Friday, July 4, 2008

Maxpedition Spartan Wallet


























This wallet is made by Maxpedition Hard Use Gear. Maxpedition originally started out making hard use military spec gear and has since moved on to military and every day items that still have the military quality to them. Having been in the military, I say they exceed military quality.

The Spartan wallet I received is impressive right out of the box. This wallet is a 2 fold wallet with an additional flap that Velcros the wallet closed. The Velcro is quality stuff and holds very well. At first it does feel a bit stiff and seems as if it'll be hard to use and uncomfortable in your pocket. This impression is short lived once you get the wallet broken in by using it a little bit. It may be, however, slightly thicker than some wallets due to it's use of 1000 Denier Nylon.

The Nylon material will last for quite some time. The ballistic nylon the wallet is made of is water and abrasion resistant and is coated with a teflon finish to resists dirt and to make the wallet easier to clean. It's also triple polyurethane coated for water resistance. Having said that, this isn't a waterproof wallet...just a little less likely to let water through the nylon in a light rain...I'd call it splash or spray resistant. This is not a negative thing, just note that water resistant isn't waterproof. Not only is the material durable, but the nylon thread is high-tensile strength composite thread that is stronger than standard thread. Speaking of thread, one thing that I've noticed on all Maxpedition gear is that there are no loose threads hanging off their gear. I find this important because for one it tells me it's a high quality item and the thread won't come unraveled, but it also has a more professional appearance on their items that you may be using for uniformed use. The internal seams are also taped and finished and stress points have extra stitching. You can tell just by holding this wallet that it's not going to wear out anytime soon.

Starting on the outside there is a ID window made of a mesh material. This is a very strong and durable mesh. Most mesh materials would probably pull away from the stitching or rip, but this is a very durable and stiff mesh that I really kind of like for the window instead of the normal clear plastic found on most wallets that have an ID area. This area is always a weak spot on most wallets and has been the reason I've gotten rid of most other wallets in the past. There is some masking of the ID and it'd have to be removed if you're asked to show ID, however, most police officers who would ask to see ID would ask you to remove it even if it was in a clear window. You can easily fit a few IDs in this area if you want or anything you want to be able to get to quickly without having to open the wallet itself.

Also on the outside is a little tab made of Hypalon which is a rubbery feeling material. This tab is used to attach a lanyard. When holding the wallet in a pocket this adds extra security from losing the wallet. Another use is to add a neck lanyard and wear the wallet around your neck if you don't have pockets.


Moving to the inside. This wallet easily held all the items that I carry in my wallet. Again, at first, once you put all your cards and money (if you're lucky after paying for gas to have any left) in the wallet it seems thick and very stiff. The material will break in over a short period of time and it'll be easier to work with. When it comes to pockets for your credit cards this wallet has plenty. There are 3 pockets on each side of the wallet. The fronts of these pockets are mesh, just like the ID window on the outside so you can clearly see the first card. These pockets also have straps covering them that attach using Velcro. The right one only covers the card slots, while the left one is attached to the money divider and covers one of the money areas plus the credit card area. This is a nice feature to prevent any of your cards or currency from slipping out of the wallet. If you don't like this feature you can tuck the straps away behind the credit card area on the right, and into the money pocket on the left or simply cut them off. I tuck the left one away and keep my most used cards there for quicker access and use the right one for less used cards.


Behind the credit card slots are even more pockets for cards or slightly wider items. There are two behind the left card area (one slightly larger than the other) and one behind the right card area.


The money area is divided into two areas to separate currency or what I use it for, one for cash, the other for credit/debit card receipts. The divider is made of the same mesh material that the ID window is made of. These areas seem like a tight fit after using a three fold wallet for quite some time. You do get used to it after a while of use, although, I'd prefer perhaps another half inch of length to these money areas.


Seems like a lot of writing for a wallet. This isn't a normal wallet though and I feel it has a lot of great features. It seems like this is going to be a wallet that you'll have for quite some time due to its durability and function. Maxpedition gear has put the same great thought and features into this wallet as they do all their gear. I highly recommend this wallet!


The Closed, empty size is 5.5" x 3.5" x 0.5" and the open empty size is 9" x 5.5" x 0.3".


Available colors: Black, OD green, tan, foliage green.


MSRP is $19.99

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

does the Maxpedition Spartan Wallet fit in the back jeans pocket like a regular wallet or is it to big?

Jake said...

It does.

Anonymous said...

Great Review

Anonymous said...

I have the Micro, it is just ridiculous tiny. The Spartan is too big for me, I think the Urban Wallet is the perfect size.