Review on Zoppen Passport Blocking Document Organizer by Jacqueline Garrabrant

Grateful for the opportunity to try the latest Zoppen travel wallet (version 5 - black); I received the previous version (Version 4 - Wine) as a gift and used it on a trip to Australia last year and found it useful so I was curious to see what the new version would be. This latest version has two differences. from an earlier version; It's larger to fit a larger phone and has a strap so you can easily wear it as a bracelet/clutch. I like the addition of a strap as it's easier to carry and a bit more secure when worn alone rather than in a purse. It can be used as a clutch for evenings, when you want to take a minimum of things with you. I appreciate RFID protection and eco-friendly leather is durable and easy to care for. My problems are related to functionality. I love that there's room for pretty much everything you need: passport, cash, cards, boarding pass, phone, and even a zippered pocket for coins. However, if you use all the available space for all your items, the wallet becomes very cramped and difficult to use. I understand they wanted to keep a narrow profile, which I appreciate, but if you can't easily pack and unpack things then I'm not a very happy traveler. I was really excited that this new version can hold a big cellphone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S9+ and my phone fits in the space provided, but it ONLY fits WITHOUT a case - and I have the thinnest Otterbox case out there. I don't know many people who use their phones without a case these days, so that was already a mistake because it doesn't fit without a case. I won't be traveling without a phone case, so this part of the wallet is now useless to me. BUT, if I wanted to carry my phone in this wallet without a case, I would still be uncomfortable because the space for the phone is at the bottom of the wallet. If you open your wallet fully and dangle it in front of you, your phone will most likely fall out of your pocket. This can only be avoided by opening the wallet on a flat, horizontal surface, which is not always convenient. The phone opening and the zippered pocket should be on the opposite side to keep things from falling out when the wallet is fully opened vertically. pocket), you can barely put your fingertips in the zippered pocket, making the pocket practically useless. Adding some pleats would help avoid that tightness by expanding and giving extra freedom in those areas. I also like to put my cell phone (again WITHOUT a case) where passports belong. It's a much more secure (when opening a wallet) and accessible area, but again, removing credit cards from slots gets a little more difficult (and I'm not sure about degaussing issues), but it's manageable. But if you put your phone where the passports are, then your passport should be in the phone pocket, which in turn can fall out if the wallet is opened fully vertically - although the passport is probably more secure than the phone in that area given its weight. I also don't get the point of the SIM slot - maybe it's just me, but I'm not going with a spare so the space seems unnecessary and maybe the ID and card space could be made a bit bigger due to the effort put into this wallet more can be done in my opinion to make it more efficient (not so cramped when full) and safer for our expensive/essential items (phone/passport). bags). Since I can't use the wallet with my phone, I don't have the above problems and it will be more than a practical wallet for everyday use as well as a travel wallet like the previous version. except now I have a belt. Thanks Zopp.