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electronic brain surgery since 2001

New Wallet

After I successfully revamped my key ring it was time to have a look at another part of my Every Day Carry: my wallet.

Until now I used a typical leather wallet with a lot of space for cards, coins, cash and whatever else you tend to cram into it. An always bulky thing, not too comfortable to keep in your jeans pocket.

So I was looking for something new. My requirements were simple: the new wallet should be smaller, be able to carry a lot of cards, able to hold cash in bills but not necessarily in coins. However the amount of cards I tend to have with me made it it quite hard to find something fitting. Most minimalist wallets go for 3 or 4 cards only.

But then I came across this blog post by Brian Green which recommended the Butterfly Wallet. For $12.951) it was a no-brainer to try (unlike some other real leather wallets I considered).

Just like Brian I was pretty skeptical when I got the flimsy looking nylon thingy. But after having it used for a week I'm convinced. The butterfly is a trifold with three pockets for (credit) cards and one large pocket at the back for cash. The following pictures should give you an idea of its size compared to my old, empty wallet.

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As you can see, each of the pockets hold several cards easily. The trick is to put the most used cards either at the front or back of the stacks for easy access. Here's a list of what I put where:

  • Left pocket
    • Debit card
    • Credit card
    • Car2Go membership card (car sharing)
    • Public transport ticket
  • Middle pocket
    • Video store membership card
    • Health care ID
    • ID card
    • Drivers license
    • Rail card
    • Sixt card (car rental rebates)
  • Right pocket
    • 2 business cards
    • Organ donor card
    • Barbershop bonus card
    • Restaurant bonus card
  • Large back pocket

My new wallet and key ring both fit comfortably in the same jeans front pocket, leaving the other for my mobile phone. So now I'm well prepared for the Summer when I can leave the house with no need for any extra pockets – jeans and t-shirt only. Did you hear me, Summer? I'm ready! Come on now! 8-)

Tags:
edc, wallet
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note that it easily fits Euro bills without folding, even though they are a bit larger than Dollar bills