Velocio Recon Wallet

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Velocio says: "The recon wallet is a water resistant essentials case for your daily commute or on any outdoor adventure. The Polartec Neoshell fabric will keep your cell phone protected from the elements, your cash and cards and any other valuables dry and stowed within reach."

The Recon wallet is an attractive looking accessory, although a bit smaller than I expected, and there is no padding. It's quite simple, with a small divider inside to separate the phone from credit cards and cash, or perhaps a few house keys or coins. There is not much room for anything else.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Velocio lists:

YKK Aquaguard water resistant zip

Internal divider keep cash, cards and phone organised

16cm x 9cm

Reflective Velocio logo / Woven trim detail

Loop for easy carry

Designed to fit an IPhone 6/7/8 with slim case

The Recon wallet is constructed out of Polartec Neoshell, which is slightly stretchy, and is breathable and highly waterproof. The stitching and zip construction feels well made.

The Velocio Recon wallet does what it claims to, which is to hold an iPhone in waterproof case, with a few cards and cash. Perhaps a few puncture repair patches and house key as well. It is very waterproof. A soaking during heavy rain had my iPhone emerging still completely dry afterwards. Running it constantly under a tap for two minutes, still no water got through. I think it would take prolonged torrential rain, and water pooling in your pockets, to get your phone wet. The YKK water resistant zip goes right up to the edge of the wallet, to ensure no gap for water to enter.

No signs of wear at all during the four-week testing period. As long as the zip holds out, it should last.

At 19g, it's extremely light, though it achieves such a light weight by having no protective padding.

Similar to other phone wallets.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

For keeping the iPhone dry, it performs well: a good soaking in the rain, and a test under running tap for several minutes did not allow any water to affect my iPhone. However, there is not really any additional room for storing much beyond a few credit cards and tyre patches.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The waterproofing is excellent, and it looks stylish.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Its small size limits its usefulness. I would liked to have seen more padding, and a bit more room for a few more items. When fitting the phone into the wallet, a little bit of effort is required to lever it past the zip. Adding one or two centimetres additional length to the wallet's dimensions could avoid this.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Other phone wallets around this price are similarly waterproof but feature padding, and can store more stuff.

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a nice looking item, and it does what it claims to well – keeps an iPhone dry, along with a few things like credit cards. However a few niggles let it down: the tight fit past the zip toggle means it is a little tricky manoeuvring the phone in and out. There is also not much room for extras beyond a few credit cards and puncture patches. It also lacks the padding that similarly priced rivals have.