EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — I have a confession to make. I’ve been carrying a “George Costanza” wallet for years.
For “Seinfeld” fans, you immediately know the reference. The George character has a traditional bifold leather weather that is so stuffed to the gills that it literally explodes from adding one more receipt.
Anyway, I am making a concerted effort to go smaller, lighter and simpler with my wallet as part of my everyday carry.
Like anything I jump into, I dipped my toe into this subject by doing lots of research, including watching plenty of YouTube videos on wallets while trying to wind down after a shift of writing web articles and chasing down stories for this station.
As my first foray into exploring wallets as part of my EDC, I bought a Wayfinder Flux wallet from Portland, Oregon-based company Wayfinder Carry.
The Flux is pretty much the exact opposite of what I have been carrying. It is small, light and very minimal.
It is just 4 mm thick and is just wide enough and tall enough for your ID and a handful of cards. Wayfinder’s Website says the Flux can fit up to 11 cards or bills in its three slots. I find five is about optimal with some money or receipts in the middle slot.
Five is a lot fewer than I am used to. I have created an area in my home desk where I store the rest of my cards and will change them out in this wallet according to what I have planned for the day.
But really, five cards includes my driver’s license, debit card, laminated card with my bank account numbers and routing number, my medical insurance card and my membership card for one of those big-box club stores. For most days, that should be fine.
The wallet is made from a high-tenacity nylon fabric that has a grippy feel in your pocket and it doesn’t slide around when you throw it down on your desk.
The wallet is billed as being water-proof and has the ability for water to bead right off it. It’s also machine-washable in cold water, resists stretching and is Vegan and PVC-free, if that sort of thing matters to you.
It also has rounded corners and “plays nice” with your other EDC equipment (meaning it won’t scratch up your pocket knife or flashlight like metal wallets do).
My first impression is it’s a game changer in my back pocket while sitting, writing or driving around. My initial concern was that it was so light it might slip out of my pocket, but the grippy high-tech fabric makes it want to stay put.
I have seen some people complain online that it is hard to get cards into and out of the Flux. I actually like that. It means that cards will have a hard time falling out of it. In fact, it passed my “shake” test with flying colors.
My big concern is that it is so minimal that it might be inconvenient to carry just five or six cards. I’m going to carry the Flux for at least a month and see how it works.
So far, I love it and wonder why I didn’t make a change like this earlier.
Another note: My order came with a personal note from company founder Hrag Nassanian, a former Nike designer who founded Wayfinder Carry a few years ago. Hrag thanked me for my purchase by name. Nice touch.
The package also included a free pocket-size notebook, what is being billed as Wayfinder’s first in a series of Let’s Go notebooks. It’s beautifully stitched with a black cover and is slightly smaller than the standard Field Notes or Log + Jotter notebook. If you have been reading this space, you know I have “a thing” for pocket notebooks that have heart, soul and creativity. The Let’s Go notebook fits that all to a T.
Anyway, I was impressed by the gesture and found it refreshing in this day and age of dying customer service ethos.
Wayfinder’s initial collection also includes the Daybreaker billfold wallet (for those that want something bigger) and a passport/notebook wallet.
You can check out Wayfinder Carry by clicking here.
A side note: I paid for my Wayfinder Flux out of my own pocket. I will also be exploring a handful of different wallets going forward. After the Wayfinder Flux, the next up will be the Supr Slim from Supr Good Company in Minnesota.
Editor’s note: Dave Burge is a longtime Borderland journalist and is a web producer and digital reporter for KTSM. He also writes a semi-irregular column on EDC gear. If you have any suggestions on topics or items to review, you can email him at dburge@ktsm.com.
