A minimalist wallet keeps things light, simple, and compact, freeing up extra pocket space for the rest of your EDC gear. It also relieves you of the complexity and potential pain of carrying a traditional bulky wallet in your pocket, letting you carry only what’s essential. I prioritize having a streamlined and efficient EDC, so the fewer things in my pocket, the better. That all starts with a slim wallet you can rely on.
In this guide, we round up some of the best minimalist wallets to carry your crucial cash and cards. Whether it’s a slim elastic wallet that keeps things snug regardless of bulk, a metal framed design that protects your cards, or a classy leather cardholder, we’ve got you covered for a sleek and functional minimalist EDC.
Best minimalist wallets — 2024 Edition
The Best Overall Minimalist Wallet 🏆: Ridge Wallet [Buy]
The Best Minimalist Wallet on a Budget: CountyComm Woven Dyneema Card Holder [Buy]
The Most Technical Minimalist Wallet: Alpaka X50 Zip Pouch [Buy]
The Best Leather Minimalist Wallet: Open Sea Leather Gun Deck Mini [Buy]
The Best Minimalist Wallet Upgrade: Bellroy Card Sleeve Carryology Essentials Edition [Buy]
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The Best Overall Minimalist Wallet 🏆
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The Best Minimalist Wallet on a Budget
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The Most Technical Minimalist Wallet
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The Best Leather Minimalist Wallet
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The Best Minimalist Wallet Upgrade
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$94.99
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$60.00
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$172.00
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$54.00
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$55.00
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Capacity:
12 cards
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Capacity:
12 cards
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Capacity:
12 cards
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Capacity:
4-5 cards
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Capacity:
8 cards
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Materials:
Multiple
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Materials:
Dyneema
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Materials:
X50 X-Pac
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Materials:
Leather
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Materials:
Leather
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Key Features:
Cash strap or money clip
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Key Features:
Water- and stretch-resistant
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Key Features:
RFID-blocking
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Key Features:
Full grain leather
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Key Features:
Pull-tab card storage
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The Best Overall Minimalist Wallet: Ridge Wallet
The Ridge Wallet is a masterclass in durable, minimalist design. Two metal plates bound together with tough elastic bands hold up to 12 cards in a sleek, pocket-friendly package. I appreciate how the metal plates and elastic bands combine to create a sturdy and compact solution for carrying my cards. The metal plates also offer the added benefit of RFID-blocking technology, ensuring a more secure carry.
When it comes to cash, I have the option to fold my bills and tuck them away under a sturdy stainless steel money clip or a flexible cash strap, depending on what I think I’m going to be doing that day. Another feature I find convenient is the thumb cutout, which allows me to easily push my cards out or quickly retrieve them when needed.
The Ridge Wallet is also available in other light yet strong materials, like titanium and carbon, and it comes with a lifetime warranty for added peace of mind.
The Best Minimalist Wallet on a Budget: CountyComm Woven Dyneema
I find the CountyComm Woven Dyneema Card Holder to be an exciting wallet thanks to its unique combination of materials. It’s made with a waterproof and stretch-resistant sailcloth material, interwoven with Dyneema matrix fibers, which results in a lightweight yet incredibly durable wallet that weighs only 0.35 ounces. This sailcloth material is the same one used on high-tech racing sailboats, ensuring toughness and reliability.
My favorite part about them is that the matrix layout of the fibers gives each wallet a unique appearance, adding a touch of individuality to the design. Speaking of design, it couldn’t be simpler–the wallet features two slanted pockets on each side, providing ample space to carry up to 12 credit cards and up to 10 folded bills. This technical minimalist wallet combines functionality with a robust construction that ensures it will earn its spot in your EDC.
The Most Technical Minimalist Wallet: Alpaka X50 Zip Pouch
If you’re searching for a pouch that can withstand both the challenge of carrying coins and a sudden rainstorm, the Alpaka X50 Zip Pouch might be the perfect solution. This pouch is crafted from X-Pac material, featuring a CORDURA 500D face fabric, and equipped with YKK AquaGuard zippers. The combination of these materials makes it water-resistant, lightweight, and exceptionally rugged, ensuring its durability even in harsh conditions.
Inside the pouch is a bright orange ripstop nylon interior, which helps me easily locate and access my smaller items that tend to get lost in the black hole of a backpack. The Alpaka X50 Zip Pouch can accommodate up to 12 cards and even a few coins, which is more than what I carry, but it’s good to know that I have the space if I need it. The main zippered compartment includes a single divider that helps to keep cards and bills separate for convenient organization. At a price of just $25, the Alpaka X50 Zip Pouch is a no-brainer.
The Best Leather Minimalist Wallet: Open Sea Leather Gun Deck Mini
If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind wallet crafted entirely from quality leather, the Open Sea Leather Co. Gun Deck Mini wallet is definitely worth considering. It’s meticulously constructed using high-quality leather that has been skillfully folded in on itself and stitched for extra security. Despite its compact size, it can comfortably accommodate up to 5 of my debit cards and a few folded bills, making it a practical choice for EDC. This means I don’t need to find an ATM whenever I grab lunch at my favorite cash-only spot.
With over 15 color options available for the leather and a wide variety of stitching choices, you have the freedom to create a truly unique piece, especially considering each one is made to order. The Open Sea Leather Co. Gun Deck Mini wallet combines craftsmanship, quality materials, and customization, making it an excellent option for almost anyone.
The Best Minimalist Wallet Upgrade: Bellroy Card Sleeve Carryology Essentials Edition
Bellroy is well-known for high-quality leather everyday carry gear, so its collab with Carryology on the card sleeve is worth mentioning. The Carryology Essentials Edition Card Sleeve measures only 4.0” x 2.7”, keeping the bulk of the wallet down while allowing me to comfortably fit up to 8 cards. The quick-access card slots on both sides of the wallet make it easy to quickly grab my most-used cards or a folded bill.
My favorite thing about this wallet is the pull tab that makes getting cards out of the main compartment a piece of cake. You can pick up the Bellroy x Carryology Card Sleeve in 8 different colors, so there’s bound to be one that works for you.
Our other recommendations
Having cards pop up at the push of a button has to be one of the coolest ways to retrieve your cards. That’s what makes Hayvenhurst's Pop Up minimalist wallet such a great option. It has a sleek design that can hold 4-5 cards while taking up next to no space in my pocket. The aluminum construction with a carbon fiber pattern lets it stealthily fit in with the rest of your carry while also blocking RFID signals. On the outside is a multi-purpose cash strap that hangs on to folded bills, notes, and other items without bulking up its slim design. And any time you need your cards, one push of its signature button fans them out, ready for use at a moment's notice. It never gets old.
The Cardslide Wallet from Secrid uses its popular Cardprotector platform as its core, making it something worth checking out. The Cardprotector is a durable aluminum card case with an integrated RFID blocker and a signature mechanism that pushes out up to six cards when activated. The newer Secrid Cardslide Wallet includes a plastic sliding tray for storing your bills, coins, keys, and other small items, allowing you to keep all your essentials in one secure place. The tray is held in place by an elastic band in which I could also stash away a few extra bills if needed. It’s available in a variety of body and elastic strap combinations for you to choose from and even has RFID protection which is always nice to see in a wallet.
If you want to keep your wallet’s size to a minimum, the Distil Union Wally 5.0 is hard to beat. It’s made of a single piece of full-grain leather that only looks better with time. There’s also a built-in pull tab here which makes accessing cards a breeze, and even when it’s packed to capacity, it’s still smaller than almost any standard bifold or trifold. The Wally Micro also comes in two colors and is completely reversible. So if you get bored quickly (like I do) with the color you selected, you can flip the wallet inside out, and it’ll feel brand new. While there isn’t a dedicated pocket for coins or a money clip, it comes with an elastic cash strap that I find perfect for a few folded bills.
The Magpul DAKA Essential Minimalist wallet is an excellent option for anyone that wants to carry (as its name implies) just the essentials. This super slim wallet is only 0.12” thick, so it feels super light in the pocket, and you barely even notice it. It can carry up to 7 cards and a folded bill or two, which is nice, plus it also has three separate pockets. I easily fit my emergency credit card in one, ID card and building access card in the other, and still have space for a few folded bills. The wallet is made from a water-resistant, rugged reinforced polymer fabric, too, so I don't have to worry about getting caught in a storm. The seams are also welded together to prevent them from falling apart over time, so you can trust this will last you for years to come.
One of the lightest wallets I’ve ever used is the Pioneer Molecule Minimalist wallet. At 0.1oz, the cards I put in it weighed more than the wallet itself. Pioneer achieved this by using its 10XD material to make the entire wallet. It's a super strong and lightweight polyethylene that repels both dirt and water. Regarding capacity, it has two card slots on the front and back for quick access to my main debit card or a driver’s license. The main pocket can hold the rest, along with some cash. Altogether you can carry up to 6 cards and a few folded bills. It comes in 5 gorgeous colors (and an alternate, luxurious 3PN material), so you can’t go wrong with any of them.
FAQs
Should I buy a minimalist wallet?
The slimmest wallet you can get is the Magpul DAKA Essential Minimalist wallet which measures 0.12” thick. After adding your cards and cash, it will get thicker, but not by much, and you’ll still have easy access to the cards that matter most.
What is the slimmest wallet?
The slimmest wallet you can get is the Magul DAKA Essential Minimalist wallet which measures 0.12” thick. After adding your cards and cash, it will get thicker but not by much, and you’ll still have easy access to the cards that matter most.
What are the benefits of a minimalist wallet?
One significant benefit of a minimalist wallet is freeing up pocket space. A bulky tri-fold can take up a pocket all by itself, not to mention that it isn’t good for your back if you’re putting that wallet in your back pocket. A minimalist wallet can free up space so you can carry other essentials. Plus, many minimalist wallets provide easy access to one or two of your most used cards, so you rarely have to dig for the one you need.
What is the best slim wallet on the market?
The best slim wallet depends on what you’re looking for. A metal wallet like the Ridge Wallet is a great option if you want something durable and easy to use. If you’re looking for something made of quality leather with an easy-to-use design, the Bellroy Slim Sleeve might be more up your alley.
How we picked
Decades of experience and deep connections in the everyday carry industry give us a unique viewpoint on the market to inform our product recommendations. We have the depth of information for thousands of products that have come before and an extensive eye on the market to see what’s new and trending for each piece of gear. The result is a buying guide that we feel is informative and useful for EDCers of every trade, industry, and budget.
What is Everyday Carry?
Everyday Carry is both the concept of what people carry in their pockets and the process of picking out gear that thoughtfully considers what one wants or needs in their daily lives. It encompasses everything from style to preparedness to utility, meaning an entire industry full of valuable tools and essentials to choose from.
Why you should trust us
Our team has decades of combined experience in all aspects of everyday men’s essentials, from wallets to pens to bags and everything in between, and we know where to find great gear ideas that you may not come across at your local stores or when shopping online. Our expertise with the industry and familiarity in design, materials, and usability help you make more informed choices when it comes to picking up your next piece of gear.
