These things are rad. Essentially, it’s a flat-pack box. When you aren’t using it, it folds down into an impossibly small form factor. BUT, when you do need it it folds out into a rigid bottom box. You’ve seen similar contraptions in some sort of poly before, but I’ve never seen a soft sided version like this. Tons of uses…

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I love Topo… Quality stuff with no bullshit to confuse or disorient. And recently, they released a new heritage series that focuses on their origin. Really, really nice stuff.

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Interesting idea on a wallet… Essentially, it’s your standard hard wallet, but covered in Bellroy sourced leather. Holds eight cards OR 6 cards plus folded bills.

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I gave it an honest shot… I really did. But, the MagSafe Apple Wallet just didn’t work for me. I did eventually get used to the process of detaching the wallet from my phone, accessing the cards, and then reattaching once the transaction was done, but there were other issues I just couldn’t resolve.

First, the wallet was destroying my cards. Because the phone is reached for so many times a day, the corners of my cards (that peak through the top of the wallet) were taking a beating. So much so, that both of my credit cards now feature dog eared corners and need to be replaced.

Secondly, having a wallet attached to my phone was often more of a hinderance than a benefit. While it was great having one small object in my pocket rather than two smaller (a phone and a slim wallet), there are times when having two separate entities just makes sense. For example, when I get in my truck I have to remove the wallet from the phone, put it in a cup holder, and then attach my phone to the Mighty Magnet to get it prepared for CarPlay. It’s just too many steps… I need less steps. Bulk be damned.

So, what now? Yesterday, I started carrying the AER Cardholder. It’s very thin, but a little bigger in the other dimensions than I would like. I do, however, really enjoy having a zippered compartment for the rare occasion that I carry cash. It would also be a great spot to store one of those new small battery banks… And, it’s hard to beat the materials and build quality of AER. I’ll keep ya updated on how I get along with it over time.

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I was turned onto these by a friend of mine and hesitantly ordered. Man, I’m glad I did… This sunglass case is a reproduction of those used in the Apollo program and fit my Rayban Caravans perfectly. Even better – they are far less bulky that typical Rayban cases and the looks absolutely kill.

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A buddy of mine sent me one of these. Essentially, it’s a relatively slim bi-fold made from recycled fire hose material. I know it’s sort of been in vogue to make shit out of fire hose, but this is one of the rare times where it actually makes sense to me. This is the perfect beach wallet and it’s made super well…

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When it comes to backpacks and travel, I prefer bags with little to no organization – just a large compartment or two. I then use pouches designed for my needs for organization. This way, I can outfit a single bag for many different uses.

What all of this means basically, is that finding appropriate pouches for my specific needs is really important. And one of that hardest pouches to source is a solid storage point for a cell phone.

I prefer my cell phone to be on the backpack strap. That way I can easily put it away before going through security and can access it easily when need be. My pack of choice is the GoRuck GR2. My pouch of choice is the ILE Phone Holster.

The ILE is a sort of well kept secret in the GoRuck world. It features large velcro strips allowing it to attach to your typical Molle points. All you do is cut the strips to your particular Molle size and then attach the pouch. It fits perfectly onto my GR2.

But past that, it’s also just a really great pouch. It’s hand made out of Cordura or XPAC in California and features things like a pen loop and an extra zippered pocket that comes in incredibly handy.

It’s just a perfect pouch for its use case and comes from a company that isn’t all that well known. I’m alllll in…

Details here.