Cash wallet advice needed

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Hello,

I am once again on the quest for the perfect wallet. Actually, maybe the perfect second wallet. If you don’t like to read I’ll start with my quest: I want a great wallet for carrying a maximum of three cards and at least fifteen bills of cash.

And now an explanation/reminiscence.

My first real wallet was a full-size biker’s wallet on a chain. You know the giant leather things that held cash flat, not folded. Eventually, sometime after high school, I gave it up and went through countless versions of the bi- or tri- fold designs. Nylon, Velcro, leather, I tried everything available throughout many years, always moving on to something else when my current wallet wore out or I was feeling dissatisfied.

For many years I worked in a warehouse moving freight for a living. It was at this time that I first discovered the EDC forums. One of the first products I discovered here was the Spec Ops brand THE Wallets. I carried one or another version of Spec Ops brand THE Wallets for well more than a decade. Of all my EDC purchases, these have survived the most use and abuse of any. I have three, a full size, a junior, and a now discontinued Checkbook THE wallet (The zipper closure version). And while very old and worn they all are still perfectly serviceable, just not very pretty anymore. I no longer work in a warehouse, and I grew tired of lugging around a bulky wallet. I also began to mellow, a tactical Cordura bombproof wallet just isn’t quite my style anymore. These wallets also held much more than necessary, and I had a tendency to stuff them full of receipts and business cards until they became totally unwieldy and then do housecleaning that generally came with a vow to never overload them again. I am glad my character is not determined by how pitifully I kept the vow to never overload the wallets again.

A few years ago, I thought I had found it, the elusive ‘perfect’ EDC wallet. I got a Dango T02 titanium tactical wallet. The Dango is perfectly comfortable for front pocket carry to me. The Dango is perfect for carrying cards, I never fumble or have a problem finding or accessing the cards I need. As a bonus it is small enough to slip into a shirt pocket when going through a drive through. I can’t count the number of times my wallet dropped to the floor of the car over the years leaving drive through restaurants because I tried to balance my wallet on the dash, my lap, or on the center console. It is even perfect for carrying a small amount of emergency cash. Folded in thirds beneath the silicon band, the money is secure, accessible, and yet unobtrusive.

The only job the Dango is not perfect for is regular access to cash. Adding cash to the wallet means you must remove all the cash currently stored there, straighten it all out, add the new cash, carefully fold the new bundle into thirds, and then insert it back beneath the wide silicon band. It is not a quick process for me, but dexterity hasn’t ever been my strong suit. I feel like I am holding up the line trying to do it upon checkout, so I generally just shove my change into a pocket and do it later. Lately, I have found I am using cash more than I remember ever doing in the past; flea markets, food trucks, estate sales, and even antique dealers.

Now onto my quandary, do I start over and begin looking for the elusive perfect wallet again, or maybe adopt a 2 wallet system? One to carry when I expect to use cash and another for when credit is king? Or maybe carry both all the time? Right now, I am of the opinion that there is no singular perfect wallet, much like backpacks. A hiking backpack is not the perfect answer for urban use and an urban bookbag isn’t a great option for a 5-mile trek through the woods. Anyways, back to my question; what is the best wallet to carry a maximum of three cards and at least fifteen bills of cash?

Thanks Grizz

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