Wallet recommendations for the extra cardy.

November 26, 2012 12:05 PM

I need a new wallet. Caveat: I currently carry 47 paper/plastic gift cards, credit cards, etc., and need something that will hold them all. I do not want a long "mom wallet."

For the last several years I've been using Loop NYC wallets like this -- this style was only produced for a year or two, so I have to scour Ebay for a new one when my wallet starts getting ratty. This wallet is great because there's a section for cash, four card slots on the left side (I squeeze 7 cards into the four slots) and a giant zippered section on the right that is probably made for change. I currently have 40 paper and plastic cards in there and it still zips shut. The two sides snap together to stay closed. This is basically my perfect wallet but the one I have now is made of some grody material that is peeling away from the wallet and it looks like crap, and I'm sick of having to look for one particular style when I need a new wallet.

Yesterday I was in Ross and spotted this Kipling New Money wallet which looks like it might be a good replacement, and reviews say that it lasts a long time without looking grungy. But what else is out there? I want to carry all my cards with me at once, I prefer a compartment that zippers shut somewhere on the wallet, and I want a short wallet, none of those long checkbook-sized ones.

posted by jabes to clothing, beauty, & fashion (18 answers total)

Consider a Big Skinny wallet. I either clicked a Metafilter ad, or followed a link from another user who liked them, and I've been very happy with mine. They have various men's and women's styles.
posted by emelenjr at 12:13 PM on November 26, 2012 [6 favorites]

i have something akin to this fossil wallet, and i've been quite happy with it. there's a bunch of hidey holes in it, and it holds all my stuff well.
posted by koroshiya at 12:15 PM on November 26, 2012

2nding the Big Skinny. I don't have 47 cards (!!!), but it's pretty great, and still manages to be pretty thin with all the stuff I cram into it. It has also lasted over 6 years now of not very gentle use (my fat ass sitting on it all day/everyday).
posted by Grither at 12:15 PM on November 26, 2012

Tangential, but if you have a smartphone you can use the Key Ring app to eliminate the need to carry many of those discount/store cards.
posted by Burhanistan at 12:15 PM on November 26, 2012 [13 favorites]

This may be too "mom wallet" but I bought this wallet before a long roadtrip, thinking it'd be good for dashing into gas stations, etc, and I'm still using it almost two years later. I love it and people are constantly looking at it going "damn, that's clever!"

I pretty much almost never put my cell phone in it except for that roadtrippy kind of situation, but I often keep extra but rarely-used cards, business cards, or a little notebook in that pocket.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:19 PM on November 26, 2012

I have a Mighty Wallet. It's freakishly durable - I've had it for a year and no rips or wear in sight and I'm super rough with all of my things.

However, it does lack both a zipper and a change compartment, but honestly, I've never had issues with anything falling out. I don't carry nearly as many cards as you do but I image the more you carry the less of a problem it becomes.
posted by electriic at 12:34 PM on November 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

I did a search for 'tyvek wallet' on etsy...no zippers but worth mentioning. No change compartment but I've never had anything fall out and I get compliments all the time! there are several styles to choose from, too.

The only downside is that people ALWAYS ask if I made it myself (I am otherwise very crafty but it's strangers and friends alike who ask me this and respond the exact same way), I have to explain that 'no, I bought it on etsy'
'why don't you just lie and tell people you made it?'
'Because then they'd probably ask me to make them one'

I figured it'd be better to support an etsy store than nicking 3 tyvek envelopes from the post office and botching the first few attempts.
posted by leemleem at 12:51 PM on November 26, 2012

I've got a Buxton wizard accordion wallet that I've had for nearly a decade and it is nowhere close to wearing out. I've got 30 cards in it now and I'm sure I could stuff another 17 in it, plus folding money and coins. I find the accordion style makes it pretty easy to find the card you need even if you're carrying a lot of them. The size is pretty compact for a capacious wallet.
posted by drlith at 1:11 PM on November 26, 2012

I will caution against one thing.

God help you if you get pickpocketed, your whole life is in one spot.

It happened to me once. Now I spread things around. I don't carry all of my cards around with me.

My checkbook is one place, my cards another and most of my cards are at home.

Just a thought.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:15 PM on November 26, 2012 [3 favorites]

What Ruthless Bunny said. Think of your credit cards as money; would you carry that much cash around with you everywhere? Is it necessary to have gift cars with you until you use them? Consider putting some of that valuable stuff in your old billfold store in a drawer at home.
posted by Cranberry at 2:35 PM on November 26, 2012

I am obsessed with Hobo wallets. I have a long wallet but they have tons of different styles. They look great and are designed very intuitively.

http://www.hobobags.com/accessories_wallets_compact/pl/c/30.html
posted by amycup at 2:38 PM on November 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'll poke around and see if any of them look like they'll work.

Ruthless Bunny and others, a lot of the stuff I carry around are loyalty cards from stores, frequent flyer cards, my Sam's Club card I use once a year, etc., things that would be irritating but not life-destroying if lost. I actually keep most of my gift cards at home, and my checkbook in a separate place, but I should probably see if I can whittle my stash down a bit.
posted by jabes at 3:15 PM on November 26, 2012

I asked this question somewhat recently, and went with a Big Skinny -- I've been happy ever since.
posted by AzraelBrown at 4:22 PM on November 26, 2012

The card cubby holds about 40 plastic cards.
posted by xyzzy at 6:45 PM on November 26, 2012

I have this one and totally love it
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:05 PM on November 26, 2012

I keep my loyalty cards in a little pouch in my purse. Of course, then you have to carry a purse. But it is easier not to have an overfull wallet.
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:54 PM on November 26, 2012

Perhaps something from All-Ett would work. I've had good experiences with their men's items, and in terms of thickness they are superior to Big Skinny.
posted by meowzilla at 11:30 PM on November 26, 2012

So the boyfriend surprised me last night by picking up the Kipling wallet I was ogling over the weekend. It held all 47 cards!! I went through them and discarded about 10-15 and it's much more compact now than my old wallet. Cash is a bit hard to get in and out because the wallet is made of nylon but I rarely use cash anyway. Thanks everyone for sharing your ideas!
posted by jabes at 9:30 AM on November 27, 2012