Wallets are the original everyday carry. Right next to our keys and phone, as guys we bring wallets everywhere we go. It keeps our ID, cards (and sometimes cash) organized and easy to find.

　　To find the best wallets for 2024, we browsed brand offerings, spoke with industry insiders, and scoured the internet to find the best options available. We then narrowed our search by capping our spend at $150. A good wallet can last a lifetime and it should reduce financial stress. Wed rather keep more cash in the wallet instead of on the purchase.

　　What makes the perfect wallet? We look at materials, cut, construction, and general usability. To test the wallets, we study the technical details then slot them full with cards and cash, and pocket them to tease out their strengths and weaknesses. A good wallet keeps everything in reach and secures your cards without being too fussy. In short, it should be an extension of your everyday life that works with your lifestyle.

　　Our wallet buyer guide focuses on bonafide wallets — the heavy hitters for carrying cards and cash. Its fair to say the 400-year tradition of carrying a wallet is likely following the trend of petrol automobiles, Necco wafers, and Huy Fong Sriracha. So lets make the best of it. Bi-fold, tri-fold, mid, trucker — weve curated the top wallet options available for men in 2024. And if you buy right, this may very well be the last wallet youll ever need.

　　With more options than ever to keep your cash these days, our guide culls the best from the spare change, pointing you in the right direction. If youre just coming into the age where a wallet becomes necessary (or have avoided one until now), consider reading up on the finer points in our Buyers Guide and FAQ sections, or weigh your options with our Comparison Chart. Otherwise, settle up and read on.

　　Best Mens Wallets of 2024 Best Overall Mens Wallet: Bellroy Hide Seek Best Budget Mens Wallet: Herschel Roy Best Leather Mens Wallet: Tanner Goods Utility Bifold Best Synthetic Mens Wallet: Pioneer Carry Flyfold Best Minimal Mens Wallet: Distal Wally Bifold 5 Best Overall Mens Wallet Bellroy Hide Seek Specs Material Premium eco-tanned leather Card Slots 7, plus extra Cash Sleeve 2 Slide Pockets N/A Weight 2.0 oz. Size 4.5 x 3.2 inches RFID Blocking Yes

　　Pros Hidden sleeve stores large bills and coins Fantastic leather feel Slim design remains slim when filled Cons Folding flap covering hidden cash sleeve is fidgety Coin purse feels bulky when filled with currency and is cumbersome to access Steve Graepel Any good wallet can hold your cards and cash. A truly great wallet does this with thoughtful, user-inspired design. A bellwether of minimal, modern design, the Bellroy Hide Seek ($89) packs a lot of cool functionality in a slim wallet, making it our top wallet for 2024.

　　Open the wallet and your high-use cards are on display like a museum. Three on the right, one on the left, there are no slide pockets under the middle panel, so the cards card sleeves sit front and center on an uncluttered, smooth, one-piece panel.

　　True to the name, the Hide Seek utilized spaces you didn’t think you needed. An extra stealth card slot hides inside panel with the cash sleeve. Open the cash sleeve, and a second cash sleeve tucks under a leather flap, with an additional card sleeve tucked hidden away. A multipurpose card sleeve is sewn into the cash sleeve divider and can hold a handful of second-tier cardsthose cards you occasionally need, but want to have on hand. The sleeves are all cut with minimal tolerance, securing the cards in place.

　　The combination of quick grab-and-go sleeves plus hidden sleeves makes the Hide Seek a great choice for those who carry large bills or high-limit business cards that only see occasional use.

　　Our lead wallet man-on-the-ground, Steve Grapel, recently traveled to Sayulita, Mexico where cash is king. Credit cards simply aren’t taken, and Steve had to carry a stack of bills to pay his way through the week. He would tuck the larger $500MXD in the back panel and keep the smaller bills up front — limiting potentially dropping a $500MXD when fumbling for cash and ensuring discretion on the street.

　　The rub is that if you need to access those extra hidden sleeves regularly, these far-away corners in the wallet can be cumbersome to reach. There are plenty of options to cache bills and plastic, so this shouldn’t be an issue. The hidden coin purse tucked away is similarly tough to wrangle change from, and we generally avoid keeping much in there.

　　The premium leather is constructed from environmentally certified leather sourced from Leather Working Group gold-rated tanneries. In short, its a consortium of tanneries that keep high environmental and labor standards. We particularly liked that the wallet’s edges are cut on the round, resisting catching on pockets.

　　Even though the wallet holds a substantial amount of contents, the Bellroy Hide Seek remains a svelte wallet, even when fully slotted. Which, in the end, is what we all want anyway.

　　Check Price at BackcountryCheck Price at Amazon Best Budget Mens Wallet Herschel Roy Specs Material 600D recycled EcoSystem nylon Card Slots 6 Cash Sleeve 1 Slide Pockets 2 Weight 2.0 oz. Size 4.2 x 3.5 inches RFID Blocking Yes

　　Pros Durable recycled outer material Thin profile Bargain price 15 color options Cons Synthetic material is less formal Steve Graepel The lowest price can bring a lot of surprise and compromise. We were pleased to see the quality of build and stoutness of Herschel’s Roy in a wallet frequently selling well under the list price of $30.

　　On the outside, the Roy looks like your traditional wallet. Open the wallet and you will see the cash sleeve and slide pockets lined with a bright candy stripe material. A small tag of the stripe material is sewn into the edge of the wallet for just a touch of flair.

　　We often see bright liners sewn inside backpacks and bike packing bags. The lighter color brightens dark spaces, making it easier to see the contents in dim conditions. It’s a nice touch and the Roy is the only wallet on our list that does this.

　　Six slots are horizontally sewn into the wallet, over two larger multi-use slide pockets. When opened, the cash sleeve yawns open like it should, making it easier to access your cash.

　　This synthetic wallet feels like a heavy Cordura, but it’s not. The Vancouver, B.C. brand incorporates environmentally conscious materials and sources the fabric from recycled water bottles. Fortunately, we don’t have to pay a lot to reduce our carbon footprint.

　　The Herschel Roy retails for $30 but can be found on Amazon for just under $15, which makes this an easy decision if pennies are tight. Herschel also sells the Roy in vegan leather ($40) and a TPU-coated weatherproof wallet ($38) — either are an excellent buy.

　　$18 at AmazonCheck Price at Herschel Best Leather Mens Wallet Tanner Goods Utility Bifold Specs Material 3.5 oz. natural tooling leather  Card Slots 4 Slide Pockets 2 Cash Sleeve yes Weight 3.0 oz. Size 4.2 x 3.2 inches RFID Blocking No

　　Pros Full grain veg-tanned leather High quality build Handcrafted by machine in U.S.A. Cons Takes a while to break in Trends bulky Steve Graepel At some point in your life, you should own a high-quality, vegetable-tanned leather wallet. We recommend one from Tanner Goods, and the Utility Bifold ($130) is about as good as it gets.

　　“Veg-tanned” leather is treated with natural tannins found in bark and grasses that preserve the leather. Using organic agents, the tanning process skirts toxic chemicals and is better for the environment. Instead, organic tannins adhere to the collagen proteins in the hide, leaving them less water-soluble and more resistant to bacteria.

　　The hide looks untouched, and ages over time. The leather eventually gets that aged patina look from the oils on your hands and rubbing against the material in your pocket.

　　The Utility Bifold is your standard, ‘traditional’ bifold wallet. With four card sleeves, two hidden multipurpose slide pockets, and a large cash sleeve, this shouts ‘dad wallet.’ The Utility Wallet is great not because of all the whizbang design, but because it’s holding onto the tradition of fine leatherwork.

　　The 3.5-grain leather is stout but flexible. The slots and sleeves are machine-cut and sewn together with a hearty nylon cord. All the edges are burnished and waxed, giving them longevity and a smooth edge to pocket. The stiffness out of the gate is pretty stout, so it will take some time for the leather to break in.

　　This is a burly wallet, but by no means the fattest of the wallets we’ve seen. For one, it is still a bifold and the leather feels pliable in the hand. Over time, the leather feels smooth and supple. The limited card slots also prevent you from overstuffing the wallet with too much credit.

　　At $125, the Tanner Goods Utility Bifold is not a cheap wallet. But if you admire traditional craftsmanship and the finer things, this wallet becomes part of your personality and will do so for years to come.

　　$125 at AmazonCheck Price at Tanner Goods Best Synthetic Mens Wallet Pioneer Carry Flyfold Specs Material 10XD — ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene that is 10x stronger than steel Card Slots 2 slide pockets, with room for 8 cards each Cash Sleeve yes Weight 1.2 oz. Size 4.2 x 3.2 inches RFID Blocking Yes

　　Pros Very durable Waterproof material with a DWR finish Inwardly facing card slots can hold lots of cards (up to 16) Minimal and futuristic Also available in a matte 3-ply material Cons Expensive Slick material did drop a card Maybe too deconstructed for some Thin material takes away from the structure, making handling cash harder Steve Graepel Stripping down the bifold to the basics and wrapping what’s left in a durable synthetic material, the Pioneer Carry Flyfold ($85) is a cool-as-hell wallet that is virtually indestructible.

　　Pioneer Carry’s North Star is textile science, and this shows in the material choices made with their bill-folds. The Flyfold is constructed from a proprietary ballistic polymer that is reputedly 10 times stronger than steel. Were no man of steel, but it clearly feels like a high-strength cash slinger. And it made for a good daily carry while logging hours in the saddle this spring.

　　A touch narrower and much slimmer than a traditional leather wallet, the Flyfold is a more minimalist wallet. With two card slots and a single cash sleeve, it’s on the edge of minimal. That said, the card sleeves can slot a stack of plastic. In fact, it works better with more cards than less. We filled ours up with nine on each side, and there was still room to spare. Loaded, the wallet takes on more form and locks in your credit more securly.

　　If you want a more insular card-carrying slot solution, we recommend looking at Pioneers Division wallet. The rub is, we found the synthetic material to be slick. One card popped out while testing the Flyfold. The saving grace is that all of the card slots face inward on the Flyfold. The Division slots the cards in horizontally stacked sleeves, which exposes cards to slide out.

　　Being synthetic and ultra-thin, the Pioneer Carry Flyfold feels futuristic. Pure functional need drives the deconstructed form. It’s a back-to-the-basics bifold that shouts brutalist inspiration. It’s also very easy to carry a stack of plastic and incredibly durable on the road. We like to carry this wallet while backpacking and on bike rides that involve sweat, wear and tear, and a potential rain shower that might work against a more traditional leather wallet.

　　Check Price at Pioneer Carry Best Minimal Mens Wallet Distal Wally Bifold 5.0 Specs Material Full-grain leather  Card Slots 4 Cash Sleeve Clip Weight 2.0 oz. Size 4.2 x 3 inches RFID Blocking Yes

　　Pros Pocketable size fits great in front pockets Thin profile Very secure Easy to count cash Cons Magnet system can be hard to work with Can be hard to pull cash out from under the clip Steve Graepel GearJunkie has an entire buyers guide dedicated to minimalist wallets, where we listed the aluminum Ridge Wallet as our favorite of the bunch. This guide punches a little higher in carry-ability, and one of the cooler — but still minimal — designs we saw this year comes from Distal, with its Wally Bifold 5.0 ($89).

　　A truly minimalist wallet, the Wally doesn’t have a cash sleeve, and clips currency under the center stainless spring clip. Open the Wally and it’s impossible to miss it.

　　For more everyday carry, the Wally has two card sleeves on the inside. Each can slot four cards with no problem. But you don’t even need to open the wallet to access more frequently used cards. Color-coded nylon tabs sit on the outside of each side of the wallet — one matches the wallet color, and the other is red. Pull the tabs to extract another set of 4 cards tucked away inside the wallet sidewalls. Color coding helps visual learners recall what we tucked away where. And we loved that these pull tabs are magnetic as well, preventing them from flopping around or inadvertently pulling out.

　　The Wally is also the most secure wallet we tested. From time to time, we found a card popping out of a slot in other wallets. But that’s impossible with the Wally. MagLoc magnet tabs snap the wallet sleeves shut, keeping everything safely tucked away. When slotted with cards, you can bypass the pull tab and simply squeeze the wallet to open up the outer slots. The wallet automatically snaps back shut.

　　This minimal bifold is wrapped in a buttery soft leather hide and sits a good half-inch shorter than the standard 4.5” x 3.5” size wallet. The combination feels great in the hand and slides easily into the front pocket without feeling too unsubstantial (one gripe we have with the Ridge is that it is both small and yet bulky).

　　If you primarily carry cards and only occasionally use cash, this is a great wallet to split the difference with a bias towards plastic. Pinned under a clip, tender is easy to sort through and see what you have on hand. It can be a little difficult to pull paper bills out of the clip. Being the minimalist type of guy he is, the Distal Wally Bifold 5.0 will likely become the new everyday carry of our wallet expert.

　　Distal Union thrives in exploring better solutions for everyday carry and have a knack for classy, useful product design. In addition to the Wally, we have been looping their MagLock sunglasses, and magnetic KeyLoop kit into our daily EDC rotation.

　　$89 at AmazonCheck Price at Distil Best of the Rest Claasico Slim Bifold RFID Wallet Specs Material Leather Card Slots 7 Cash Sleeve 2 Slide Pockets 2 Weight 2.3 oz. Size 4.5 x 3.5 inches RFID Blocking Yes

　　Pros Durable Lots of storage, including hidden sleeves 12 color options Clear ID card slot Cons Leather feels slick and unnatural Steve Graepel With multiple slots and a pair of cash sleeves, the Claasico Slim Bifold ($28) is a solid upgrade from a canvas wallet. The full-grain leather is a big contributor here. Sure, it may be your first job, but with this leather wallet, you can still join the team for lunch and look good paying for it.

　　With nine card slots in total, there is ample room to keep your credit. Additional cards can be tucked in the hidden multipurpose sleeves that sit under the card slot panel. For more card storage, a pair of hidden card slots hide behind the second cash sleeve.

　　While not truly hidden as Bellroy’s Hide Seek, the additional slots and sleeves help itemize your currency. And given the Hide Seek doesn’t have a multipurpose slide pocket for extra cards, the Claasico gives you more flexibility to store receipts and extra cards.

　　But it’s still a $30 wallet. The leather feels a bit unnaturally slick, and the sidewall has a semi-ridged insert that makes it feel stiff. It’s just not as refined a wallet and doesn’t feel as comfortable in the hand. But if you are on a budget, the Claasico Slim Bifold is a great choice that still leaves more cash in the wallet.

　　$30 at AmazonCheck Price at Claasico Fossil Derrick RFID Flip ID Bifold Specs Material Leather Card Slots 10 Cash Sleeve 1 Slide Pockets 2 Weight 2.5 oz. Size 4.5 x 3.5 inches RFID Blocking Yes

　　Pros Durable Ample card of storage Clear flip ID flap with two slots Free embossing if purchased online Cons Easy to overload, making it uncomfortable to carry Steve Graepel Fossil is a mega umbrella brand that owns everything from watches (Zodiac) to luxury handbags (Kate Spade) to designer clothing (DNKY). So it is no surprise that the Fossil Derrick RFID Flip ID Bifold ($60) caters to the mall shopper, though you will find better prices on Amazon.

　　With the Derrick, you get decades of design and quality that goes into this leather upgrade. The 10 card slots include two clear ID slots that hide in an FBI-style flip-panel. A single cash sleeve holds the bills.

　　We did find that a stack of slotted cards limits how far and easy it is to open the cash sleeve. And the ID flap adds extra volume to the otherwise slim wallet. It ends up being a lot of leather and plastic, which restricts access to the cash sleeve and adds to the overall thickness of the wallet. Fully loaded, its uncomfortable to sit on.

　　If you can show restraint from overloading it, the Fossil Derrick is a well-constructed wallet and a great choice for those who just want a traditional wallet with slots for every card, including that stack of half-used gift cards from Macy’s you used to buy the wallet.

　　$44 at AmazonCheck Price at Fossil Silca Borsa Eco Specs Material Recycled leather Card Slots 1 zippered inside pocket Cash Sleeve 1 Slide Pockets Weight 2.5 oz. Size 7 x 4 inches RFID Blocking No

　　Pros Padded Zips shut Holds your phone Water resistant Cons It’s a large wallet is best in stowed in the cycling jersey Relatively sport-specific Steve Graepel A non-traditional wallet from our cycling friends at Silca, the Borsa Eco ($40) is like a modern trucker wallet — just for those making the long haul on the steel pony.

　　It is long enough to stash flat bills, has a zippered pocket for coins and keys, and holds our iPhone in the main sleeve. The contents are padded with Silca’s buttery smooth leather outer, and the entire wallet zips shut, securing all the goods. 

　　Silca makes some of our favorite seat bags and cycling tools, so it’s no surprise they make a quality wallet. The Borsa Eco is too unwieldy for most to carry it as a daily wallet, but it’s a great zip up bag when you are playing outside and will likely stuff it in a top bag or jersey. And at just $40, it’s kind of a no brainer for those who ride with a device.

　　Check Price at BackcountryCheck Price at Amazon Flowfold Traveler Trifold Wallet Specs Material Composite racing sailcloth Card Slots 3 Cash Sleeve 1 Slide Pockets 2 Weight 0.9 oz. Size 3.2 x 4.2 inches RFID Blocking No

　　Pros Ample storage Roomy cash sleeve Water resistant Slim profile for a tri-fold design Cons Not suitable for formal use Steve Graepel We typically don’t like trifold wallets. While they can store a lot, they end up folding to about a third more in thickness. And when stacked with cards, this is exaggerated even more so. But we love the thin sailcloth material Flowfold uses to make its Traveler Wallet ($45). It’s light and durable, and it folds up thin.

　　Unlike many Flowfold wallets, the Traveler only uses the clear composite racing X-Ply sailcloth on the inside card sleeves. The outer shell is made from a traditional nylon-type fabric that keeps outside eyes from looking in. But all the sleeves remain clear and visible so you can better see what you have stacked where.

　　That sailcloth is rugged stuff, too, and being a composite material its got legs when it comes to long-term durability — even after a life being folded along the same lines day after day. And if youre after a greater measure of the stuff, the Traveler is also available in a full sailcloth variation, all for the same price. These wallets dont have the classy look were after to compliment our formal attire, but for casual kicking around, they fit the bill.

　　Because the wallet is a trifold, you get the added benefit of extra length which means you have more room to access the cash sleeve. This also gives the Flowfold Traveler more room to stash receipts — as well as accommodate odd-shaped foreign bills. We just recommend frequently cleaning out the wallet to reduce the amount of bulk.

　　$45 at AmazonCheck Price at Flowfold Filson Bridle Leather Bi-Fold Wallet Specs Material 5.0 oz. vegetable-tanned bridle leather Card Slots 6 Cash Sleeve 1 Slide Pockets Weight 2.3 oz. Size 4.5 x 3.5 inches RFID Blocking No

　　Pros Handcrafted in Seattle Durable construction with bonded nylon thread stitching L Cons Expensive Limited card storage Steve Graepel For a while, tester Steve Graepel carried a €50 note in his wallet. It was a keepsake from a trip to Italy that he needed to cash in years later on another bike ride in Slovenia. It was dark and raining, his crew was running late, and he needed a round of beers. The legacy note was tattered from bumping around for years, and while frayed bills often get declined in the EU, fortunately, the barkeep exchanged the bill for two tall pints and change.

　　The takeaways are: 1) always have beer money, and 2) not a lot of wallets consider how to protect paper currency. Folded and stuffed in a pocket, overtime bills will wear away like any other paper. Filson’s Bridle Leather Bi-Fold Wallet ($150) is handmade from a fat-in-the-hand, 5-ounce bridle leather. In other words, it’s the good stuff. The classic bill-fold is simple in design, with no frills, and the accouterments amounting to six card slots and a large cash sleeve.

　　But what we love about this billfold is the strip of leather at the top of the cash sleeve. The overlapping smooth leather tab glued to the inner sleeve has only one singular function: to protect bills from getting worn down by the spine of the wallet — even those crisp bills that overstay their welcome in the wallet. You know, the Euro.

　　Like the Tanner Goods Utility, the Bridle wallet is made from veg-tanned leather sewn together with a durable nylon thread and finished with a burnished and waxed edging. Both are great and both run into the $125+ range, which is real money. The Utility wallet has the same number of card slots, but Filsons begins to feel stout quickly. And we don’t recommend double-stacking cards, as they get tight in the leather slots, and are hard to extract (they will loosen up over time).

　　Both are great wallets. The Tanner Goods Utility wallet comes naked and untouched. It takes time and patience to break the leather in. We recommend Filson Bridle Leather Bi-Fold to those who are looking for a well-heeled look straight out of the box. Itll cost you, but the rest of your cash will sure be sitting pretty once you spring for it.

　　Check Price at BackcountryCheck Price at Filson Hyperlite Mountain Gear Minimalist Wallet Specs Material Dyneema composite fabric Card Slots 4 Cash Sleeve 1 Slide Pockets 2 Weight 0.7 oz. Size 4.2 x 3.5 inches RFID Blocking No

　　Pros Lightest wallet in our testing Very durable DCF150 fabric Inherently waterproof Cons Cash sleeve is small Less formal Steve Graepel Treading back towards minimal territory, we wrap our roundup with the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Minimalist Wallet ($45). Constructed from scrap Dyneema composite fabric — a material we more often see in ultralight tents than wallets — the fabric is light, durable, and, dare we say, ballistic.

　　Another no-frills wallet, HMGs Minimalist is a good keeper of everyday items you might want to throw in the rucksack or bring with you to the gym. It’s waterproof, durable, and readily holds the essentials. Four card pockets are flanked by two hidden ones, and we found these to load up and retain our plastic well.

　　Small design flaw we caught — the cash sleeve doesn’t open up as well as other wallets. This is partly because the two layers constructing the sleeve are too close to each other. Ideally, the cash sleeve should open slightly when you open the wallet. To make this work, the two sleeve liners need to be offset with the back panel just big enough to force the back wall to dimple out and open the cash sleeve. HMG’s two sleeves are very close in size, and the material has very little structure, so the cash sleeve doesn’t open great, and the wallet is just a few cm short of 4.5 wide, which all works against good access to your cash.

　　But you are still getting a wallet measured in grams (all 20 of them) over ounces. And the gram counters in the room will overlook carrying cash anyway. If youre fresh off your last thru-hike (or maybe midstream and need to keep the pack weight down), the HMG Minimalist Wallet makes the grade.

　　Check Price at Hyperlite Mountain Gear Wallet Comparison Chart

　　Cash is still king in some countries; (photo/Steve Graepel) Testing History Wallets were originally designed to keep our coins and paper currency close and easy to sort. Currency has changed forms — nowadays we reach for plastic more than paper — but the need remains the same. We like to keep our legal tender organized and easy to find.

　　To test wallets, our lead wallet man, Steve Graepel, reads reviews from top sites and contacts manufacturers directly. Graepel has pocketed over 30 wallets this year and the team at GearJunkie keeps a lively thread about what works best (and what doesnt).

　　Testing wallets isnt complicated. We look at the number of cards, the wallet slots, and the direction in which the cards stack. We also note how easy it is to extract contents and what backs up the line at the Co-op. We prefer a bi-fold style wallet that can hold a small amount of bills and keeps cards put. Wallets that spit cards need not apply.

　　Construction and materials may cut deeper in cost, but the investment in quality adds years (if not decades) to the backend of your investment. Vegetable (veg)-tanned leather looks bleached and raw out of the box, but earns a patina through wear and oils on the hands. The wallet ages a dark, golden brown as an expression of you. A wallet constructed from aero-grade aluminum, like Ridge, will likely outlast your personal taste.

　　We look at the stitching consistency and construction around the spine. Poorly constructed wallets will have exposed raw edges or unevenly cut material. These issues are mostly found in hand-made leather wallets, but are less of an issue with bigger brand wallets found on our list. This shouldnt exclude handmade wallets. Some of the very best wallets are handcrafted with near-perfect execution.

　　The biggest change in billfold technology might be the reduction in size. With the increase in plastic (and digital currency), slim, minimalist wallets can slot upwards of eight cards. Just enough to case your ID, insurance, and a few credit cards. If this describes how you traffic in change, give our best minimalist wallet guide a look.

　　Steve Graepel has worked at GearJunkie as a contributing editor since 2009, testing everything from packrafts, to bike bags, cycling bibs, sleeping bags, winter boots, and trail runners. His latest beat is travel pants, flannels, and now wallets, which falls in line with his obsession with old Land Rovers and field watches. Before his time as a fashion blogger, he wrote for Travel Idaho, National Geographic Adventure, Patagonia’s Tin Shed, Trail Runner, and Gear Patrol. Graepels favorite wallet is the duct tape wallet made by his daughter, though you will usually find him pocketing a mid-bifold veg-tanned wallet from Stock and Barrel Co.

　　Buyers Guide: How to Choose the Best Wallet For You

　　Theres plenty out there, and with wallets being as much about style as they are function, its worth investing some time in learning the finer points; (photo/Steve Graepel) Types of Wallets Give a man an inch, and hell find ten ways to count it. The same goes for wallets. There are multiple forms to store your currency. The top contenders are as follows:

　　Bifold Tried and true, the bill-fold icon, the bifold wallet is as simple as it gets. Wider than tall, it folds once down the middle, slots cards horizontally with ease, and has a large single sleeve to hold paper bills. The benefit of the bifold is in its simplicity. A single fold keeps the wallet slimmer and is generally more comfortable to carry and sit on. And it does it without losing storage space. This makes it a great choice for the average buyer. Bellroys Hide Seek, Herschels Roy, Tanner Leather Goods Utility, and Pioneer Carrys Flyfold are all great bifold-style bill-folds.

　　Tri-fold As the name implies, the tri-fold wallet folds three times. While this may buy you more card-slotting real estate, it loses ground with cash. Filled with bills, it can feel more bulky in the pocket. This inevitably causes wear on your bills and feels more uncomfortable to sit on. We only included on tri-fold wallet this round. Flowfolds Traveler does a great job of folding into a tight, clean bill-fold.

　　Card Case Simple as it sounds, a card case has 4 to 8 slots for cards. We dont include these on this list. But if you are interested in options, you can check them out on our minimalist wallet buyers guide.

　　Even though our lead tester carries a wallet daily, his phone case from Bellroy has a card slot that can carry a card or three. This is especially useful while traveling, where it can be used to keep hotel keys with the phone. Since we never go anywhere without my phone, we dont leave the room without the door key. Easy.

　　Mid-Wallet Falling somewhere between the bifold and card case sits the mid-wallet. Taller than wide, the mid vertically slots between 4-8 cards and usually two hidden slide pockets that sits behind the card slots. The slide pockets can temporarily keep a folded bill or receipt. We usually keep a few extra cards in these slots.

　　With the spine on the vertical, the mid drops nicely in the pocket (either front or back), but it tends to be less comfortable to sit on. Since a mid is so small, they slide comfortably into the front pocket and are a good balance for those who carry less cash. Mids trend more minimal, so we didnt include any mid-wallets in our roundup this year. The closest to a mid in our lineup is from Distal, and its Wally Bifold 5.0 snaps shut into a 4.2 x 3 card carrier with easy card access from the outside. Its genius.

　　Trucker Wallet If the card and mid-wallets are cash minimalists, the trucker is a max-cash wallet. Bills and receipts are sleeved flat on one side of the bifold-style wallet, with the other side gilled with card slots. These days, this style of wallet is often more of a fashion statement. They can be impressively embossed with detailed leather crafting, silver hardware, and a braided leather or metal chain that hook to your belt.

　　We included one wallet that qualifies as trucker in style. The Borsa Eco from Silca can carry cash, coins, and store a midsize device, making it a great choice to stow in the jersey while out on a long bike ride.

　　Zippered Wallet Zipping the contents of the wallet closed prevents loose change from spilling out. These types of wallets are more popular in the EU, where coins are frequently used. Given we dont use a lot of change on this side of the pond, we dont see a lot of zippered-styled wallets in the U.S. market. However, we did like what Silcas Borsa Eco, which zips shut.

　　Analyze How Much You Carry

　　Look at what you carry and evaluate what you need to carry; (photo/Steve Graepel) Before you open your um wallet, give some thought about how much you need to carry in said wallet, and how itll fit into your everyday carry system. Look at what you currently carry and whats sitting on the shelf in short rotation. At a minimum, youll probably carry a state ID and a credit card and/or debit card. Add in an insurance card, Costco card, and maybe a corporate card, and youll need around six slots. If you carry cash, a paper bill sleeve is helpful. Pockets billowing with loose change? You might want a small coin purse with a snap or zipper closing the wallet shut.

　　A mid or bifold is great for mostly credit cards and a limited amount of bills. Its a step up from the minimalist no-cash policy, and keeps a curated set of credit and ID on hand.

　　If you use cash (or as a parent, dole out cash), a bifold or tri-fold wallet has a sleeve for paper bills and slots for cards. Rolling cash heavy and you want to make a statement (and have the selvedge denim to back it up), you might be a long, trucker-wallet-kinda guy.

　　What style you choose is up to you. But invest in the quality of materials, build construction, and details like slow-burnished leather sewn together with clean, straight synthetic stitching. Attention to detail pays you back in years of use.

　　Materials

　　These days, wallets can be made from leather, canvas, recycled firehoses, and high-tech polymers; (photo/Steve Graepel) Traditional wallets are made from either chromium-tanned or vegetable-tanned leather. Chrome-tanned leather is chemically cured. On the other hand, veg-tanned leather is processed with natural ingredients like tree bark and leaves. The organic tannins adhere to the collagen proteins in the hide, leaving them less water-soluble and more resistant to bacteria. The hide can look untouched, fair, and entirely vulnerable. Thats by design.

　　Like denim, the patina is earned through years of use, darkening over time by rubbing against the pocket and the natural oils on your skin, giving the wallet character. Both Filsons Bridle and Tanner Goods Utility wallet are made from veg-tanned leather. The Utility is a raw leather, which will patina over time.

　　Where the leather has been sourced also plays into quality. A bridle leather from Europe or the States will likely have fewer bug bites in the hide, than a leather sourced from India, Nicaragua, or China. These bites can scar and blemish the hide. This isnt a universal trait. Just be mindful and give the leather a closer look.

　　A well-made wallet crafted from high-quality leather is ideal for people who want a more classic look. With the right leather and construction, leather wallets can last for decades.

　　But leather isnt the only game in town. Synthetic wallets can be constructed from bomber firehose cotton, recycled sailcloth, and even Tyvek, a synthetic fiber that is used in construction to weatherproof houses. If youre lucky enough to get one, someone may spend the time to fold you a duct tape wallet.

　　A few — mostly card holders — are constructed from steel, aluminum, or titanium. While these are space-limiting, they feel comfortable in either the front or back pockets, and can last forever. The downside is a metal wallet can scratch against keys, so you may want to put a metal wallet in a separate pocket from your keys.

　　Construction

　　High-quality leather sewn together with saddle stitching can ramp up the price and life of a hand-made wallet; (photo/Steve Graepel) A huge part of durability is construction. A leather wallet can be made from the toughest rump of a rhino (dont buy a rhino leather wallet), but are put together with shoddy craftsmanship. Cutting corners inevitably leads to the early retirement of a wallet.

　　While its easy to assume handmade implies be better. Cutting, punching, and stitching a wallet together requires years of accumulated artisanal skills to pull it off. Consistent patterns, stitched together with heavy gauge synthetic thread and burnished edges are much easier and consistently so by a machine. The rows of threads will be regular. The edges will be finished, and the card slots aligned straight and consistent.

　　We stopped by our local leather smith, Jared Greenwood, to chat up leather and hand-made construction. Greenwood meticulously cuts, punches, and stitches all his wallets by hand.

　　According to Greenwood, the money is on the construction. A wallet always has friction in a pocket. The best way add life to a wallet is through the stitch. Greenwood uses a saddle stitch. It threads two needles to tie a knot between each stitch. If a thread breaks, it wont fray or unravel. The longevity of a saddle stitch is far superior to a machine-sewn wallet.

　　As you can guess, a handmade wallet isnt cheap. The process can take between 6-10 hours to cut and sew each wallet, which can run into the hundreds of dollars. But it can be worth it. The investment usually brings a lifelong relationship with the wallet.

　　Poorly constructed wallets will have exposed raw edges or unevenly cut material. These issues are mostly found in cheap leather or synthetic leather wallets. A good wallet will finish all cut edges with edge dye or burnishing, a process that heats the edges, closes the pores and gives it that dark, seamless look.

　　All of the wallets on our list are well-built.

　　You have to spend money to make money, or, rather, carry your money; (photo/Steve Graepel) Price You get what you pay for — but only up to a point. Its not a good sign if you invest more in your wallet than whats left on the card slotted inside it. Steve picked up his first wallets at TJ MAXX for $15-20, and these wallets made a quick rotation through his pockets. I was lucky to get more a few years out of them.

　　The $15 wallet will likely use a lower-grade material and stitching that falls apart over time. A well-made leather wallet with higher-end materials will not only last longer than a poorly made one with inferior leather, but it will also look better as it ages. Steves current wallet from Stock and Barrel is over 10 years old and has many more left in the bank. No surprise — the key difference is in the materials and construction.

　　The same is true for other materials. Generally, you pay more for better build quality. That said, there are plenty of cheaper options out there. Just be prepared to replace a less expensive wallet sooner. Our bargain wallets start between $30-40, but can be found on sale for about half the price and will serve you well for many years before its time to upgrade.

　　RFID Explained RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. If your card is equipped with RFID, you can use it to tap or wave your card near a reader to make a purchase. This allows you to make transactions in seconds. An RFID card never has to leave your hand, so there’s no chance of you forgetting your card in the reader. If you’re not sure whether or not your card is RFID-enabled, look for a symbol that resembles a Wi-Fi symbol turned on its side.

　　As RFID technology becomes more prevalent, a trip to the grocery without waiting in a checkout line may be a reality. Semi-passive chips can be placed on anything to track inventory, associate the items in your cart with your card, and charge you before you walk out the door. While this technology has huge potential for streamlining shopping, it also raises some privacy and security concerns.

　　This convenience also makes it possible for a thief to find a way to skim your card with a portable scanner. Currently, many factors make this difficult for potential thieves. These include the necessary closeness, conspicuously wanding an NFC scanner next to anothers backside in public, and barriers between the card and the reader like a wallet with cash and other cards inside.

　　While the odds of your cards getting skimmed are unlikely, many wallets offer RFID blocking to completely eliminate any chances of this happening. This is mostly achieved by using materials that block or damp the signal put out from RFID-equipped cards and add a few extra dollars to the wallets price.

　　When your card is in the wallet, the material blocks the signal. When you take it out to use it, the signal is unfettered.

　　Is it worth it? RFID-blocking wallets typically only cost a few extra dollars. If it buys you peace of mind, you cant really put a price on serenity. In reality, there are easier ways for thieves to swipe your data, and we recommend channeling your energy towards updating your passwords, regularly checking your credit reports for suspicious activities, and practicing safe online transactions.

　　Bellroy, Herschel, Distal, Pioneer Carry, Classico, and Fossil all have RFID blocking materials.

　　Organization The only role of a card slot is to hold your cards, so they should do it well. In general, lesser quality, synthetic leather wallets can stretch and drop cards like leaves. But a high-quality synthetic card slot will resist stretching. That said, the Pioneer Carry Flyfold did shed a card while testing. The material is slick and when you dont have a lot of cards in it, the cards sit loose. The saving grace is that the card slots face inwards, keeping cards from falling out.

　　Heavy-duty leather will mold their form around the cards, hugging them in place. The same rules apply if you double-stack your card slots. The leather will stretch to accommodate both cards. But if you remove a card from the stack, that stretched slot will drop cards.

　　Slots can stack vertically and horizontally. Weve read some cases where mid-style wallets put too much stress on the stacked cards, causing cards to crack. The same could be said for sitting on your bifold if its dropped in vertically. We havent personally had that issue with our mid-wallets, but its something to keep in mind. Its also another reason to consider carrying your wallet in your front pocket.

　　FAQ Do I need a wallet? While cash is being used less and less in the U.S., its still common to use paper currency in other countries. And you still need something to protect and organize your cards. A wallet is the best way to do both.

　　How thick should a wallet be? An entire Seinfeld episode was dedicated to this discussion. And if we learned anything from George Castanza, less is more. It looks better and is more comfortable to carry.

　　A thinner wallet starts with reducing what you carry to just the essentials. Regularly remove outdated receipts and ask yourself if you need to carry that (for example) Costco card during the week, or if it sits next to your keys until the weekend.

　　Once youve culled the contents, consider a bifold over a tri-fold wallet. A tri-fold wallet folds paper bills three times as opposed to simply folding them over once in a bifold. In general, the ideal thickness should be about half an inch thick when full. A wallet should not be more than 3/4 of an inch thick. We loved how the Pioneer Carry Flyfold could rack up with a heavy set of cards and still have a thin presence.

　　Which pocket should I carry my wallet in? Another contested debate, but studies show its better on your body and puts less stress on your cards when you carry your wallet in your front pocket. Plus your wallet is less exposed to would-be thieves when stored in the front pocket.

　　If you are traveling, take a look at our picks for best travel pants. We list plenty of options to comfortably and safely carry wallets on the go. For traveling to countries that dispense coins as change, we really like the Western Rise Evolution 2 Pants. It has a substantial coin pocket thats easy to reach into.

　　What is the toughest material for a wallet? Its tough to beat an alloy wallet for longevity. Ridge uses aerospace-grade aluminum alloy. That said, a good leather wallet will last for years (especially if sewn together with a saddle stitch), look better over time, is more comfortable to handle, and easier to use when carrying cash.

　　Tanner Goods Utility wallet is the most durable wallet on the list, with Filsons Bridle a close second. If you prefer synthetic materials, Pioneer makes an incredibly durable wallet.

　　Do I need an RFID wallet? No. If it buys you peace of mind, its an inexpensive added cost. However, there are more effective ways to protect your personal data. Bellroy, Herschel, Distal, Pioneer Carry, Classico, and Fossil all use RFID blocking materials.

　　What is the smallest wallet? A simple card holder will be your simplest wallet. No folds, nor bulk; it can only hold a few cards, and thats it. For a bit more room, we recommend a mid-wallet. While a small wallet, a mid-wallet has a small sleeve for cash (or extra cards).

　　Slim wallets are the most efficient bifold and we cant fault anyone for using one. You just need to resist the urge to store unnecessary items in the slots and sleeves. We dont have a true card or mid-wallet on this list. The Wally 5.0 from Distal comes close and is our favorite option for keeping your currency tight and tidy.

　　The Best Minimalist Wallets of 2024 Forgo the bulk and up your EDC game with the best minimalist wallets available.

　　The Best Men’s Travel Pants of 2024 We’ve tested the best wrinkle-resistant, quick-drying, and comfortable men’s travel pants of the year. Pack your bags and get ready for adventure.