For most of my life, I’d used cheap leather wallets from places like Walmart and Kmart. Even with a small amount of cash and a few cards, I always felt they were quite bulky, and within a couple years would start to become frayed and tattered looking.
I did a deep dive on wallets, and discovered the Flowfold wallet. It’s surprisingly cheap for being a handmade item the US, and re-used discarded sail cloth as its material, which is both a waterproof and extremely durable material.
I’ve been carrying this wallet for about 3 years now, and still looks like brand new on the outside.
Inside, the inner material made of clear plastic sail cloth which holds cards is getting a bit scuffed at the edges from cards abrading it, but it’s not really all that noticeable when the slots are filled.
The killer feature of the wallet, for me, is just how thin it is compared to most normal bi-fold wallets. This picture is with the wallet filled with 9 cards and and 10 bills, making it about as thick as an empty slim leather wallet, so it slips into even the smallest front pocket while still being easy to get out.
I was able to pick up this wallet for about $21 since this olive color was on sale, but I see usually they go for about $40.
It doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of fraying or non-cosmetic wear after 3 years, so I could see this lasting a decade fairly easily. A no frills, reliable BIFL wallet.
If you, gentle reader, have your own BIFL wallet, leave a comment below or make a new post of your wallet! I’d be interested to see it. ^^
Wallets must be good for this topic. I just looked up mine to see if they were still in business. https://www.flipsidewallet.com I assumed it might have been a case where they designed themselves out of business with a solid product no one needs to replace. I’ve had mine for, idk, 10 years, maybe more. Honestly can’t remember when I didn’t have it.