Hands On: NOMAD’s Olde Dublin Horween Leather Bifold Wallet

California-based NOMAD recently launched its Olde Dublin Horween leather across its wallet lineup and we got our hands on the Bifold Wallet to see what the new update looks like.

First thing you notice when you open the box is the smell. Fresh leather, and a really good one at that (nothing beats the smell of fresh leather). The Olde Dublin leather is hand-tanned with extra oils and waxes, which means it starts developing a patina almost immediately. You can actually see the tonal variation starting to happen right out of the box, which is pretty cool.

Horween is a family-owned tannery in Chicago that’s been running since 1905 and is widely considered the best in North America. Unlike most modern tanneries that cut corners to speed up production, Horween still uses traditional vegetable tanning with natural oils and waxes that soak deep into the hide, which is why the leather actually gets better with age instead of cracking and peeling like cheaper stuff. For this reason alone, the Olde Dublin wallet costs $209 CAD.

Also fun fact–the NFL also uses Horween leather for its official game footballs, which are made by Wilson.

At $209 CAD it’s not cheap. But the quality is pretty nice and you can feel it the moment you pick it up. For context, I’ve been using the regular NOMAD Bifold in Rustin Brown Horween leather for two years and have put it through its paces hard. We’ve tossed it into gym bags non-stop, in and out of jacket pockets, into the car, you name it. It’s still holding up well, with just some edge wear starting to show (the edge paint is peeling, which is normal over 2 years).

Holding the two side by side, the Olde Dublin leather has noticeably more character and variation right from the start. It’s a different animal.

The wallet itself is thermoformed, meaning the leather is bonded to a thin reinforcing layer and molded with heat and pressure to hold its shape. In practice that means it doesn’t stretch out or lose its profile over time, which is one of the more annoying things that happens to cheaper wallets.

Here you can see the Olde Dublin leather (top) and the hand-tanned Rustin Brown Horween leather (bottom) after two years of abuse (the stitching has held up well):

You get six interior card slots, a full-length bill compartment and a quick-access exterior slot for whatever card you reach for most. It also fits an AirTag Tracking Card if you want to tie it into Apple’s Find My network.

If you’re in the market for a wallet that gets better with age and you don’t mind spending for quality, the Olde Dublin is worth a look if you love hand-made leather small goods, and want a premium wallet upgrade to Horween leather.

You can click here to check out all the new NOMAD wallets in Olde Dublin Horween leather here.