I met entrepreneur and founder Mark Walsh of a new company called Barefoot Wallets last year in Vancouver Canada and circled back with him this June at TBEX in Keystone Colorado to hear the progress of his creatively designed, durable wallets targeted at the adventure market.
Originally from Mississippi, Mark spends more than half his time in Antarctica. With a physics background, he is interested in science, studies weather patterns and is an ‘adventure man’ himself. 
All of that coupled with the fact that he designed the concept and wallets himself, puts Barefoot Wallets into a unique category. While the wallet company may compete with other accessory companies, they’re just far more “hipper” than what I’ve seen on the market: interesting, compelling and practical…
They’re obviously water resistant which makes them a perfect companion for adventure travel. The wallets include a hole in one corner so you can attach them to a belt buckle, a purse, a backpack or a money belt.
The other cool thing is that while they’re targeting adventure travelers who trek into the harshest conditions around the globe, 100% of the materials are made in the U.S. To take a look at their current line up, go here.
Below are some of the samples that Mark brought to Colorado. From earth tones to bright flashy colors, to funky and fun reds and purples, the color assortment is diverse enough to appeal to any kind of traveler. There is also a slot to hold a pencil so you can jot down notes as things come up on the road.
There are currently two sizes: the smaller billfold style that will appeal to male travelers and a larger/longer one (photographed below) that will appeal to both men and women travelers. The larger one is obviously useful for holding documents, your passport and other important papers you need easy access to while traveling.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
