I was recently told by my physical therapist (scolded, actually) about keeping a two inch thick wallet in my back pocket. It’s bad for posture and contributed to my back pain—or at least wasn’t helping.
So I set out on a quest to find a good quality wallet that would work for me. I quickly discovered that there’s a cottage industry in “skinny” wallets. I also discovered that most of them are weird, badly made, or not so skinny.
To make a skinny wallet work I had to make the following changes:
- I had to carry fewer cards and sundry items.
- I had to get use to carrying the wallet in my front pants pocket.
- I had to stop carrying paper money in the wallet.
The last one was easy. I have almost always carried singles, one dollar bills, in my right front pocket in a money clip. I just adjusted my behavior so that I carry ALL of my paper money this way. I like carrying paper bills in my money clip (and I’ll talk more about this tomorrow).
Carrying a wallet in my front pocket is weird. I’m still not used to it after three weeks. But I’m growing used to the “naked” feeling of not carrying around a large block in my back pocket. The carrying fewer cards part was easier than I thought. I simply pulled out all of my cards, sorted down to the essential ones, then sorted down again. I carry a single, folded 3×5 index card so that I can capture ideas on the run, but that’s it. I also have taken to carrying a Field Notes book and my Wallet pen clipped inside.
My pick for the ideal skinny wallet for me is the Saddleback ID Wallet in chestnut. It is VERY small. But it is also very well made of really good quality leather.
And it has a 100 year warranty.
Mine is still too stiff to easily get paper money in and out of the center cash slot. That’s where I’m carrying my index card. The wallet feels substantial, but not thick at all. It barely increased in width when loaded up with the base 7 cards I need to carry with me.
I found the $29 price to be fair, and more than fair for what I consider a little bit of luxury. That’s a secret to making a change like this: make the change to something luxurious, special, or really desirable. If I’d changed to a nylon wallet I’d have felt cheated and cheapened. With this item I feel like I got a treat. It’s made the change easier.
I’ve found the Saddleback Leather company’s story really interesting and have lusted after their goods for some time. I was happy to finally treat myself to something from their catalog (probably one of their least expensive items). I’ll be looking forward to acquiring more in the future.
I highly recommend this wallet. It’s well-made, good-looking, durable, and would make a great gift for someone who wanted to make a change to a skinny wallet.
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