Travelon RFID Blocking Passport Case

Quick review -

The Travelon passport case really does keep your RFID passport safe. It has plenty of room for credit cards, train tickets and admission tickets. The current (2009) Japan Rail Pass also slides easily into the pocket alongside your passport. The ballistic nylon material with (faux?) leather accent is low key, and won't draw the attention that a home made aluminum foil envelope or Prada wallet would. Perfect for any traveler with an RFID passport who doesn't want their identity stolen.

Details -

RFID passports have a serious defect they can be read and possibly altered remotely. While this is difficult and expensive to do with today's technology, it can easily be done by people with sufficient motivation. In five year's time it will only be easier.

The correct way to defend against radio manipulation of your passport is with a Faraday Cage. An ideal Faraday cage completely encloses the object you want to protect, leaving no gaps.

I was concerned that this wallet would only pancake the RF read zone of my passport. When I arrived at NRT in Tokyo, the passport control officer was completely unable to read my passport without taking it completely out of my Travelon case. Future RFID sensors may still be able to snoop a passport in this case, but I'll be comfortable keeping my passport safely stored in its travelon case for the next few years.

Look up Bruce Schneier's blog for a deeper technical analysis on the pros and cons of the new RFID passports.

The Travelon RFID BLocking Passport Case is a well-made, attractive case and, unfortunately, in today's world where unscrupulous individuals have devices to read RFID documents and steal personal information, a real necessity. This case is constructed of ballistic nylon and leather; all edges are encased by leather trim piping. This should provide protection from wear and tear on the corners which normally wear faster than other areas of similarly shaped items. Further, the corners are mitered which reduced bulk at those points. Additionally, this is a sign of quality construction since mitering takes more time and effort if the manufacturer wants to produce clean corners. The case's stitching is even and smooth; I noticed no loose threads or thread ends projecting to prick one when reaching for this case.

I liked the way one could slip the front and back covers of a passport into pockets on each side of the case. This holds the passport securely without having any pages contained so the passport must be removed for inspection. A ribbon marker in the center of the case can be used to "bookmark" the page containing the traveler's picture so that one does not have to page through the passport in order to locate the picture.

If one does not put credit cards into the case, along with a passport, the case is about 3/8" thick when closed; the actual passport is about 1/8" thick, so the case adds about 1/4" of bulk. In researching RFID blocking passport cases, the Travelon seemed to be the least bulky of those offered by trusted manufacturers and sellers. Personally, I do not like the idea of having my credit cards, driver's license, etc. in the same case as my passport and will probably purchase a second case in a different color to hold these items should the necessity arise.

I ordered my Travelon RFID Blocking Passport Case on a Tuesday night, selecting super-saver shipping, and received the case on Friday. Amazon's superior service is always something I can count on.

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My passport could be read with the case closed it it was touching the reader. I also tried it on my RFID card at work I had to hold it closer than usual but it still read it from about 4 inches away. There didn't seem to be any damage to the wallet so I'm not sure why it didn't block the RFID scanner.

Outside of that the wallet is fine holds your passport and some credit cards. I'm returning mine since I really wanted the RFID blocking feature.

Read Best Reviews of Travelon RFID Blocking Passport Case Here

This passport case is simple and discreet. Don't carelessly reveal your nationality to strangers when traveling internationally. Added feature blocks unauthorized access to any passport or credit card with an RFID chip.

Passport slips securely inside case and allows immigration authorities to view or scan document without requiring the document to be removed. Room for several credit cards or business cards.

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Bought this for my brand new passport, which passport boldly states on the last page inside "This document contains sensitive electronics. Do not bend..." Figures, as it's impossible to get the front and back covers of the passport inside this holder without bending the passport.

The holder has a 3/4" wide strip of clear plastic along the inside left cover of the holder, into which the front cover and the first page of the passport (your picture) are supposed to be inserted. The back cover of your passport, which has a barcode on it (meaning that it's meant to be read by a bar scanner) inserts under the holder's right inside sleeve for credit cards. To get whichever cover of your passport you last insert into the holder, you have to bend your passport. And as another reviewer has noted, if someone has to then read the barcode, you have to take the passport completely out, and then put it back in, bending the passport a couple more times to remove it and put it back.

Moreover, once you've got the passport in, and you close the holder and lay it on a flat surface, whichever cover is up doesn't close flat, but springs upright at about a 30 degree angle. Annoying.

The quality of the material of this thing looks good, but I fear for how long my passport will hold up inside this thing. I'll use it for my upcoming Thanksgiving travel abroad, and see how it goes, since for $13 and change it's not worth sending back. In short, a good product idea, and decent material, but not a great design.