My friend Captain Jimmy got a crew of us to go on a last minute hike up the Yosemite Valley. Driving up from Southern California, the trip was short and sweet but the hike was one to remember for a lifetime. Dare I say - I think it kind of changed my life!
It inspired me to make a wallet that would remind me of the vistas and grandeur of the Yosemite. The Yosemite wallet is based on the Bruce Wallet, but with a colorway that mirrors Yosemite - a stony gray overshadowing a musky green, with a hint of rugged brown peeking out from under the foliage. The leather is Pueblo leather, which is veg-tanned and has a distinct, earthy texture. It's embossed on the front with a depiction of the infamous Half Dome - drawn my illustrator, Daniel Neuman.
For a limited time, every order of the Yosemite wallet will come with 2 leather coasters imprinted with the Half Dome.
Design - The flap wallet style has been done numerous times before by many others, but I wanted to make mine look modern - with beautiful, crisp lines - without over doing it. The corners have been preemptively cut off to keep the leather rolling up after use. This way, the wallet will be looking fresh for a much longer time.
Features - One main compartment to store up to 5~7 cards, with a rear cut out so you can easily grab the most rear card, or to grab the entire stack to fan out the cards to select a card in the middle.
Even with all the high tech payment methods available nowadays, I think a dedicated compartment for cash is a necessity. I'd imagine even Bruce would need some bills handy at times. Behind the main card compartment, up to 5 bills can be stored folded or unfolded. The cash can be inserted sideways, much like you would on a bi-fold. You can choose which side you would like the opening on.
Outside, there is a quick access slot that can store up to 2 cards.
Material - These wallets are made with the renowned Buttero veg tan leather from Conceria Walpier in Italy. It has that European sophistication, but also a hint of American ruggedness that I appreciate. The threads used are the highest quality braided polyester thread on earth - Ritza "Tiger" thread. Not only are they internally braided and bonded to resist frey, they're flat-braided so that they lay flat against the leather.
Build - The Bruce wallets are painstakingly saddle stitched by hand. Saddle stitching is the strongest method of stitching leather and is extremely time intensive. I can confidently say that the wallet will last a very, very long time without ever breaking ( think double digits in years, more than single digit). Every exposed leather edges are beautifully burnished by hand for a nice, finished look. No paints to ever peel off. This wallet will serve you for a long time.