My wife Sarah usually carries her wallet, phone, and keys in the backpack we use as a diaper bag. Sometimes, though, she just needs to grab and go, and the enormous backpack is too much. When we were offered the chance to review the Peralta Abby iPhone Case, I asked Sarah to give it a whirl.
The Abby calls itself a case, but it’s really more of a hybrid purse/clutch. It is just big enough to hold a wallet, keys, and smartphone, with a few small items like chapstick and gum. This isn’t the “I might need to carry half the contents of my junk drawer with me, because you never know when a screwdriver, light bulb, and three year old granola bar might come in handy” bag. It’s for when you’re out with friends, or running to the store, and you just need the essentials.
Peralta is a sub-brand of Waterfield, and it stays true to the quality of its parent brand. The inside is lined with a gold-ish color that helps any small items stand out, and the smartphone pocket is soft and lined to protect the screen. It’s hard to imagine digging around for much of anything in this bag, given how small it is, but the bright liner matches the outer pattern and does make it easy to see inside.
Sarah’s wallet is fairly large and fits just fine in the bag, so I’d imagine you could probably fit a checkbook in as well if you still write paper checks. There are no outer pockets, but there is a slim “Peralta San Francisco” logo on one side. The zipper arches over the sides on both ends, so you can open the bag quite wide if you need to, and there’s soft pull tabs on the zippers to make them easy to use. Sarah said the zippers were easy to pull and didn’t snag or stick at all. There is a shoulder/body strap, though it is not adjustable; you can also unclip it if you wish to carry the Peralta as a plain clutch, or if you have a different strap you prefer.
We had one criticism of the Abby case, and while the specific reason might be somewhat uncommon, it’s worth noting. It’s unfortunately not quite big enough to hold a wallet, phone, keys, and EpiPens, which Sarah pointed out meant she still needs to carry a larger bag while out with our son, since he’s too little to carry his EpiPen on his own right now. You may not need to carry EpiPens specifically, but it’s worth noting if you have any bulky/large daily carry medicines or other needs that you need to look closely at the size of the Abby to make sure it can hold everything.
We were very impressed with the Peralta Abby iPhone Case overall. It fits a specific but much needed niche in my opinion. Whether you’re carrying diapers or a laptop, it’s common to need a larger bag for work and life, but you don’t always need everything with you. At the same time, it’s a pain to keep a smaller purse handy and have to move your important items back and forth, and then inevitably freak out when you can’t find your phone/keys/wallet. The Abby is small enough to be a pouch within a larger bag, but also functions as a bag in and of itself, making it the perfect companion item. It’s not super cheap at $89, but it’s also well made, attractive, and will likely last a long time, making the cost worthwhile.
If you constantly find yourself juggling ways to carry your phone, wallet, and keys, the Peralta Abby may be the perfect solution for you!
Source: Manufacturer provided review sample (blue/gold plaza pattern reviewed)
What I Liked: Fits wallet, phone, keys perfectly; can be carried cross body or in hand; compact enough to fit in larger bags; excellent build quality.
What Needs Improvement: An outer thin pocket for cash/change/business cards would be nice.
