I’ve never understood the need to carry all of your cards, all of the time and in your back pocket at that.
When I started working in London, catching the tube everyday, I became aware of the vulnerability of carrying all my cards and finances in my back pocket. Then when I damaged my back I was made aware of the skeletal implications of sitting on all of your cards all day – it really isn’t very good for you.
Since then I’ve been using a front pocket wallet, and as I’ve simplified my finances and the items I need to carry everyday I’ve sought out simpler more minimal wallets and the internet has delivered a wealth of choice.
The first simple wallet I bought was the aptly named Slim. The Slim is possibly the most minimal wallet ever made, but it is also possibly too minimal. It really is just a length of elastic sewn together in a loop, with an X sewn on the side. Yes it will hold your cards, and folded up notes, but it is in no way pleasing to use or to look at.
Having said that I still use the Slim today; I keep it in my car with all of my store and loyalty cards in it. If I’m going shopping I know I’ll drive there, so why would I need to carry my cards with me at all other times?
My next simple wallet was the Bellroy Card Sleeve. Bellroy make fabulous wallets, all designed to help you slim your wallet; my last ‘back pocket’ wallet was a Bellroy Note Sleeve, which I still use on occasions when I find my self with too much cash to carry in a small wallet, for cash is still the achilles heel of the minimal wallet.
The Bellroy Card Sleeve has been my everyday wallet for some time now, and I’ve been very happy with it indeed, but when I came across a new slim wallet design I was intrigued and thought I’d take a look.
Trove
Trove was another Kickstarter success, but one I missed due to being a very pleasant holiday in the sun. Upon my return I contacted Trove who they kindly sent me one of their Factory Edition Trove Slim Wallets for review.
Trove appeared to deliver both simplicity and flexibility and is hand made in the UK from higher quality materials than certain other slim wallets. Trove takes the basic concept of the Slim, an elastic loop to hold your cards, but instead of simply sewing up the bottom a leather strip is added at ninety degrees.
This leather strap or loop adds a structural element to Trove that gives a degree of rigidity and provides two extra slots for cards, notes or receipts. The leather used in the strap is of very high quality and is already taking on a lovely patina from being carried.
Trove say their wallet is flexible enough to carry between one and ten cards. I carry three cards on a daily basis: my bank card, my Amex card and my drivers licence and Trove is perfect for this.
I’ve experimented with more cards, and whilst Trove will accommodate them, removing them becomes trickier and far less graceful.
The two slots front and back between the leather strap and elastic loop are perfect for holding a rail or parking ticket, a particular card you need often or a couple of folded notes.
Which brings us onto the achilles heel of Trove and all slim wallets: carrying cash, especially the ridiculously large UK notes – the £20 note is so large it looks like something from the Victorian era. Yes you can fold the notes up, lets face it you have to, but then of course they become four times their original thickness, and more than two or three soon makes Trove bulge, I use the term relatively, which starts to defeat the object of a slim wallet.
The sooner everybody takes cards or contactless payment through our phones the better – cash cannot die quickly enough for me. But I digress…
Final Thoughts
Trove is a great slim and minimal wallet, beautifully made from high quality materials and more versatile than most other slim wallets. If you are in the market for a slim wallet I highly recommend a Trove and if you aren’t I strongly suggest you take a look at the cards you carry on a daily basis and look at slimming your wallet – your back will thank you and thieves will not.