looking for wallet alternatives

W

Will

Joined
Jan 4, 2003
Messages
659
I am sick of carrying around a wallet. It it too bulky and uncomfortable, and I worry about having it pick pocketed. I have been thinking about easier to carry/harder to steal alternatives. I don't carry very much around, and am looking for something that can hold several cards, and a few bills.

I looked at ankle holster type travel wallets, but that isn't practical on a day to day basis. I also looked at the neck tpye, but they tend to be sized for passports which is bigger than I want. Can anyone suggest something that can be, and would be comfortable to carry clipped it the wasteband? It seems that that would be reasonably easy to access and hard to steal. Another idea is a money clip with card holder, but I am not sure how I would carry that. It could be easily picked from a back pocket, or could fall out of a front pocket when sitting down. I wonder if I could use the clip part of it to clip to the wasteband.

Unfortunately living in Canada much of our currency in coins, which presents another problem. I am not sure how I will deal with that. Right now I have a coin poutch in my wallet, which is convient, but it gets to full to fast and gets way to heavy and bulky. For now I think I will keep the coins seperate from the cards/bills.

Any suggestions? How do you guys carry your money/cards?

Will
 
Take a look at Chris Reeve's Wallet/Coin purse. It is compact and can easily hold a few cards and bills (folded in half) in the front pocket and coins in back, easy to get at by sliding them out onto the flap.

The Mission Wallet is smaller but thicker, and has slots outside that you might not need (for a small knife, flashlight, cards).

What I use is slightly larger than a Mission Wallet, and is really meant as a coin purse. But I slide my ID and other cards in it and put my bills, folded in half, behind them, all easily accessible. There is a separate zippered compartment in front that holds my coins. Unfortunately, it's not a standard item, just something a local store stocks for about $7. :)

All three of these are leather.
 
There is the jimi wallet which is able to hold a variety of bills and cards in a slim package. Due to its size; however, you probably couldn't hold a plethora of coins. On the plus side, it does have a hole so that a lanyard or key chain could be attached allowing you to wear the device around your neck should you chose.

The bungee card case is another option that is also relatively slim. While still slim the device is able to carry more coins compared to the jimi wallet. Here is a review from another forum member.

Already mentioned was the mission wallet which has received a variety of glowing reviews. If you search mission wallet you'll find more posts and reviews than you'll know what to do with. It can be purchased from bladeart

You could also purchase a chained wallet. This would ensure that the wallet stay in your front/back/side/corner pocket.
 
There are many styles to choose from. You essentially tradeoff capacity for convenience. Another advantage of a front pocket wallet is that it's more difficult for pick pockets to access. Here's a review I did of the Dopp front pocket getaway wallet, an inexpensive and highly rated alternative to a normal bifold or trifold. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2335134&postcount=1

And here's a look at the front

9892_xlrg.jpg


And the back.

9892_axlrg.jpg


I've had mine for several years now and it's holding up great. I also considered the Bosca Weekend Wallet.

http://www.ebags.com/bosca/nappa_vitello_weekend_wallet/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=63973

But it was twice the price of the Dopp.

One product that I didn't see when I was searching was Captain William Front Pocket Wallet

frontpocketwallet.jpg


I think if I were buying today, I would consider the Captain William very seriously. It looks well made and more stylish than my Dopp.

Tom
 
Fossil also offers several front pocket wallets. I have used this one before and it worked great. One of these accompanied by a coin holder of some kind would work well.
 
I can't recommend a product, but I am much happier with my traditional wallet after cleaning out all of the crap. Photos, certifications and membership cards, store cards, extra credit cards, etc. - all gone and not missed.

-Bob
 
What about belt carry, something with a belt loop and a button flap over the top. with space to carry cards and bills.

perhaps you could mod this
 
For belt carry, there's Spec-Ops T.H.E. Wallets, large and small. Too much bulk relative to capacity, for me. There's also the Maxpedition belt wallets, also fairly bulky.
 
our own Vadim Grynko makes a great wallet. vessleatherworks.com I believe.

I got him started on them, requested for my family. Got 4 of the card holder(3 standard and 1-2thickness), and a custom bifold[my father's bday gift last year].

The 4 card holders will do 6-7 cards, or 4 cards and a couple bills folded up.

Right now I have in the 2 thickness one(my liscence fits smoothly in the thin wider layer) [from the bottom]: drivers liscence, caa, movie card, couple bills, student id and bank card.

coins are taken care of with an 8 coin holder, and the fact that I don't carry change smaller than a quarter in that pocket.
 
There's also the Taxi Wallet, which can be worn snapped over a belt. There are different models, from the original, about $50 to cheaper versions form other companies.
 
Hi All-

Regardless of wallet model chosen...it is critical to weed-out the unnecessary junk as mentioned by Bob W. earlier in the thread. It is amazing what preparedness-minded people will continue to carry for years and years on end.

Secondly, wallets belong in front pockets whenever you're around other people. Pickpockets are so amazingly slick that they can be in and out of a coat or rear pocket faster than can be believed. A coworker of mine got robbed while walking in a group and didn't even realize it. Don't tempt fate by putting your wallet within reach of others.

~ Blue Jays ~
 
One reason I carry my "coin purse" wallet is that it shows nothing to anyone near me. When you open a regular wallet to reach for bills, your credit cards are on view, your ID is probably showing. I only take out what I need to, and everything else is stacked inside, invisible.

A coin purse also doesn't suggest that it's got anything much worth stealing, since it doesn't look like a real wallet.

And it always goes into my front pocket! My Chris Reeve Wallet/Coin purse sometimes goes in a buttoned shirt pocket for spending cash. I would never put a wallet on my belt.
 
I like my Spec Ops THE Wallet. I've got the little one. It took some getting used to the size, but it's really not that bulky now that I'm used to it. I've even got spare house and car keys in it and it doesn't add too much weight or bulk. Of course, other than the keys, all that's in there are a spare $20 and a check in the zippered inner compartment and my license and debit card and right now, $7 in cash in the main compartment.

It can be worn around the neck, though I don't see why you'd want to.

I keep mine in my front pocket. But, I don't carry much in my pockets at all. My right pocket has my clipped folder, cell phone and change; and the left one is my wallet and a slipjoint in the bottom. So I can get away with carrying that large wallet and not feel overloaded.

In high school, a friend and I were debating whether it was better to have the wallet in the back or front pocket. I've always been a front pocket person... easier to get too and more secure. He was of the back pocket persuasion and swore that no one could get his wallet out of his back pocket if his shirt was untucked. I said that I'd have it by the end of the day.

Truth of the matter is, I had it within ten minutes of that conversation (I won't divluge my methods, needless to say I'd never actually pick a pocket, just that one time for demonstration purposes... back then I had other ways of making things hard for people). He was in panic mode at lunch when he couldn't find his wallet, I asked what was wrong and he said he lost his wallet somewhere. I kinda smirked and handed it to him.

He converted to front pocket at that moment.
 
You did him a favor.

One advantage to large wallets is that they are harder to lift, front pocket OR back.
 
I own about a drawer full of wallets ranging from Fossils all the way up to Louis Vuitton and Gucci. If you are worried about pickpockets, go for a small combination bill/card front pocket wallet or a pouch design like the Chisco Marsupial which can also hold keys. Larger wallets are probably more difficult to steal but I wouldn't stake my identity on it. Plus, they suck in dress pants. What about carrying your wallet in a secured breast pocket?
Matt
 
With a traditional wallet, you can conceal how much money you have in the pocket and just pull out what you need. When I see people with money clips, they all seem to pull out a huge stack of bills, shuffle through the stack in plain view, then put back what they don't need. Everyone's eyes are pulled right to that. Not good to advertise.

By the way, are any crooks still subtle enough to pick pockets? The style these days seems to be beat someone down in the parking lot at the grocery, shopping mall, theatre or wherever and take what they want.
 
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