Review: Big Skinny’s “Thin Mini Skinny” wallet + Win One FREE!

Responding to a recent post about ultra-thin, “minimalist” wallets, Practical Hacks reader Chris Coyle commented on Big Skinny wallets. Big Skinny’s tagline is “The world’s thinnest, smallest, lightest wallets,” and the product appeared on the company’s website to be of high quality. The price was attractive enough ($8.95 + shipping for the model I purchased) that I ordered one to give it a try.

The model I chose is called the Thin Mini Skinny. As with all Big Skinny wallets, it’s made of a water-resistant nylon micro-fiber that is VERY thin yet appears to be quite tough.

Here’s a side view of the wallet while containing 5 credit cards, 2 medical/dental ID cards, an insurance card, driver’s license, and the registration and insurance ID card for my bike:

On one side of the wallet there’s a compartment that can hold several credit cards; your driver’s license goes on top and there’s a thumb hole to aid in sliding it out:

The opposite side features three compartments for credit cards. These slots are lined with a somewhat sticky material to help prevent cards from slipping out inadvertantly. Although the wallet is constructed of a super thin material, it appears to be quite tough:

You may have also noticed in the last two photos that there’s a zippered compartment at the top of the wallet. You can fold bills and place them in this compartment or use it for coins or other small, thin items such as receipts. There’s a bit of a catch with this, however; more on this point later…

Positive First Impressions…

My initial impressions of the Thin Mini were very positive. The material it’s constructed with is nearly paper thin but seems really durable. It can accommodate a lot of credit cards, and the little port hole to help facilitate sliding out your license is handy. Although I haven’t used a wallet with a zippered compartment in many years, I thought that it might come in handy.

But:  I’m sticking with my old wallet

As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to carry cash in one of my front pockets. If I’m traveling and have more cash with me than usual, I’ll opt to put some of it in my wallet. I was fine with the Thin Mini until I started thinking about carrying cash with it.

First, an explanation:

I carry my motorcycle registration and insurance ID card in my wallet. Registrations in our state are a very odd size: they measure 4″ x 9-3/8″. In my case, then,  it has to be folded into a relatively small square, along with the ID card. (I don’t carry it on my bike because it has one very minimal, non-locking storage compartment.)

So I put those items in the zippered compartment of the Thin Mini. With them in place, putting bills into that compartment was difficult.

First of all, if you fold bills in half and try to place them in the zippered compartment, they won’t fit. You have to fold them in thirds or quarters, and then they go into the compartment just fine. But in my case, the registration and card were already in there, and putting bills in was a pain. Finally, in actual practice I found that the driver’s license was no easier to slide out of the compartment with the “porthole” than it is with a conventional credit card-type slot in my old wallet.

So although I’m impressed with Big Skinny’s quality and would recommend you consider their products if you’re looking for an ultra lightweight, minimal wallet, I’m going to stick with my old wallet. (By the way, the Thin Mini is just one of Big Skinny’s offerings; perhaps one of their other wallets would be better suited to my needs. I simply chose the one which looked to be the simplest and lightest.) Click here to visit the Big Skinny website.

The wallet I’ve been using is a Wilson Leather “Magic Wallet.” Here’s a picture showing a side view of the wallet, empty:

Filled with the items mentioned above, it measures 5/8″ thick, or appx. 1/8″ thicker than the Thin Mini. My credit cards, license, medical/dental ID cards all fit in slots on the outside:

The registration/ID card for my bike fit in the middle “magic” section, plus there’s plenty of room left over for cash and receipts I’ll pick up (and need to save for expense reports) while traveling.

I assume you are familiar with so called “magic” wallets, but in case you’re not, here’s a simple video which shows one in action:

Bottom line, when I’m traveling all I do is fold a receipt in half, put it in the middle of the wallet, flip it over, open it, and the receipt is secure. It works extremely well, and if I need to carry a couple of hundred dollars in twenties, the elastic straps secure the money equally well. Because the straps are elastic, they can expand to accommodate many receipts and bills.

The Wilson Leather version I’ve been using for the last few years costs $24, but it has held up extremely well. Click here for a link to a product listing at the Wilson Leather site.

Win a FREE Big Skinny Thin Mini!

So…..  I have a brand new Thin Mini that I don’t need.  The reader who posts the best comment in response to this post will receive it FREE. So comment away, and good luck!!

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