Life In The Saddle

Protecting your phone and cards when cycling is a necessity; your jersey pocket is bombarded by spray, sweat, and grit — none of those go well with electronics. The Altuvita Cycling Phone Wallet is a neat weather-proof phone wallet that is designed for cycling.  The case is a hard-shell design, which is quite different from the other soft designs that I have reviewed and used in the past . The hard case gives significantly more drop protection for the wallet's contents; the coating material is also water resistant, as is the zipper, so it provides a weather-proof and sweat-proof barrier. Inside the Altuvita Cycling Phone Wallet you get four sleeves that can be used to house cards and paper cash. There is no zipper compartment for coins, but then perhaps few riders carry shrapnel in their pockets these days? The cards are held securely in the slots, with no risk of them slipping out when you open the wallet. On the other side of the wallet is where the phone sits. This Mk2 ver...

A protective wallet for your phone and credit cards when cycling is a necessity; your jersey pocket is bombarded by spray, sweat, and dirt—none of those go well with electronics. The Baggicase Cycling Phone Wallet is a neat weatherproof phone wallet that is designed for cycling adventures. The case is a soft case design—it is made from ripstop waterproof nylon, overlaid on a soft padded interior that helps to create rigidity and protection. The external fabric is treated with an anti-bacterial finish that reduces the chance of the case developing a foul smell after hours of being in a sweaty jersey pocket. To seal in your phone, cash, and cards, the Baggicase uses a waterproof zipper with a 'Camlock' design to hold it shut. Inside the Baggicase Cycling Phone Wallet you get three sleeves that can hold a house key, cards, and paper cash. The cards are held securely in the slots with no risk of them slipping out when you open the wallet, and one of the sleeves has a small fl...

Carrying your phone, cards, ID, and spare change with you when you cycle is essential; but storing them unprotected in your jersey pocket is asking for trouble. The Zilfer Cycling Phone Wallet is a neat solution from the Australian brand; a means to keep your valuables together and safe, both on and off the bike. The design of the wallet is simple enough – the phone slides into one side, and on the other half there are four slots for cards, and a larger sleeve for things like receipts or paper money. The phone wallet then folds in two, and on the back panel there is a zipper compartment for coins and a house key. The Zilfer Cycling Phone Wallet is made from a water resistant and durable material, to help protect the contents. This material is smart enough in appearance that you could use it every day, and Zilfer have consciously only implemented subtle branding to further promote this versatility. The phone wallet does also come with a protective pouch, which can be used to slip ...

I have got a bit of a thing for wallets. The RidePac and RidePac Lite from UK brand Velopac are two of my favourite new additions to my 'Every Ride Carry' . Those who know me will know that my Bellroy Phone Pocket is in my hand for a significant portion of the day. It houses my phone, cash, and cards; essentials for my every day life. The only downfall of the Bellroy, is that over time the leather begins to suffer with constant subjection to sweat and rear wheel spray, when it is housed in your jersey pocket. It is also an expensive piece of kit to watch deteriorate. The RidePac from Velopac provides an alternative, at a very competitive price. For £20 for the RidePac Lite, or £32 for the RidePac original, this is a relatively low cost investment for the protection it provides to your phone and valuables. Yes, you could use a plastic freezer bag, and it would also protect your phone from your sweaty lower back; but, it won't last very long, and it will look distinc...

Some products are faultless. You use them every day, and every time you think about their great functionality they make you smile. The range of wallets and phone pouches from Australian brand Bellroy, fit firmly into that 'impeccable' category. I use my Bellroy All-Conditions Phone Pocket Wallet  every day. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter , you will have likely seen it placed in kit layouts, on café tables, and in jersey pockets. It is a fantastic little case, which is perfect for holding ride essentials, safely and securely. The Bellroy All-Conditions Wallet is a new addition to my 'Every Ride Carry'. It holds many of the great attributes of the All-Conditions Phone Pocket, but in miniature size. Small enough to clasp in your hand, the All-Conditions Wallet will hold your cash, cards, keys and coins, in a weather-resistant pouch. The wallet is made from Bellroy's water resistant leather, and uses a YKK water resistant zip. It certainly provides ...

Your ' Every Ride Carry ' - what you carry with you, when you head out on the road or trails, is an incredibly personal choice. It could suggest you're a daring personality; adopting a stripped-back approach, but chancing a mechanical. It could suggest you're adventurous; taking enough supplies for an epic ride. It could suggest you're super organised; when there is a place for everything, and everything in its place. Adopting a Bellroy wallet as part of your 'Every Ride Carry', suggests minimalism, adventure, organisation, and class. The Bellroy products that I've previously reviewed on the blog quickly won me over, and many of them now feature in my kit layouts for every ride. The new Bellroy All-Conditions Phone Pocket is one of the most recent additions to the extensive Bellroy wallets range. It is a smart weatherproof pouch; designed to hold phone, cash and cards; all in a protective package. The wallet is made from waterproof leather, and...

My review of the Eleven Vélo Ride Pouch was the start of a great relationship; the smart leather ride wallet is now securely part of my ' Every Ride Carry ', and it comes in my jersey pocket on almost every outing. It is a great way to keep all your small ride essentials and valuables together; safe and protected. The Ride Pouch was a joint project; between Australian cycle clothing brand Eleven Vélo, and San Francisco based bag makers, WaterField Designs. It seems I wasn't the only rider to become a fan of the product either, as WaterField Designs have produced a huge number to date; all made by hand in their San Fran workshop. With so many riders using their product, WaterField Designs started getting some great feedback from out on the road; then, as great brands do, they took on-board those constructive criticisms, and have developed their new Club Cycling Pouch. The Club Cycling Pouch isn't a replacement for the original Ride Pouch; rather it is designed t...

I'm a big fan of small-scale handmade products; they have a certain unique and individual feel to them. More often than not, they also have a unique quality level; because their creator has been carrying out constant quality-control throughout their manufacture. The Grip Phone Wallet and Muddy Saddlebag, from Scotland based brand Wee Cog, are a great example; products that are handmade by Becky (the founder and sole employee of Wee Cog), at home in The Highlands. The Wee Cog Grip Phone Case First up, the Wee Cog Grip Phone Wallet. This neat little sleeve is made from durable Cordura fabric; with a touch-screen friendly clear plastic window. Available to order in a variety of colours and phone sizes, you can personalise it to match your kit. The strong Velcro closure flap secures the phone, and also covers a useful little outer sleeve, which is great for cards and cash. I've been using the Wee Cog Grip Phone Case for about a month now, on my daily commute. It has o...

The range of minimalist, beautifully-crafted leather pouches from Australian brand  Bellroy , seem to have taken the world by storm. At least, their storm-proof range of Elements wallets certainly seem to have my small world, of cycling and photography friends, wholly captivated. I first reviewed Bellroy's Elements Pocket Wallet  back in 2014, and I was taken with how compact, robust and beautifully simple the design was. Then in 2015, I reviewed the Elements Phone Pocket ; which proved to be an equally stylish, sleek and versatile every day carry. I still use both of them, on an almost daily basis. In this review, I turn to the baby brother in the Elements range - the Elements Sleeve; this is the wallet for when you really just need the bare necessities. Whilst the Elements Phone Wallet can hold a phone, cards, cash, house key and much more; the Elements Sleeve is made to be a flat-pack slim protective case, for just your cards, key and notes. The neat sleeve desig...

Back in September, I reviewed the Eleven Vélo Ride Pouch on the blog. The leather wallet proved to be a neat and very well made jersey pocket kit carrier, which safely and smartly houses all your smaller ride essentials. It impressed me so much, that it fast became part of my Every Ride Carry . The Ride Pouch was a collaborative project, between Australian brand Eleven Vélo and San Francisco based Waterfield Designs. Although the pouch is really the only cycling specific product that Waterfield Designs have created to date, the quality of the product was so good, that I began thinking how many of the other great looking pieces in their range might be utilised in the two wheeled world. The Gear Pouch range looked ideal... I know a lot of enthusiast cyclists, and the majority of them are also almost OCD organisers. I'm not sure why, but perhaps the desire to have a finely tuned and efficient bicycle, also carries over into their everyday lives; so they end up organising everyt...

Bored of using plastic bags and zipper wallets to keep your phone dry in your jersey pocket? This is a product for you... Back in 2014, I reviewed the Bellroy Elements Pocket Wallet , and to be quite frank, I loved it. As a minimalist cyclist, it provided a superb solution to taking your wallet with you on the bike; it's compact, slim and water/sweat resistant. I liked it so much that it fast became my daily wallet, and despite hours of dealing with damp, mud and perspiration, it still looks like new. Last month, Bellroy released the Elements Phone Pocket into their Elements range. Given that a cyclist is presented with the same problem of protecting their phone from the wet, as they are in protecting their cash from getting damp, I was keen to test it out. As soon as a Bellroy product arrives, it instantly impresses: the neat packaging, the feel and smell of the water resistant leather and the attention to detail in the design, is really pleasing. Once you start loading th...