Nomad Card Wallet Plus Review: Gorgeous Horween Leather Wallet That Lets You Carry Just Enough

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The Lowdown

The Nomad Card Wallet Plus is a beautiful wallet for those looking to lighten their load, while still carrying an assortment of cards. If you can go a bit more minimalist, the Card Wallet might be better suited for you. And if you need to carry a bit more, you might do better with the BiFold Wallet. No matter which of the three styles you choose, I have no doubt you will be happy with your investment. After all, there is something nice about starting each day carrying quality products that get the job done with style.

Overall
4

Pros

  • Beautiful leather
  • Craftsmanship is superb
  • Holds a good amount of cards and some folded bills with ease
  • Quick-access card slot is convenient
  • Leather will develop a rich patina over time

Cons

  • I would love to see this wallet with a money clip along the inside spine
  • No RFID shielding to protect you from crooks

We recently brought word that Nomad had released three new leather wallets. These include the new Card Wallet, the Card Wallet Plus, and the Bifold. Each is beautiful, and each serves a different approach to “every day carry.” Of the three new wallets, the Nomad Card Wallet Plus sits nicely in the middle and holds “just enough.”

Nomad Card Wallet Plus

Gotta love the streamlined and recycling-friendly packaging designed by Nomad’s Chuxin “Becky” Liu!

As we shared a few weeks ago, the Card Wallet has an MSRP of $69.95 while the Card Wallet Plus is a few dollars more at $89.995. The Bifold is the largest of the three and has an MSRP of $119.95. I opted to review the Card Wallet Plus, since I knew the Card Wallet would be too small for me while the Bifold would play into me merchant for overstuffing my wallet. Full disclosure, while I LOVE the Nomad Card Wallet Plus, I should probably be using something a bit bigger like the Bifold.

As you might expect from Nomad, the Card Wallet Plus comes in a lovely, easy-to-open box.

Nomad Card Wallet Plus

Inside you’ll find the wallet safely protected in a small cloth pouch. It’s these little details that have made Nomad one of our favorite accessory companies. Well, that and the fact that their products are amazing. If that sounds a bit too “gushy,” I’m sorry. But the truth is that I rarely see a company that consistently releases products that are as tough, well designed, and as nicely executed as those made by Nomad.

Available in your choice of Rustic Brown or Black Horween leather, the Nomad Card Wallet Plus has a deep, rich color. And because it is Horween leather, it will soften and develop a patina that makes it as unique as you are over time.

Nomad Card Wallet Plus

Day 1 vs. Day 100. As the Wallet wears in, it becomes unique to you.

The front side of the wallet has a clean, unbroken design. It looks great.

Thermoformed Leather: Our signature Horween leather is bonded to a thin layer of reinforcing fabric and then molded into shape using intense heat and pressure. This thermoforming process creates space to store your cards without requiring the leather to stretch out, keeping your cards securely in place and your wallet looking new for longer.

In the post about the new wallets, I spent a fair amount of time on Nomad’s use of “Thermoformed leather” to mold and shape the wallets. The result is a soft curve as the leather approaches the seams. It looks and feels nice, but I suspect it has the added advantage of increasing the wallet’s strength while still allowing the leather to stretch just enough to hold the cards securely in place. The soft curves are unlike anything I’ve seen on a leather wallet, and I appreciate Nomad taking this extra step when designing the products.

 

Nomad Card Wallet Plus

The other side of the wallet has one card slot. Since I use a swipe card to get into my synagogue building and a second swipe card to get into the local police station (I volunteer as a Police Chaplain), this slot is the ideal location for quick entry into either building.

Nomad Card Wallet Plus

On the inside, you’ll find the Nomad name embossed into the leather. It is understated enough to avoid being obnoxious, but it is a good reminder that this is no dime store wallet.

Two card slots sit above the embodied logo. I can get two cards in each with ease and a third card if I use just a bit of force. The other side has a third card slot. As Nomad notes, “We use die-cut card slots to reduce the amount of overlapping leather, resulting in a slimmer wallet.” Take a close look at the above image, and you will see just how precise both the cuts and the seams are.

A deep pocket on either side of the Card Wallet Plus can hold additional cards or a few folded bills.

The result is that the Nomad Card Wallet Plus can hold up to 16 cards at maximum capacity or 12 cards and some folded bills.

 

I took everything out of my current wallet and put it into the Nomad Card Wallet Plus. It held all of them with ease, and one of the deep pockets held a few bills. In this picture, you see a Card Wallet Plus holding three credit cards, my health insurance card, a second medical card, my Chaplain’s ID, and my Costco card. It also has a credit-card-sized Tile Tracker, although an Apple AirTag will soon replace that.

The wallet held it all, but I did have to leave some of the bills I had been carrying out; I tried to squeeze them all in, but it was a bit too much for this mid-sized wallet. Were it to have, for example, a money clip built into the center, it would have been perfect for my needs. Alas, it doesn’t, so my only choice is to carry fewer bills.

Nomad Card Wallet Plus

As mentioned, there is a quick-access card slot that is perfect for my swipe cards on the outside. For some, however, this quick access slot might be ideal for a frequently-used credit card.

Nomad Card Wallet Plus

I worry a bit about crooks who use scanners to capture credit card information, but that would be the case no matter where the credit card is in the wallet.

Nomad Card Wallet Plus

This is what the packed wallet looks like when closed. Nice right?

Nomad has this to say about it:

Card Wallet Plus is designed for maximum versatility to fit a flexible lifestyle. A unique thermoforming process with our signature Horween leather gives this wallet a truly modern outline with room for cards and folded bills. Our leather is crafted to patina over time, ensuring it develops a look that is uniquely yours.

The Nomad Card Wallet Plus is a beautiful wallet for those looking to lighten their load while still carrying an assortment of cards. If you can go a bit more minimalist, the Card Wallet might be better suited for you. And if you need to carry a bit more, you might do better with the BiFold Wallet. No matter which of the three styles you choose, I have no doubt you will be happy with your investment. After all, there is something nice about starting each day carrying quality products that get the job done with style.

The Nomad Card Wallet Plus sells for $89.95; it is available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Beautiful leather; Craftsmanship is superb; Holds a good amount of cards and some folded bills with ease; Quick-access card slot is convenient; Leather will develop a rich patina over time

What Needs Improvement: I would love to see this wallet with a money clip along the inside spine; No RFID shielding to protect you from crooks

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.