Through the woods in Aquitania, France, Voie de Vezélay, 2005.”

Gear ~ Wallet

My Absolute Favorite Everyday Ultralight Wallet

Simblissity LiteFOLD – 8 grams

I like to keep my “walking around” money handy and I like my gear light. A few years ago, I found the perfect convergence in the Simblissity LiteFOLD T-Line™ Ultralight Tri-fold wallet. That may be a whole mouthful of ultralight, but it’s my favorite wallet – period! This billfold has a unique design that lets you close it with either end “on top”. It’s a true piece of “featherweight” gear, made from siliconized ripstop nylon spinnaker cloth, and weighs only 8 grams (0.3 ounces). That’s light!

But that’s not the main reason I love this gear. It’s simply the best performing, most functional wallet I’ve ever found of any kind. It’s the only wallet I use anymore, either on the trail, or in my everyday life back home.

It has a full-size bill compartment with plenty of room for as much cash as I need – dollars or euros. It also has two card pockets that hold plenty of credit card-sized plastic. Simblissity claims it holds up to 8 cards, but I routinely carry at least a dozen when I’m at home – including drivers license, insurance, metro cards, etc. They all fit snugly, but are easy to get to.

Another unique feature is the pair of outer pockets on either end. They seal up tight with micro hook-and-loop fasteners (the only product I’ve seen with them). I carry coins, keys, tokens, camera cards, etc – any small stuff I need both safe and readily accessible. You can fold the wallet so either pocket is on the inside or outside. I carry my wallet in my front pocket, so if I have anything a bit bulky in one of the pockets, I put that one on the outside facing forward. No bulge. That’s sweet!

The fabric is extremely tough, given it’s weight, and has a nice feel. Even though it’s easy to pull out of my pocket when I need it, it doesn’t slip out on its own like a leather wallet can. And it doesn’t leach color if it gets wet (and mine always does, sooner and/or later). My favorite is the “white” one, which is semi-transparent, so I can easily see what’s where. I carry my LiteFOLD everywhere, everyday, and each one has lasted really well. After three years, I’m getting ready to retire my second one. That’s rugged!

This is the kind of gear I really appreciate. It’s manufactured by a tiny company in Rhode Island by a real longwalking ultralighter. When you have hours of solitude on the trail, you have plenty of time to figure out how to build a feature-rich yet nothing-extra piece of gear. Simblissity is the kind of operation where you can visit the website and get the message that they’ll be closed for a few weeks because they’re out hiking. How cool is that? In this case, it’s probably because Brett is out exploring the Grand Enchantment Trail in the great American Southwest. Check out his site.

Preacher Rock, Grand Enchantment Trail.

Simblissity has some other wallet designs and also makes other interesting accessories, like the BotSpot™ water bottle holder, which lashes on to the front pack strap. It’s worth checking out as a nice way to shift part of your load forward and keep your water conveniently at hand.

Bottom line:

You never know, when you’re traveling overland through unknown country, when you’ll walk around a curve, or crest a hill, and see the next little village just ahead. For me it’s always a delight and a chance to rest a moment and enjoy a cup of coffee in the local café – so I like to keep my cash handy. On my next walk I’ll be doing that once again with my battle-tested Simblissity LiteFOLD T-Line™ Ultralight Tri-fold wallet. Highly recommended by Longwalking.

LiteFOLD and Preacher Rock photos © Simblissity.net. Used here by permission.