Ultralight Wallet

[Ross Bleakney]

I have a Simblissity wallet that is falling apart. I kept hoping they would sell more, but that just isn’t happening. So, I’m in the market for a new wallet. The features I really like about the Simblissity wallet are:

1. It is really light (less than an ounce).
2. It is a real wallet. It is easy for me to pull out the proper amount of cash, the way I would with a regular wallet.
3. It has a separate pocket for credit cards.
4. It has a change pocket.
5. It has a lanyard loop. This is probably the most important feature, as it allows me to hang the wallet off of a hook inside my pack (using a tiny carabiner).

Does anyone know where I can get something similar? If not, any recommendations for something that is at least adequate?

[Ben H.]

Hawbuck sells a Global wallet that is a little wider.  You could use that room to attach the lanyard.  It doesn’t have a change pocket though :(

https://www.hawbuck.camp/wallets/leanglobalh08blackdyneemawallet

MLD does custom work and sells a Dyneema wallet:

https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/custom-gear-payment/

https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/simple-ul-wallet/

 

*note: I don’t have a dyneema wallet and have never purchased from either of these companies.

 

[Andrew C]

If it wasn’t for the lanyard loop, the Flowfold Traveler Tri-fold would have you covered.  I have the card holder and 3 pocket wallet and love them.

[S Long]

It’s not for everyone, but i don’t carry a conventional wallet. I use an RF blocking Tyvek sleeve for my ID and debit card. Everything else gets carried loose in my pocket as needed for whatever trip or errand I am on. I haven’t had any problems with this setup in years and years of using it. Might be dependent on what pants you like to wear whether or not stuff is prone to falling out of your pocket. Anyway, it’s difficult to get lighter than a basic Tyvek sleeve.

[J R]

Matt at Zen Backpacks made me one earlier this year. He was advertising wallets he was making in this thread:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/fs-zen-backpacks-minimalist-wallet-14-shipped/

But the one I got isn’t the fold-over design shown in that thread, it’s a true wallet with a bill compartment and two credit card/ID slots:

DCF material, weighs 0.2 oz, super thin, fine workmanship, good price. He offered a choice of colors, I chose orange to make it easily visible. Sadly, Matt has since taken his website down, and I don’t know if he is still open to making wallets and other items.

I find that I use it for shorter trips and/or trips that mix front- and backcountry, where I’m more likely to be pulling it out more frequently at restaurants, gas stations and shops. For longer backpacking trips where I’ll stash my money and ID and not touch it for days, I’m more likely to go with a snack-size ziploc.

EDIT: When I was searching for a UL wallet, besides Zen I also found Hawbuck, MLD, Zpacks, and Olde Dog, not much else. A simple UL wallet also wouldn’t be hard to DIY.

[Robert Spencer]

I have had the HMG wallet for several years and it does the job on a daily basis. Conventional sleeve for bills and slots for several cards. Lightweight, well made and durable.  Sorry, but no lanyard or compartment for coins, at least on my model, but worth considering.

[David Thomas]

I just cut Tyvek to size and assemble the wallet with package sealing tape.  Let me know if you want me to US Mail you a square foot or two of Tyvek.

Or, with or without debating the morality of it all, FedEx envelopes are (1) free, (2) Tyvek, and (3) have two edges already sealed if you cut in from a corner.   Some CD/CD-ROM envelopes are another possible source of Tvyek, at least for the smaller version I describe below.

For backpacking, I make a card-credit sized single compartment for DL, CC, and a few bills folded up.  I’ve done some with just a snug fit and others with a flap that tapers to a narrow band that threads through slots in the body of the pouch.  If it ends up a little too loose, you can store your BandAids or a small square of fire-starting waxed paper in there to make it snug enough.

The one I make for travel is more like my usual wallet with space for unfolded bills and 2 compartments for CCs, DL, etc.  That is then my hidden wallet with my actual DL, CC, ATM card and big bills.  My decoy wallet is my usual, thicker, leather one with an old DL, defunct CCs, library card, small bills, etc.  I carry the decoy wallet in my usual back pocket and use it to buy lunch and gelato and bus fare.  The small one, tucked much deeper, only needs to come out when paying for lodging, rental car, or a nice dinner.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Look on Etsy. Do a search in the bar for dyneema composite fabric and I think you’ll find a few wallets.

[Ross Bleakney]

Oh, man, so many great wallets, but none with a (lanyard) loop. Likewise, a lot of great pouches with loops, but none are real wallets. I like the ZPacks pouch (great price, too) but I think I’ll go with the MLD wallet, and add some loops. If I add a loop on each side, I can put the loops through each other, keeping the wallet together when I hang it inside my pack (or off my key chain).

[Jerry Adams]

ziploc bag

I use a food saver (daisy seal a meal) to make it to size

Every few months a make a new one.

I used to just use backpacking, but after a trip I said why bother putting back into my regular wallet

[Wes Cox]

Ross, if you aren’t in a hurry, let me take a look at this. I’m committed to having the best and most thorough lineup of DCF wallets. Early this year I was working on a Tri-fold, mostly for Europe, with a coin pocket in the center section. I made a few prototypes and carried one for a bit. I developed and tweaked the design quite a bit, not quite production ready but close. I liked the Tri-fold for a wallet with coins for two reasons:

1. If you go to Tri-fold, you can carry large banknotes more compactly. This suits the cash mix of Europe well, (Large notes and coins) and gives you a global wallet.
2. The coins are so disproportionately heavy, placing them in a central (of 3) segments gives the best balance for handling, as opposed to having coins on one side (of 2, imbalanced).

I stopped development because I couldn’t work through the logic of coins in a lightweight wallet. In the prototypes, the euro coins were so heavy and thick that it destroyed the comfort of the wallet in your back pocket. Also, the weight of coins ran counter to the point of a lightweight wallet. But, in the scenario that you describe, where the wallet is hanging in your bag, the comfort is removed from the question. Coins are heavy, no matter how we carry them. I suppose if we are going to have coins, we may as well carry heavy coins in a lightweight container, rather than heavy coins in a heavy container.

So, maybe I should add the lanyard/loop to the design I was working on earlier in the year? If you have time, I’ll make and send a prototype for you to test.

[SIMULACRA]

I used to be on the search for the best SUL wallet and couldn’t find anything that filled all my requirements. Much of the same above. Then I just looked outside of the box and realized that a plastic ziplock bag is all you really need. But I wanted something more substantial than that, so I opted for Zpacks Stove Stuff Sack. At 2.8g it fit my ideal a SUL. It’s small (3.5″x5.5″), compact, durable, secures all those financial valuables as well as my keys. And being a stuff sack with a drawstring can be hung inside the bag by a carabiner

[Ross Bleakney]

@Wes — I would say that a coin pocket is probably the least important feature. I kind of regret mentioning it. On rare occasions it is handy, for something not money related (e. g. a button). I’m an American, and deal mostly with American currency. That means that I don’t carry that many coins (since they typically aren’t worth much) and it means that my bills are all the same size. I would say that the main features I really like in an ultralight wallet are, in order:

1. Lanyard loop. I decided to order the ZPacks pouch for now, just because it is light and functional, and has a loop.
2. Bills go in flat. I prefer bi-fold, but tri-fold is probably OK. The main thing is that I can take it out of my pocket and easily go through my bills in a relatively discreet but handy manner.
3. Separate pocket for credit cards. These last two go together — once I have these features, it feels like a “real” wallet.
4. Wallet folds over, so that if you hang it from the lanyard, the money or cards can’t slip out. A rubber band can work for this, so this isn’t as important as the other features. Typically this is accomplished with velcro, and since most velcro eventually wears out, a rubber band will have to be used eventually. The double loop idea I mentioned might work well though and be essentially permanent.

That is pretty much it. A change pocket is nice, but for the reasons you mentioned, I don’t really use it that much. Sometimes I kind of regret it. I’ll go to the store, put change in the wallet, and forget about it. Next thing you know I’m carrying around change in my “ultralight” wallet. If I just throw my change in my pocket (the alternative) then I typically take it out when I get home.

I guess I should mention that I dayhike a lot more than I backpack. My main (heavy) wallet has lots of cards, room for cash and a change pocket.. It is what I use for around town. But when backpacking, I move my credit card, cash card and I. D. to my backpack wallet, along with some cash (but no change). I then attach the wallet to my house key and whatever car I’m driving (assuming I’m driving). This combination of keys and wallet is what goes into my pocket. It is hard to lose. I will often drive with the wallet dangling below the key. When I get home, I may move my credit cards back to main wallet (since it is much easier to get them out) or I may just keep them in my hiking wallet. Either way, I grab both wallets for around town. Even if the hiking wallet is completely empty, it serves as a (lightweight) way to prevent me from spacing out and losing my keys.

Along with the ZPacks pouch, I also ordered the MLD wallet. At some point I’m going to try and add a couple lanyard loops. I would be willing to give your wallet a try, though, if you want. I could always just sell (or give away) the MLD wallet.

 

[SIMULACRA]

Early on I did try out one of Allet’s slim wallets for backpacking. Was recommended to them by Dutchware when they were out of Lukes Ultralite wallets and hadn’t started making their own back in the day. They do have quite a selection. The credit card slots have a slight rubber lining on the edge to keep the cards from slipping out. Not sure if it’s right for you. Over all I still have the wallet as my daily carry around town. Was looking for a slim light wallet that could fit in my front pocket. They can be kind of flimsy and hard to get at first. But like Garth says about underwear, “At first they’re constrictive, but then they become a part of you.” Check them out.

[Wes Cox]

@rossbleakney Makes sense about the coins. Much easier for us to toss them all in the first tip jar we see, but in Europe they are hard to avoid. I saw you were in the US but thought you might be planning a hike / travels in Europe.

Since coins may be dispensed of, I think all four points you mention can be achieved with a variant of my “H01 Lean Wallet”, so I’m going to investigate how I may add the lanyard and closure this layout. Earlier in this week I had a customer recommend that I add a lanyard on the H01, the same style lanyard as I use on my “H10 Bowline Passport Wallet”— so you aren’t the only one with this use preference. I’ll work on this problem, and post back here if I develop anything that seems worthwhile.

[Ross Bleakney]

I think I saw those. Awfully nice wallets, but none have a (lanyard) loop.

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