I know most of you probably don’t and might consider it completely unnecessary, but I carry a fishing wallet. It’s where I keep my license, national park pass, emergency cash, business cards and other sundries. Until recently, I was carrying a Travax wallet which works great, but is a little bulky. So in my ongoing quest to slim down and minimize my fishing EDC, I’ve switched to a Yonah Minimalist Wallet.
It’s really nothing more than a small zippered pouch, but it holds everything I need it to and is a lot slimmer than the Trayvax. It fits into the inside pocket of my new Yonah Tenkara Simple Pack, weighs nothing (0.3 oz.), and at 4.25″ x 2.75″, takes up almost no space.
I have two reasons for carrying a fishing wallet at all. The first is that I like to have all my fishing-related documents in one place so I can easily swap it between carry systems. I use different packs depending on the trip–sometimes a chest pack, sometimes a sling pack, sometimes a backpack, etc. so I like to be able to just stuff the wallet in whichever pack I’m going to be using on a given day. The second is I always carry business cards with me. It’s just a convenient way for me to exchange contact info with new friends I make on the stream and to promote my website. I used to just keep my cards in my pack, but they get dirty really fast and if they get wet, well … The Yonah wallet is the perfect size to carry my cards and is water resistant so it will protect them.
As an added bonus, I can fit my waterproof Fisher Space Pen in the wallet too. I left a space on the back of my new cards to write notes so I can also write down the recipe of a fly pattern, a web address, or any other info. I want to leave with a new acquaintance.
This wallet is made from the same nearly indestructible sail cloth as Yonah’s packs and features a water-resistant zipper, and a small looped point of attachment.
And it’s also great for hiking, camping, a day at the beach, or any outdoor activity where a full wallet is overkill and you just need to carry and protect a few incidentals. Simple, like some of the best ideas are, this is just one more example of how a small tweak can reduce the weight and bulk of your kit while solving a problem at the same time.
