While obsessing over the weight of your wallet may seem a bit excessive for some, for you gram counters, it can be yet another thing to whittle down. While you're probably leaving much of your usual wallet contents at home to keep your wallet weight down, the wallet itself can make a difference too. Thankfully we’ve got options for you here at GGG from small brands doing what they do best: making unique, durable, well-working gear in a responsible way. Note that many of these makers are using recycled and repurposed materials or are utilizing their own scraps from their other designs — yet another reason to support small businesses who lead the way in this regard! Now let's get nerdy about wallets…

Zippered Pouch-Style Wallets 

A super popular, super simple, and ultralight wallet style is the single pocket zippered pouch. The design is as easy as it gets while ensuring your items stay put. It can be great for carrying any loose change or other small valuable items you need to keep safe too. At GGG, we have this style wallet from some of our favorite USA-made cottage brands:

Hartford Gear Co’s Trail Pouch (size small shown here: 0.2oz) with its Dyneema® Composite Fabric (DCF), sealed seams, and water-resistant zipper make this little ultralight pouch a sturdy one. 

Chicken Tramper Gear’s Ultralight Wallet (0.5oz) comes in contrasting color combos in durable and water-resistant X-Pac fabrics with a water-resistant zipper. 

Webo Gear’s Hiker Wallet (0.3oz) come in fun solid colors of rugged X-Pac with water-resistant zippers, and they’re a bit more paired down than the Chicken Tramper wallets. 

ANDA Ultralight recently launched their UL Zipper Wallet (0.2oz) which uses silpoly fabric scraps from the production of their tarps and bivies, which have recycled fiber content to begin with! It’s a great way to support the circular economy while also getting a really lightweight wallet for your time on trail (and hopefully for off-trail life too!)

Hawbuck 

Hawbuck’s sleek ultralight Lean Wallet (0.17oz) is a minimalist’s dream. it's ultralight, durable, bi-fold, made of Dyneema® fabric, and just the right size to fit your essentials. GGG’s own head of operations, Ned, is modeling his favorite Hawbuck wallet here that he’s been carrying. "I love my Hawbuck wallet because it's very minimalist, small, and super easy to get in and out of my pocket. It does exactly what a wallet is supposed to do, and it's not bulky," Ned says. They also make a striking topo-printed version that's an exclusive to GGG! 

Flowfold

Flowfold has thought of pretty much every possible wallet pocket combination known to humankind. Ranging from a single open pocket with the Minimalist Card Holder (0.5oz), to flat-pocket Founder Wallet (0.7oz) and Craftsman Wallet (0.4oz), to the bi-fold Vanguard Wallet (0.7oz), to the more robust yet lightweight tri-fold Traveler Wallet (1.1oz). Their wallets are made by hand in Maine, are made of waterproof fabrics, come with a lifetime warranty, and feature a range of fabrics including striking translucent colors (sailcloth with X-Ply®) and recycled EcoPak™— all with their signature black sewn edges. These aren’t just trail wallets, they work great for everyday town life too!

Wearable Wallets

The SÜLgear Adventure Wallet (0.35oz) is an example of a wearable wallet design which is perfect for valuable items worn around your neck. It can easily be worn underneath a shirt or jacket too, which can come in handy when traveling in heavily populated places where keeping your valuables close is needed. SÜLgear’s design features durable Dyneema® fabric, a single pocket, an adjustable cord, and the most satisfying velcro you’ll ever experience.  

Chums Wallets

As recommended by our very own Ethan from the warehouse, he loves his Chums wallet for life on trail and off: "I love the secure zippering pocket and how the keychain offers a nice safe place to keep keys for my vehicle. Plus it's compact and lightweight." It's amazing how such a small detail like an added keychain can make all the difference in keeping yourself organized in the way you want. They have lots of color combos and printed options, and the price tag is attractive as well. 

Phone Case Wallets

If your phone already has a case on it, then why not have a wallet connected to it? Since us backpackers are all about multi-use gear, then combining these can make a lot of sense. There are lots of options out there of this type of wallet, some more discrete and lightweight than others. The downsides to this set up are that all your valuables are in one place: some people love that and need everything in one spot, while others like to spread out the risk so that if one valuable goes lost or is stolen, at least you might still have the other. It’s up to you to decide! Nolan and Pete of GGG’s Customer Experience team love their phone wallets pictured here. 

A Rubber Band 

It does the job! The simplicity and ultralightness of a rubber band (~2g) is unparalleled, but it does leave your cards and cash open to the elements, it can dry out and break, and items could slide out without the right level of care. Up for the challenge? A hair elastic works too, but things could slide around a bit more easily. 

A Plastic Baggie

Lightweight, cheap, easy to find, waterproof until it’s punctured, no-frills, and easy to replace, a plastic bag does the job. At just a few grams or fractions of ounces, this is a perfectly fine container for your valuables if you are aware of the trade-offs. 

→ Who knew there were so many ultralight options for holding your cash, ID, and credit cards while on trail? With so many choices, you’re sure to find a setup that works best for you on trail and off! Have any other favorites to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below! 

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Ultralight Wallets

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