-
Please, if you come to any metropolitan area, don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket. Prime pick-pocketing target. Also, if you are walking through crowded tourist traps (like times square for example) you can just jam your hands in your pocket inconspicuously holding on to your monies/phones.
-
Apparently it has been shown sitting on a wallet can lead to sciatica issues. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/17/health/17real.html
-
Wouldn’t the most optimized thing be to not have a wallet at all? Money clip FTW. https://www.storus.com/ I’ve been using this for a while. Open portion gets my insurance card, on top of that drivers license, on top of that 2 credit cards, on top of that metrocard (public transit) which I can get to and slide back away without taking the clip out of my pocket. Inside clip part gets some business cards wrapped in cash, small bills facing outward.
Getting a new wallet is fine…but has anyone stopped to question why we carry so much crap with us?
I have two cards (credit cards) with magnetic strips on them. That’s the only relevant information. I have three cards with bar codes on them. Again, that’s all that is important on those cards. Then I have two cards (both insurance cards) that just have some plain text printed on them to indicate my policy number.
Why can’t I get a single card, with two magnetic strips, three bar codes and some plain text? It would reduce my wallet from 8 cards to two (Driver’s License and my super-card)?
It seems like a no-brainer to me. Either you’d be limited to two magnetic strips (one for each side of the card) or you’d need a system to move/rearrange the magnetic strips. Oh well. That’s what I want - not a better wallet - but a better card to put in it.
I second (or third or whatever it’s up to) the people using the binder clip and the bullet space pen. I’ve used both for about 10 years now.
I carry both my cards and my cash in my binder clip (it sounds like some of the people here are just using it for their cards). I use a leftover Cayman Islands dollar as a separater between the cards and the money.
The only flaw I’ve had with the space pen is that I’ve learned to double check it is still in my pocket because if I slouch too much with slacks on occasionally it will decide to leap out of my pocket. It does have the added advantage of writing on walls without any problems. I tried writing on my arm once when I went diving (since they say it works under water) and it was never the same again, but they probably mean it can write while wet not 30 or 60 feet underwater.
They both fit well in my left front pocket with the pen sitting under the binder clip.
None of these hold coins, and are thus disqualified.
I’m the designer of the Dot Matrix Mighty Wallet (Tyvek Wallet):
https://www.dynomighty.com/shop/Dot-Matrix-Pi-Mighty-Wallet
I wanted to respond to the comment about the cc’s falling out of the old tyvek wallet - YES that was a problem in the first design version (2005) and now I have improved the design and I’ve even added some more storage areas.
Here’s a YouTube video of the Mighty Wallet I made:
What the heck are you guys carrying around? With a wallet that fat, you need a purse! Seriously, you must tilt at a 30 degree angle when you sit on that!
I have my driver’s license, incurance and registration, a few credit cards and a few bucks in mine, what else do you need? It’s in my back pocket and thin enough so it doesn’t bug me.
i have the all-ett, and i had one before this one. they last the wear and tear of a year, and then you need a new one. they’re so great that i just get another one.
Since you are writing about wallet pens, allow me to draw your attention to Swiss Army Knife, Swisscard Lite version:
https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swisscard-Lite-Pocket-Tool/dp/B001Y7VR32?th=1
It is the size of and marginally thicker than a real credit card, but still fits perfectly in a credit card pocket of a wallet, and it includes quite something more beside the pen:
-
letter opener (blade) -
scissors -
pin, stainless steel -
pressurized ballpoint pen -
tweezers -
magnifying glass -
screwdriver 3 mm -
screwdriver 5 mm -
Phillips screwdriver 00-0 -
Phillips screwdriver 1-2 -
LED, light red -
ruler (cm) -
ruler (inches)
Available for around $20-$30 from Amazon, too.
As it is with Swiss products, the things in it actually do work quite well, despite seeming like a toy.
Funny thing is, I got so used to carrying it around, I forgot to remove it from wallet when going by plane. Security didn’t notice.
At some point I decided that the best wallet solution was to make my own using gaffers tape. It’s got a nicer feel to it than duct tape, and works just as well. I’ve been very happy and the thing has lated a couple of years now, with only minor patching (which isn’t noticeable… it’s just more tape).
I need: space for notes, a few coins, an SD card, somewhere to hook a tiny pen, 6+ credit card slots, somewhere to keep a plectrum (you always end up needing one if only to fix an ipod). This Visconti one does all that (this is mine, or close as dammit):
https://www.amazon.com/Visconti-MONZA-Italian-Glazed-Wallet/dp/B007KLCJXI
I have had the same super thin wallet, same maker I believe, since I read this article in NYT back in 2005:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/12/fashion/thursdaystyles/like-a-girdle-for-your-credit-cards.html
Granted I don’t put it in my back pocket, but it’s held up really well. I had a thin 8Gb hard drive from Lacie in it for years and it was still thinner than all other wallets.
I carry my drivers license, bank card, and some cash. That’s it.
I switched to one of these (a smallet) about two years ago. It’s awesome. I put change into my trouser pocket and when at home throw it into a box. When the box is full, I bring it to the bank and throw it into the counting machine which adds the amount to my account.
A vote for the view slimmy
http://www.koyono.com/ViewSlimmy-Thin-Front-Pocket-ID-Wallet-p/m17546w.htm
I have been using it for 3 years and no signs of wear. Never run out of room. Will never try anything else.
For a college student my wallets is surprisingly big and fat. I just wish it was the same way on the inside, I really need a new wallet.
Oh my goodness … I actually had something cool in my possession before Jeff Atwood declared that it was cool, causing an immediate, multi-month, worldwide shortage as his readers all rushed to buy it.
:
My dot matrix wallet arrived a couple of days ago. I love it! So much thinner than my old wallet, and as my Mum pointed out, if I ever get mugged I can pretend I don’t have a wallet on me 
Change? Change can go die in a fire (it seems an odd affectation to keep change in a wallet when pockets are available). I hate $1 coins, quarters are on the limit of usefulness, any other denomination of change is essentially a low grade ore that you need to mine for partial value at a coin-star machine.
I’m surprised by the tendency of so many people to keep truly gigantic wallets. For myself I just keep the bare essentials: ID, credit/debit cards, health insurance, car insurance, first aid/cpr certs, and some cash. I don’t keep silly things like membership and rewards cards for every store I shop at ever, those stay at home. If you plan a trip to a specific store or restaurant, bring the card, otherwise most of the time you can use a phone number to have your info looked up. Also, keeping receipts for everyday purchases is silly. The useful info is online with my bank anyway. On the rare occasion that you may actually need a receipt there’s certainly no reason to keep it in your wallet for months.
My dot matrix wallet arrived a couple of days ago. I love it!
I love my new timepieces more though: https://web.archive.org/web/20060320005937/http://www.vessel.com/prod_cur_tempo.html
I carry a pen like this: (dead link)
That’s a Mont Blanc pen refill, the sturdiest one I could find in one the store that fits inside the wire binding of my calendar. It even came with a disposable cap that I’m continuing to use. I keep this in my left rear pocket and my wallet in my right. No problems yet, and it’s very convenient.
Though I didn’t have many complaints about just carrying a pen in my left front pocket either. This was just optimizing for optimizing’s sake.