This is a detailed review of the Trayvax Armored Summit wallet, the thinnest, steel armored, minimalist wallet in the budget price range.
Trayvax Armored Summit Review
The Trayvax Armored Summit can hold around 5 cash bills and up to 7 cards, but its capacity will be adjustable thanks to the nylon rubber strap that holds the two steel plates of the wallet together. The wallet also includes a bottle opener, an attachment hole and offers armored steel RFID protection. The wallet weighs just 3 oz / 85 g when full due to its small and elegant design.
Should you buy the Trayvax Armored Summit wallet?
The Trayvax Armored Summit is one of the lightest and most durable minimalist wallets with an adjustable size currently on the market.
If you are looking to replace your old, bulky wallet with a more elegant yet functional one, then the Trayvax Armored Summit has the perfect combination of features you are looking for.
Buying and discounts
The Trayvax Armored Summit can be bought from either the official Trayvax store, or Amazon. I recommend buying through Trayvax since it will probably be cheaper, and you can even get 5% off the price by using my special discount code tray5vax, or even 15% off with the coupon code pizzaslice15 if your total order amount is $600 or above.
Make sure to check out the offers on Amazon as well, just to make sure you are getting the best price possible.
Price and value
The wallet will typically cost around $34.99 if you order it through the Trayvax official website. The price on Amazon, however, will usually be around $40.99, but with the shipping from Trayvax being around $5, the costs will end up being largely even.
However, the low price is not heavily compensated for with the product’s quality, so the Trayvax Armored Summit offers a great stylish alternative to its pricier competitors.
Shipping
The shipping cost for the wallet will vary depending on the website that you order it from.
Amazon offers free delivery with the standard shipping method which will typically take from 7-16 days.
The official Trayvax website, on the other hand, has two options: a standard shipping method for a price of $5, and fast delivery in 2-4 business days for $12.50.
You can find out more about the shipping prices on the Trayvax shipping policy page.
Customer Support
The Trayvax customer support team can be reached through one of these channels:
- their dedicated customer support phone number, available on the Trayvax contact page
- their customer support email: [email protected]
- the chatbot on their website
- their various social media profiles
They will provide support Monday to Friday, 9 am – 3 pm PT.
Warranty
As usual with these types of wallets, the Trayvax Armored Summit comes with a 65-year heirloom warranty that covers all hardware failures.
Return and refund policy
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you have 30 days to return the product for a full refund.
However, the wallet must be returned in the same condition you’ve received it in and all Trayvax returns require proof of purchase, such as a copy of the PayPal receipt, order number, name, or email on order.
You can find out more on the returns and refunds policy page of Trayvax.
The Trayvax brand
Starting out as an environmentally friendly company in 2013, Trayvax is an established brand that’s focused on cutting down plastic bags usage and its negative impact on the environment. For the past few years, the company has placed its focus on manufacturing eco-friendly wallets that can withstand the toughest conditions – and offer the most utility out of any type.
Where are Trayvax wallets made?
All Trayvax products are made and quality tested in the US.
Basics
The Trayvax Armored Summit is one of the most compact minimalist wallets out on the market. Its size is barely larger than a credit card, so the wallet can easily fit in your pockets or any holders you might plan to use for it.
How to use
Using the Trayvax Armored Summit is as easy as it can be.
The wallet is built solely from two steel plates attached to one another with a rubber strap. One of the plates is equipped with bumpers to hold your cards, while the second plate acts as a floating piece placed on the top of the wallet’s contents.
The rubber strap on the other hand functions simultaneously as both a tightener, to adjust the depth of the wallet, and as a holder for your cash bills. Tightening and loosening the strip is very easy and you can do it with just one hand (one finger even), simply by swerving the rubber left or right.
Navigating through your cards is much simpler compared to other wallets as well. Because of its transparent build and the floating steel plate with multiple holes in it, you can easily take out any card you need from the pile. You can also spread them out in a circle and pick the one you need.
Unboxing
The product comes in a small, see-through plastic bag which consists of the wallet itself, the user manual, and an additional nylon webbing that you place on the wallet as a tightener.
There is no additional protective covering aside from the plastic bag, so damages on delivery are possible, but still rarely reported.
User experience
My favorite thing about the Trayvax Armored Summit is the smoothness of its surface. Despite the seemingly rough steel of the plates that form this wallet, Trayvax has carefully furnished a smooth melonite finish in this product, to the point where you won’t even feel like you are holding a metal piece in your hand.
Additionally, leaving out most of the junk in your wallet and keeping just the really important stuff in it is the first thing users love about the Trayvax Armored Summit. Replacing your old wallet with a small one can be tough at first, but you will grow to like it over time when you get used to having much less weight in your hip pocket.
Aesthetics and design
With its minimalist looks and simple design, the Trayvax Armored Summit is one of the smallest and thinnest wallets out on the market. Elegance and style are its main selling points, especially for its fairly low price.
Colors
The main steel plates of the wallet come only in matte black color. However, the rubber strap on the side of the wallet comes in 4 different color options:
- black
- grey
- green
- brown
Clothing style fit
The Trayvax Armored Summit will fit anyone looking for a modern and elegant wallet to complement their style. From sporty people to business casual clothing, this wallet is the right fit if simplicity is the thing you are looking for.
Features
Although it has a fairly simple design, the Trayvax Armored Summit is equipped with multiple innovative features that make the wallet surprisingly functional.
Weight, size, dimensions
The Trayvax Armored Summit is one of the smallest tactical wallets out on the market, making it a definition of a true minimalist wallet. Its dimensions are:
- width: 3.75 in / 9.52 cm
- height: 2.35 in / 5.97 cm
- depth: adjustable, up to 0.375 in / 0.95
The wallet weighs around 3 oz / 85 gr when full, and much less when it’s empty since it’s consisted of only two light plates held together.
RFID blocking
Trayvax has assured that the Armored Summit offers RFID protection of up to 95% and so far no users have reported any problems with this feature, making it one of the most RFID-secure wallets out there.
However, it must be noted that the wallet does contain a lot of holes in its frame, so I would suggest being careful with your cards and placing your most valuable ones in between the others, to make sure no important card chips are visible through the holes of the wallet.
External rubber strap
One of the biggest innovative points of the Trayvax Armored Summit is its multifunctional rubber strap that holds the wallet together. The primary function of the strap is to adjust the wallet’s capacity, which is rare in other minimalist tactical wallets.
The strap also acts as the sole cash bills holder, leaving the space between the plates completely free for your cards. It is easily adjustable with just one finger which makes the wallet much more practical and handy.
Separate steel plates
Unlike other minimalist tactical wallets which come in one peace, the Trayvax Armored Summit is built from two separate plates which are different in size and shape, offering you two distinctive functions.
The main plate (which you will easily recognize by the bumpers on the edges) is the piece that holds your cards together and has the nylon strap piece attached to it, as well as an attachment hole where you can put a keychain or another item through it.
The second, floating plate that goes on top of the other is equipped with a bottle opener (which is almost a standard feature in most wallets of this type) and an ID card hole through which you can display your name and other information without taking your ID card out.
How many cards can the Trayvax Armored Summit hold?
Officially, the Trayvax Armored Summit can hold up to 7 cards. Unlike other similar wallets, no user has reported actually fitting more than the recommended amount in this wallet, so 7 cards seem to be the absolute most you can fit in it.
This is arguably one of the main selling points of the Trayvax Armored Summit, since it’s obvious that they put a bigger focus on the simplicity, size, and style of this model, sacrificing space for the wallet’s contents.
How much cash can the Trayvax Armored Summit hold?
This seems to be one of the biggest problems with the Trayvax Armored Summit.
The wallet’s rubber strap, which is the space dedicated for your cash, can officially hold 1-5 bills.
Naturally, as with most of the minimalist wallets of this size, you will have to fold the bills two or more times as well to fit them in there safely, which considerably shortens the space for cash.
Additionally, be aware that having just one or two cash bills will make them a little loose, but not loose enough to fall out of the wallet.
Is the Trayvax Armored Summit TSA-compliant?
The Trayvax Armored Summit is a TSA-compliant wallet and you can take it on the plane with you without any trouble. However, Trayvax has noted that it’s still up to the discretion of the TSA agent to determine what is allowed through the security gate. Given that it’s a metal object, it may have to be additionally checked.
Is the Trayvax Armored Summit waterproof?
Obviously, the contents of your wallet will not be safe if it comes in contact with water since it has an open design.
However, the steel plates and the nylon rubber strap will not be damaged by contact with water. Still, I would recommend drying the wallet off quickly if it gets wet, since its parts can corrode.
Build quality
The build quality for this product is pretty satisfactory, especially when you consider the low price compared to its counterparts.
Durability and lifespan
Given its steel build and the 65-year heirloom warranty, the Trayvax Armored Summit is one of the most durable wallets out there and is made to be used pretty much your entire life without any fear of breaking.
Materials
The Trayvax Armored Summit only uses steel and nylon for its build. The simplicity of its design is exactly what makes it so durable.
Known issues and problems
Even though the quality of the Trayvax Armored Summit is unmatched in its price range, the wallet isn’t without issues, however rare they may appear.
One of the biggest problems some of the users have reported is with the quality of the rubber strap, which is made from non-elastic nylon and can wear off over time. This can lead to the strap becoming too loose to hold any of the contents safely and makes the product too inconsistent in the long run.
Another issue that lots of users have reported is the space dedicated for both cards and cash bills, which is considerably lower compared to other similar minimalist wallets. Naturally, this is a sacrifice you will have to willingly make if you are looking for a more compact wallet you will be able to fit anywhere.
Trayvax Armored Summit vs Flipside 4
The Trayvax Armored Summit is a slightly cheaper, thinner, and lighter model than the Flipside 4 and obviously the go-to choice for someone looking for a small, elegant, minimalist wallet. The Flipside 4 has a fixed size because it’s a completely sealed-off box, so the Armored Summit will come off as a better alternative to those who prefer to adjust the size of their wallet themselves. Additionally, the warranty period for Flipside 4 is only two years, compared to the 65-year heirloom warranty that comes with the Trayvax products.
However, the Flipside 4 will offer better protection, much more space and you will never have to worry about items falling off like in the open design of the Trayvax Armored Summit. If those advantages sound appealing to you, check out my full review of the Flipside 4 wallet.
Reviews and customer satisfaction
At the moment of writing, the Trayvax armored summit has around 1800 reviews on the Trayvax official website and about 100 on Amazon. Even though this is not the most popular model of this brand, almost all of the reviews are positive, and very few of the current owners have reported a serious issue with this wallet.
Even more importantly, just 3% of the reviewers on Amazon have given it 1 star, and around 78% of them are 5-star rated, which is not something to take for granted.
With these kinds of reviews and a serious lack of major issues with the product, it’s hard not to take the Trayvax Armored Summit into consideration as one of the best wallets for under 40$.
Who should not buy the Trayvax Armored Summit?
Although the Trayvax Armored Summit is a great wallet overall fitting for many styles, there are a few types of people that might not find it suitable.
If you are used to carrying a large number of cards and cash bills with you, then this wallet definitely won’t satisfy your needs. Even though many users have reported this wallet made them change their habits and started carrying just a few important cards, if you are more of an old-school type of person, you might need to look at some other options. See my guide on the best wallets with big card capacity, as well as the best wallets with big cash capacity, if those features are important to you.
Lastly, as we mentioned, the rubber strip can be a weak point of this wallet. It has a pretty small capacity of just 5 bills, and it can be very loose at times, so if you need your bills to be securely stored in large quantities, then the Trayvax Armored Summit may not be your best choice.
Who should buy the Trayvax Armored Summit?
Overall, the Trayvax Armored Summit will fit most of the users who won’t see the aforementioned cons as dealbreakers.
If you only need to carry a few cards and some cash with you, then this wallet is the thing you were looking for your whole life. Its small size will come off as a magical relief in your pocket after you throw your old, bulky wallet and replace it with this light, elegant accessory piece that will cover the same necessities for your day-to-day urban life.
The adjustable depth and steel covers will offer great functionality if you want to feel safe with your wallet contents and especially if you are looking for more customizable features in your gadgets.
Overall, this is a great wallet under $50, and it will be a good choice for anyone on that type of budget.
Simply put, anyone looking for an adjustable, minimalist, and fully functional lightweight wallet, that won’t be a burden to carry in the pocket, will find the Trayvax Armored Summit to be a perfect fit.
Where to buy the Trayvax Armored Summit from?
Trayvax Armored Summit Specifications
| Type | minimalist |
| Max n. of cards | 7 |
| RFID blocking? | yes |
| TSA compliant? | yes |
| Materials used | steel, nylon |
| Height | 3.75 in / 9.52 cm |
| Width | 2.35 in / 5.97 cm |
| Depth | 0.375 in / 0.95 |
| Weight | 3 oz / 85 g |
| Features | adjustable depth, rubber strip, bottle opener, RFID blocking, card hole, attachment hole |
| Water resistance | some |
| Warranty | 65-year heirloom |
| Return period | 30 days |
