Replacement Just as Good as Original!
I got my first Allegory zippered pocket EDC pouch back in February of 2018, through a group purchase through what was then Massdrop. I've put a bunch of different things in that pouch as my usual EDC mix evolved over time, but one thing in particular seemed to be a bit of an issue. I would carry a silver dollar in the back pouch with the slit top. Like what guys report regarding wallets and condoms, a circle shape was quickly pressed into the leather, which wore a bit around the perimeter. I don't know if it was an interaction with the silver, or some reaction with my sweat, but the back of the pouch in that area got super dried out, the finish getting a "burned", crackled surface texture. Then, around that circle the coin pressed into the leather started to crumble, and it started to fall apart in that area.
Thankfully, I could get a replacement very easily! This time, though, I got the cleaning kit with it, and followed the instructions before I began to fill it up. I also left out the silver dollar, putting another item in that space that shouldn't have any kind of chemical reaction with the leather. I applied several coats of the leather cream, let it dry, then cure for the full 24 hours. A week later, I did the cleaning and application of leather cream again. Then I started moving my items from the old pouch to the new. It's a full load, so after everything was in the new pouch, I put it in my pocket for a day to get it good and warm, then gave it a quick cleaning to get any sweat off the leather, then heavily applied the leather cream. This was to give it as much of an opportunity to safely stretch the leather a little with as much protection from the leather cream as I could give it. Everything is now in place, and the pouch is every bit as good as the old one. Instead of the silver dollar, I put a square shaped digital recorder in that location. It's only 0.2" thick and about an inch square, so it's as thick as the silver dollar, but of an inert plastic and without the sharp edges the coin had. The recorder's edges are all very smooth and rounded. (It's a TileRec 2.0 64GB digital voice recorder, for those times when you want to get a good recording of things going on around you without holding a big phone up and making it obvious. This one has a short, thin lanyard to which I added a plastic clip. I can take it out of the pouch and clip it to a shot-bead chain around my neck I already hang a small flashlight from. Then it can be tucked inside my shirt, where it isn't visible but can still bring in sounds from up to 30 feet away clearly. We'll see if this one has the same issues with the finish on the back over time. I plan to clean and treat it at regular intervals to help prevent those issues.
It's still the best pocket pouch I've ever had. I've tried several, but only this one held nearly as much as comfortably.
