Nik's New Minimalist Wallets

[operator]

man i was so stoked about this wallet until i watch the video - no US business cards?

[sarepants]

If the answer to this is mentioned someplace, please link me to it, but: will the cards stay put if there are just one of them in each pocket? Or two in a pocket? Thank you in advance!

[moriond]

If the answer to this is mentioned someplace, please link me to it, but: will the cards stay put if there are just one of them in each pocket? Or two in a pocket? Thank you in advance!

I didn’t specifically say that even just one transit card, bank card, ID card, or credit card will stay put in the pocket of Nik’s minimal wallet, but this appears to be the case. Since I believe that Darcy and others have been testing the Wallets for nearly a year, you can ask her/them whether this behavior changes in any way over several months. This even appears true of very thin, cardboard/paper cards like Health or insurance cards as long as they have the standard shape — any one of the presentation cards that come with the Wallets and that are shown in the very first photo (Kat’s robot artwork, the mountain pen and ink drawing that I believe was done by Dan Bransfield — the artist who did the water color postcard for the Field Journal Notebook — or the Card that labels the wallet as “Nik’s Minimalist Wallet #x”) can individually fit into the wallet and be held in place.

I know that my auto insurance, besides providing information on current coverage through a phone app, lets you print out copies of the card. If you are using such an ID card that you printed out on copier paper and separately cut out, the fit in the wallet will not be as good as the versions they mail you (correctly sized and on heavier card stock).

In fact, if you include a slightly smaller card that is wedged in between two standard cards, it will probably also be held in place by the wallet.

This was clearly a design decision.

I’ll add that going to an ATM machine, getting 10 bills of US currency that I rolled and flattened (i.e. “folded in thirds”) into the side of the wallet that was holding 3 cards — opposite from the side holding my ATM card and driver’s license — was pretty fast and automatic. This was even though I keep most of my cash in a Clear Organizer Wallet, and later transferred the bills.

HTH

moriond

[Darcy]

Wow! The #3 will be perfect for me. The clear inside pocket for showing my work ID every time I enter the building, and the outside pocket for my NYC Metrocard. The only concern I have about this is the elastic band will likely stretch and wear out pretty quickly, with how often you use your wallet. Is something different about this that I'm incorrect?

The first iterations of Nik’s wallets didn’t have an elastic band closure. After you put your cards in one of the wallets and use it for a day or two it takes the shape and form of a wallet to the point where it’ll naturally keep itself folded shut if you set it down on a table. Some of the folks testing the wallets for us nonetheless wanted an elastic closure, and Nik thought it was one of those “why not?” kind of things. Further, he found it allowed him to flip his wallet “inside out” so the pockets were on the outside and the wallet was held shut (open?) with the elastic, and in-between the two halves of the wallet was basically a third pocket for some folded bills or another card.

Anyway, we’ve been using/testing versions of the wallets with the elastic band for over a year now (well, except for Tom: he cut his elastic band off right away because he didn’t feel it was necessary) and none of us have experienced an issue with the elastic wearing out.

If you take a piece of elastic (or any stretchy material) and stretch it over something way bigger than it is intended to fit around — so, for example, if you take Nik’s Minimalist Wallet and wear it around your wrist as a bracelet or around your head as a headband— that will stretch out the elastic. (This happens with any synthetic stretchy material, as those of us with modern day jeans might know.) When we intentionally stretched out the elastic band, we found that it still worked to keep the wallet shut — even if, when the elastic wasn’t in use keeping the wallet shut, it looked a little bagged out.

Important (and, again, those of us with modern day jeans know this) — don’t put your wallet in the dryer or iron it. :) That’ll surely cause the elastic to fail prematurely.

I asked Tom if he had anything to add here and he said: “Should the elastic give out some day long down the road, you could carefully cut it off and use the wallet without elastic.” (He’s ever the advocate of the original, elastic-less wallet.) Of course, once you cut the elastic off, you can't add it back, so take that into consideration.

Hope this helps a bit.

[ken.w]

Thanks, Darcy. That helps a lot! My question came from experience with a Kindle cover that did that. But good to know IF it stretches out, the wallet will still work just as well. I kinda pictured cutting it off anyway. :)

[ButtUglyJeff]

I was wondering if anyone had any comment on which fabric type is more forgiving when you try and stuff that one extra card in a pocket? (Don't judge me, y'all know you do that stuff too :))

[BWeaves]

I was wondering if anyone had any comment on which fabric type if more forgiving when you try and stuff that one extra card in a pocket? (Don't judge me, y'all know you do that stuff too :))

You're really fighting that minimalist thang. I'm going to guess the 400 Halcyon is more forgiving than the ballistic, but I prefer the structure and look of the ballistic.

[Emilymachado]

I prefer a non-elasticated wallet for less fuss and a simpler look-and-feel. Good to hear that the elastic is not necessary. Is it really easy to remove? I’m just picturing frayed elastic-y bits sticking out from the wallet.

[jessmakes]

I prefer a non-elasticated wallet for less fuss and a simpler look-and-feel. Good to hear that the elastic is not necessary. Is it really easy to remove? I’m just picturing frayed elastic-y bits sticking out from the wallet.

If you use a small sharp pair of scissors and cut it off as close as possible to the wallet, you should be fine. :)

[BWeaves]

Buy applique scissors (aka bent handle duckbill scissors) and you will be able to get right up against the fabric without harming the fabric. They're designed to trim fabric right up to a sewing line.

[Darcy]

I prefer a non-elasticated wallet for less fuss and a simpler look-and-feel. Good to hear that the elastic is not necessary. Is it really easy to remove? I’m just picturing frayed elastic-y bits sticking out from the wallet.

Our recommend method is to first cut the elastic in half -- that way you can pull on it as you’re cutting it off from each side of the wallet and make sure to get enough of the elastic snipped off as possible. Here's a photo of a wallet that Nik snipped the elastic off of using this method (and regular scissors):



If there's enough interest in a version of Wallet #1 without the elastic, we may offer that at some point down the road.

[bluedawg]

just bought one for a christmas gift (lucky husband!) and one for myself (greedy me!). i went with the #3 for both, one in ballistic and one in halcyon. can't wait to get my hands on them!

[ken.w]

Wow, you guys bought up all the #3 Black Ballistic wallets! That's the only one I really wanted. :) That was quick.

[moriond]

The Halcyon wallets seem popular, too. Though I'm also surprised at how fast Black Ballistic sold out. And, it seems that a lot of people still like the #3 design.

[jessmakes]

Wow, you guys bought up all the #3 Black Ballistic wallets! That's the only one I really wanted. :) That was quick.

Well, I believe Darcy did say that after they came up with the #4 wallet, they switched the #3 production over to those so that they had some in stock for the launch, so they were working with lesser quantities of the #3 & #4 anyway...