though they’re made of synthetic rubber, so you lose that premium vibe.

The Slim Sleeve is really the first alternative that came to mind. It has a different layout but a greater card capacity in a similar footprint. However, it lacks RFID protection and magnets to clasp it shut.