Product Spotlight: Passport Pouch
2024-08-18
A piece of personal gear from 2023, which was never supposed to be an actual product and instead more of a individual traveling solution, the Wndsn Passport Pouch has become a sought-after item that has stood the test of time and made many circles around the globe ever since its low-key inception.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch in its standard ranger green and coyote colorway on top of a Wndsn Bankbag.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch is the result of much trial and error and the lack of a ready-made solution that provides all the required detailed features.
I wanted a hands-free passport pouch suitable for summer in warm climates where clothing pockets are typically limited. Secure as well as stash pockets plus some customization and field repairability were on the list of requirements.
Overview
The Wndsn Passport Pouch is made from 500D Classic Cordura and its main pocket is double-layered. Overbuilt maybe, but also providing a secure hull for items with sharper edges like the occasional pokey tool being carried.
The strap is removable and field replaceable, it is quick-adjustable and flexible for safety purposes. The eyelets through which the strap is fed are reinforced from the inside.
The Passport Pouch features three pockets, a YKK-zipper secured main one for passports and small tools on the clothes line (see below), a back pocket for a wallet secured with velcro across the full width and a pull-tab, plus a front stash-pocket for quick-retrieval items.
The Passport Pouch comes in a two-tone ranger green and coyote colorway, an adventure-inspired look without a necessarily tactical or military connotation (even though I know that the active duty guys carrying the Passport Pouch appreciate that color combination as well).
Pockets
The main pocket fits multiple passports and a notebook or a cellphone.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch with two passports plus an iPhone 13 Pro in the main pocket.
The back pocket fits small and medium sized wallets, with flatter wallets being more comfortable against the body.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch with the Whisky wallet by the Observer Collection or the Daka wallet by Magpul in the back pocket.
The front stash-pocket covers about two thirds of the height of the Passport Pouch and can be used for clip-on on stash gear. Note that the front and back pockets are connected, a bit of a secret but useful feature for certain items.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch with a Wndsn pillbox and a Mini A-100 by Emerson Knives in the front-stash pocket.
Knives or other tools like flashlights can be mounted in either the front or back pocket for quick chest-line access.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch carrying an MDC HA 1CR123 flashlight by Malkoff Devices, a Seaf Jr. knife by Wolf Forty/Forward Observations Group, or a custom Neck PPF knife by Fred Perrin.
The "clothes line"
The carrying strap doubles as a multi-attachment point. The clothes line is used by adding split rings or mini carabiners for easy attachment and removal of items directly to the portion of the strap that is exposed on the inside of the main pocket.
In addition, the main passport pocket provides an internal D-ring attachment point for keys or a tethered container, etc.
Clothes line with a custom titanium 58 mm SAK by MPDWA Berlin and a Photon microlight. D-ring attachment point on the right.
Another attachment point presents itself on the outside of either eyelet. Add a carabiner here for example for a set of keys that would hang into the back pocket and be kept secure by the velcro closure.
Key mount with a Swedish shackle and silencing with velcro.
Customization
A full-width velcro field across the front allows individualization, personal markers or attachment of active or passive reflective devices. Tone-in-tone unobtrusive branding is easily covered.
Another point of self-customization is the zipper pull which can be replaced by Paracord or similar string with added beads, markers, or other individual items.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch velcro field with subdued Wndsn branding and an Observer Collection patch on top as well as a custom turquoise zipper pull.
The full setup including all described user-controlled customizations is fully ambidextrous and can be worn on either side low underneath the arm or high in front of the sternum. The pouch’s size and shape allows for wearing it under a shirt or on top of one, depending on required accessibility or visibility.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch carried over or under a shirt. Anchovy neck knife by Angler Knives on the left.
Adding a safety pin (or similar) to the pull tab on the back pocket allows mounting the Passport Pouch to any vertical webbing like on rucksack straps.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch mounted on a Tarahumara pack by Hill People Gear.
The Passport Pouch can also be used as a drop-in document pouch for bags or for chest pockets inside coats.
A separately available divider made from a self-reinforced thermoplastic composite can be used as a writing surface, as well as a means of creating two compartments within the main for extra organization or to conceal the shape of its contents. The material itself is only 1/16" thick but extremely rigid and offers some protective effects when used as a shield against the environment.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch and its optional internal divider.
Use it to travel well, be organized, and to have a mobile first layer home for the most important documents, money, and tools.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch riding shotgun doing things in places.
The Wndsn Passport Pouch is made in Germany by CutPunchSew and is available upon request via Wndsn.