★★★★★ 2
Fire Resistant Maybe, Not Fireproof
This small passport holder/bag from Ready Now Bags is quite unusual, it claims to be fireproof! We tested it with a lighter flame and the 'fireproof' claim initially seemed to hold up: a few seconds of direct flame on one spot had no effect on the main outside material of the bag or on the zipper material. It did cause the [nylon?] fabric running across the top of the outside pocket to start melting, and presumably the tag would also melt (as another reviewer found).
My wife didn't like the bag anyway, so we decided to try a more rigorous test (initially I was hesitant, because I didn't want to ruin the bag). We put a spot in the middle of the back side of the bag in a direct candle flame for 30 seconds. It did not melt or catch fire and was only a bit degraded in appearance after the soot was scrubbed off. The inside of the bag in the area where the flame had been was hot, but not too hot to touch.
We repeated the 30 second candle flame test on a corner of the bag. This time the corner of the bag caught fire after about 20 seconds (specifically, the piping material around the edge), and the fabric part of the zipper melted all the way through.
I haven't tried lighting other hand bags on fire, so I'm not sure how an average one would compare, but I think 'fireproof' is too much of a claim, it may be fair to say this bag is 'fire resistant'.
The material is neat and I would say attractive.
Note that the bag is pretty thin [8.9in x 4.8 in x 0.7in], which is perfect for some purposes but you can't cram a lot of stuff into it.
I don't know whether the RFID block works, but it doesn't seem to impede a cellphone signal at all when a cellphone is placed inside the bag (tested before fire tests).
The construction quality of the bag is just okay, it's a little bit uneven/wrinkled around the edges; this material is probably difficult to work with. No functional problems, though. The pockets and slots for organizing on the inside of the bag are nice.
The loop on the back that the hand strap is attached to is pretty thick and seems robust, you could attach a longer strap for shoulder or neck carry if desired.
If the bag was only advertised as 'fire resistant' I would give it a higher score, but it is advertised as 'fireproof' which is quite an overclaim.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2024
