Metro Gear: Hold Your Cash and Flash Your Pass

[tags]gear, metro, los angeles, wallet, koyono, urban outfitters[/tags]

A wallet with an outside view window is essential for Metro Pass holders.

If the upcoming fare hikes materialize in their currently proposed form, your Metro Pass will become a luxury item and require the finest of frames. In all seriousness, a good wallet with a view window on the outside is an essential accessory for any MetroRider who uses a pass. It allows you to quickly flash your pass to a bus driver or fare cop without fumbling around and keeps your pricey pass as safe as your cash and credit cards. Also, a good Metro Pass wallet should be compact so it can be safely stored in your front pocket, alleviating your back from any additional undue stress (as if a bumpy bus ride wasn’t enough) and protecting your pass from the “threat” of pickpockets.

The ViewSlimmy by Koyono is a compact wallet with a large window on the outside.

My wallet of choice is the ViewSlimmy ($34.95) by Koyono. This compact and stylish wallet comes in black or “sandstone” (brown) and features a large clear window that’s perfect for your Metro Pass. It’s not a traditional wallet in that it has no folds, instead it has two dividers which creates three pockets, plus the additional pocket of the ID window. This design allows for a very thin wallet that can easily fit in the front pocket. Keep in mind however that it’s not going to hold 15 credit cards, 231 receipts, condoms, and a massive wad of dollars bills. That being said, I keep mine pretty full without losing functionality. I have three cards in the ID window pocket… my Metro Pass first, so it can be easily flashed, followed by my California Driver’s License, and behind that my Flexcar SmartCard. The next pocket holds my hard earned cash, most of which has been earmarked for Famima snacks. My credit, debit, and inexplicably, my Banana Republic card, fill the next pocket. The last pocket holds miscellaneous cards like my health insurance card, various business cards, and stamp cards from the restaurants I frequent. I can’t recommend the ViewSlimmy enough. I’ve traditionally been an anti-wallet kind of guy (I used to walk around with loose cash and cards in my pocket), but this wallet is so well designed and compact that it’s almost like not having one at all.

The Gama-Go Dirty Bird Wallet from Urban Outfitters has a fun design.

My friend and fellow MetroRider, Matt Walsh, picked up the Gama-Go Dirty Bird Wallet ($14.99) from Urban Outfitters and has been happily using it as his Metro wallet. Not quite as compact as the ViewSlimmy, the Dirty Bird wallet does act as a more traditional (albeit compact) billfold. It has the required outer ID window, as well as an extra window inside the fold as well as a number of pockets for your various cards. What’s more, the olive colored woven cotton exterior features a smoking pigeon wearing a hat, which is sure to cause conversation if you are feeling lonely on your bus or train. The Dirty Bird wallet looks like it would make a good front-pocket Metro wallet for someone who wants a more traditional billfold.