It’s time: Your old wallet finally bit the dust, or maybe you’re just ready to slim it down. You might be looking for a cool gift to replace dad’s giant, dinosaur of a leather wallet for Father’s Day (hint!). Whatever it is, you’re ready to pull the trigger on a new wallet.

Now you’re asking yourself: What’s the slimmest and thinnest minimalist wallet? What material should my wallet be made of? What are the coolest and best wallets out there?

Finding the best wallet for you is not as simple as it sounds. It will be an everyday carry essential that will travel with you for years, so what you buy matters. With all the different styles and materials, how do you choose the right wallet?

We’re here to help. We've been making top-rated minimalist wallets in the USA since 2011. We use state of the art performance materials and we offer a Lifetime Warranty on every wallet we make.

Below is a quick guide for how to choose the best new wallet.

Billfold or Bi-Fold Wallet: The King of Convenience

Generally speaking, a billfold or bifold style wallet like our Recycled Sailcloth Vanguard or Vanguard will accommodate the majority your wallet needs. For most men and women of any age, a thin billfold wallet works great.

Both of our billfold styles are slim and lightweight, but will handle enough cards and cash for daily life and travel. More importantly, our billfold style wallets are thin enough to fit comfortably in your front pocket even when fully loaded—a surefire winner for those who carry a practical amount of valuables, but want to lighten the load.

Cardholder Wallet: Less is More

For folks who find themselves using a rubber band, or doubt that they need a wallet at all, we created the Minimalist wallet. It’s easily the thinnest and lightest wallet with a lifetime warranty in existence due to technical materials we use.

This is an excellent choice for young crowds like college students who typically carry an ID, a couple bank cards, and a twenty dollar bill. A major bonus of this style wallet: It works great for a night out or a day at the beach without having to lug around your full collection of cards. Just throw what you need in it, and it’s good to go. If you want extra style points, check out our Minimalist wallet.

Cash Sleeve Wallet: Precision is Everything

Ok—this is for people who have their gear all dialed in. You know exactly how many cards and cash you carry each day, and your priorities are simple: Streamline your everyday carry by minimizing the material without sacrificing organization.

Our Craftsman three-pocket wallet keeps a select set of paper and plastic in precise order by offering just two card slots with a cash sleeve in the middle. Choose this wallet if you rarely change the amount of items in your pocket, and you like the idea of easy access over the ability to stockpile lots of cards.

Trifold (a.k.a. Tri Fold, Tri Hold, or Three-fold) Wallet: Responsibility Meets Opportunity

Dads, moms, and people who are regularly away from home appreciate our Traveler wallet for its extra pockets and space. This is a great father’s day gift or graduation gift for friends and family that are embarking on a long journey.

With a bigger cash pocket to accommodate international currencies, and six usable card slots, trifold users will have no shortage of choice when it comes to arranging and sorting necessary valuables. If you prefer a more classic, matte finish check out the Traveler Wallet!

Passport Holder Wallet: Perfect for Pond Hoppers

It goes without saying that if you travel internationally, you’ll be bringing a passport. It’s crucial to have it easily accessible at all times while ensuring you don’t misplace or loose such an important travel document. Our Recycled Sailcloth Navigator and Navigator are both a great choice for this because they remain sleek even when stuffed — many of our customers still carry them in a front pocket.

With space for cards, cash, and a slot for stashing tickets, the Navigator steps up when you want easy access to your passport without stressing about it falling out. Unlike many other passport holder wallets, the Navigator offers the ability to stow your most important travel essential safely within it’s own compartment. You can also tuck only the back cover of your passport into this pocket, allowing for quick use when in airport lines and at border crossings. Side note: Some smaller notebooks, like Scout books fit in this wallet. We’ve also seen customers slightly trim and modify the back cover of a Field Notes or Moleskin notebook to fit in this wallet.

Materials: Our Stance on Sailcloth as the Best Material for Wallets

At this point it should be obvious that leather looks nice, but it is far from the best material for a wallet. Leather is usually thick, heavy, and less durable than other fabric materials. When it's exposed to the elements, leather breaks down quickly.

There are so many materials being used on minimalist wallets these days: nylon, ripstop, titanium, and more. What are the advantages, and what impact does the material have on the usability of your next wallet?

We use sailcloth technology on all of our wallets for a combination of three factors: It’s the slimmest, lightest, and strongest fabric fabric technology that you can use for wallets. The perfect wallet is a combination of these performance factors, not just a caricature of modern design. As cool as a wood wallet might look, it’s probably going to perform about as well as a wooden pair of pants will.

Wrap Up: What Do You Need?

Hopefully you have been able to narrow down which wallet would be most helpful for you needs. Knowing how to choose a wallet for man or woman of any age is basically the same: It comes down to what you will be carrying — or knowing some basic things about the person you are buying the gift for — before committing.

What wallet is right for you, and how did you choose it?