We’d venture to say every guy has a wallet. We all have different philosophies on what we’ll put in it, where some guys stick to only cards and cash, and others will cram in any bit of scrap they find, but we all have one. Which also means, every once in awhile, we’re also looking to replace that crucial bit of pocket occupation. When it comes time to, why not explore some non-leather options? Here are a bunch we love.
NOMANTIC Black Slim Minimalist Wallet
For guys who aren’t looking for anything particularly fancy, flashy, or overly complicated, you won’t find much better than the NOMANTIC Black Slim Minimalist Wallet. It’s durable, understated, doesn’t get in the way, and is easy to access. It holds up to 15 cards, so those of you who’ve eschewed cash will love the space available to you. There’s even a pull tab that will let you get at your four most used cards even quicker. Those of us not ready to give up on old fashioned bills and coins have a convenient pocket for storage. Plus, the medical grade elastic of the main body of the wallet means it won’t break or lose its stretchiness a week after you buy it. $20
Keplero 2.0 Crystal ABS
The Keplero Wallet can be a little difficult to figure out at first look, but once you know what you’re doing, your transactions are going to look downright space-age. Basically, this hard-faced wallet fans out, allowing you to pick whichever of the six cards it holds you need. There aren’t any complicated mechanical components either. The hinge is actually a strong magnet, meaning you can take the wallet apart and rearrange cards if you need to. There’s a carbon fiber option, and you can get that if you want to spring for it, but the Crystal ABS version works just fine for us. $25
SLIM Wallet
Fans of the modern Macbook will find a lot to like in this wallet. Like Apple’s laptop, the SLIM Wallet is made from machined aluminum, giving it a slick, metallic finish in a lightweight, durable case. It won’t bend or break, keeping the cards inside safe from the same sort of danger. There’s also RFID protection included, so people can’t use whatever thieving machine they have for swiping those while your wallet’s still in your pocket. And unlike Apple, replacing parts, namely the elastic band, isn’t a chore and doesn’t require a special trip to a deceivingly named bar. $27
Hank RFID Bifold Wallet
One thing polyester has over leather is how easy it is to customize polyester. You can change up designs and colors on leather, but it’s a much more involved process than simply dying a fabric, even if we’re not completely clear on what that process is. The Hank Bifold Wallet from Herschel benefits greatly from that customization. There are six different designs available and none of them look cheap or embarrassing like the velcro wallet you bought on your Disney World vacation when you were ten. Every design is something we’d feel comfortable showing off at our job. $35
DJIN Microfiber
One warning we’ll give with the DJIN Microfiber wallet is not to get it if you’re in a long-term, serious relationship. Or, if you do, be very clear what you’ve bought is a wallet and not the box for an engagement ring. Once you overcome that initial surprise, this is one of the cooler, more intriguing wallets on the market. It flips open like a box, can hold cards and cash in its clip at the same time, won’t crush if you sit on it, and even has a concealed drawer for extra valuable stuff. Plus, the microfiber wrap adds a touch of personality other wallets don’t have. $49
Tanker-Standard Wallet
The Tanker-Standard Wallet looks like someone turned a great rain jacket into a wallet. That’s not a description we would have thought we’d like, but now we’ve seen it and we’re on board. It’s also apparently the objective of the designer, since the inspiration for the wallet comes from the MA-1 Flight Jacket. It follows a pretty standard wallet style, with a bifold, card slots, and coin pouch. There’s also a key ring, if you want to keep an emergency key with you at all times. It’s a pretty straightforward wallet that looks great. $53
Ion Wallet
In design, the Ion Wallet is about as minimalist as it gets. It folds and it has two pockets. The main feature list comes in for the materials. This is a completely waterproof wallet that will fare a lot better in a rainstorm or washing machine than whatever it is you’re carrying right now. It’s woven from a proprietary ripstop fabric made of “ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene.” The manufacturer brags it’s ten times stronger than steel. We can think of a few better uses for a fabric like that, but here it is on a wallet. You might as well take advantage. $60
Cardamon Bifold
The Cardamon Bifold is another wallet made from a proprietary fabric, which makes us wonder if there’s a whole wallet fabric industry out there we didn’t know about. Whether or not there is, the MeridianShell fabric of this minimalist bifold is an impressive development. The manufacturer is so confident in their product, they’re offering an unconditional lifetime guarantee. Which means, if you buy this brightly colored wallet, you might never need another. Hopefully, you really like it. $69
The Ridge Wallet
A lot of wallets that go for the metal card holding, cash strapping look feel overbuilt. The Ridge Wallet is one of the few that don’t. It comes in either cash strap or money clip style, whichever you think best fits your lifestyle. It can hold between one and twelve cards, blocks RFID, and you can easily replace the elastic. It’s small, not much bigger than the cards you’re going to put in it, and if you want to carry cash, expect to do some folding. $95
Tactical Wallet Brown
Besides a club for fending off saber-toothed tigers, the wallet has got to be the earliest bit of EDC. Everything else came after. That’s one of the reasons we like the Tactical Wallet so much. It combines all that EDC into a single wallet. There’s a box cutter, rope tensioner, hex wrench, smartphone stand, bottle opener, and nail pryer on this thing, and that’s just to start. It’s cheating a bit in that there’s leather on it, but we think the extra functionality makes up for a slight bending of our own rules. Who knows, maybe with this, you’ll use your wallet for more than changing pockets in unfamiliar cities. $89
