There's nothing wrong with owning a nice pure leather wallet, and in fact, if you want a wallet that can last a lifetime and beyond, we recommend making the investment. But sometimes you might prefer carrying something a bit lighter, and... er, more flexible — literally and figuratively.
To that end, we've collected a few of our favorite minimalist elastic wallets below.
The TROVE wallet. (£30–£40, or approx. $40–$53 USD; pictured here is the "coffee" colorway)
The TROVE Wallet »
In late 2014 I was sent a pre-production TROVE wallet — the very one you see pictured above — and I've loved it so much that it's still my daily carry, nearly three years later.
The TROVE combines strong, woven elastic with vegetable-tanned full-grain Italian leather accents. The whole thing is reversible too, so you can organize your cards and cash the way you like. Use the outer pockets for cash in "normal" mode, or turn it inside out to use loops in the leather band to hold earbuds and keys.
As I sit here writing this, my TROVE is currently Costanza'd out stocked with 15 bank/ID/membership (i.e. "full thickness") cards, several folded bills, a handful of paper cards (loyalty programs, etc), and even a spare hair tie in the back, and I could fit even more in here if I wanted. It's pretty crazy.
The TGT wallet. ($36–$46; pictured here is the "Americana 2.0 Deluxe")
The TGT Wallet »
The TGT Wallet (pronounced “tight wallet”) is similar to the TROVE wallet above in that it sports a part-leather, part-elastic design — but in vertical orientation rather than horizontal. The surprisingly soft leather is made from Italian lambskin, while the durable custom elastic allows the company to produce all sorts of interesting colorways.
This is quite a compact wallet, yet can fit 20 cards comfortably.
Supr Good Co. "Slim 2" Wallet »
It's hard to pinpoint where the elastic wallet trend began, but for us, it all started in 2012 with Supr Good Co.'s original "Slim" wallet. After a second successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015, they were able to bring the "Slim 2" wallet into the world.
Whereas the original Slim was a purely elastic design, the handsome Slim 2 conceals its elastic band inside a smooth leather exterior — available in black, tan, and gray — a combination that keeps your cards securely gripped inside while also preventing the leather from being stretched out.
The CNCH minimalist wallet by Portsmith Company. ($30–$45)
CNCH Minimalist Wallet »
Like the Supr Slim above, the CNCH (formerly CINCH) is comprised of an elastic band to hold your money in place, but with the addition of a solid “backbone” in your choice of hardwood: walnut (out of stock as of this writing), oak, or birch ply. They also offer a stainless steel version that has a built-in bottle opener.