Most people have gotten used to carrying their wallets in the back pocket of their pants. This become the norm a long time ago and seems to be the preferred method for many of us. But is this actually the best option, or is there maybe a better way?
After all, carrying a large bulky wallet in your back pocket is not exactly ideal. It’s hard to sit on it, you must always take it off when you get into a restaurant or a bar, and it can cause real pain in your back.
However, carrying it in the front seems nearly impossible. All new fashion trends gravitate toward slim jeans with very tight pockets. How can anyone fit their phone, wallet, keys, earbuds, and other stuff in just two front pockets? Something just has to go in the back.
So, which choice is the right one? Which pocket is the best one for your wallet – the front or the back one?
Which Pocket Is Best For My Wallet?
In general, you should always look to keep your wallet in the front pocket, since keeping it in the back one is dangerous to both your health and your safety, as it makes you an easy target to thieves. The simplest solution is to get a slim minimalist wallet and fill it only with the most essential contents. This way you will be able to fit all the important stuff in both front pockets, while still keeping a sleek look without bulges on your pants.
Front pocket
The common view among doctors and experts is that you should always keep your wallet in your front pocket. This is the way even most fashion gurus and industry experts recommend. It has lots of benefits, mainly regarding your health, and especially if you’re a fan of minimalist wallets, but it has some drawbacks as well.
Pros
The two major benefits of carrying your wallet in the front pocket are safety and health.
First of all, keeping the wallet up front makes it much harder to get pickpocketed. You will usually notice if someone tries to snatch something from your front pocket, but the situation would be much different if it’s in the back. It’s common sense that many pickpocketers prefer back pockets as they are easier to reach and you will rarely feel anything if you are in a middle of a crowd.
Another big reason why the front pocket should be the go-to place for your wallet is your health, more specifically, the well-being of your back. Sitting on your wallet for extended periods can do major harm to your back and your posture. Since you’ll be sitting on an even plane, your spine will be bent with time, leaving you with major long-term problems and imbalances.
Keeping the wallet in the front is also better for your credit cards. As you’ll be no longer sitting on them for extended periods of time, you won’t risk bending or breaking them as much as when the wallet is in the back.
And finally, anything is easier to reach for you when it’s in your front pocket rather than if it’s in your back. Picking something from the front pocket takes little to no effort, even when you are seated. Keeping the wallet in the front pocket will make sure that you can always feel it, know where it is, and reach it quickly.
Cons
The major downside of keeping a wallet in the front pocket is that it takes up too much space. All front pockets are usually a bit tighter than the back ones, and their design is often oriented more inwards, towards your thighs. Keeping a wallet in the front would take over the whole pocket. And as the other front pocket is almost exclusively reserved for your phone, you are left with no space for your keys and other contents you carry.
On a similar note, most traditional wallets don’t even fit in a standard front pocket on a pair of jeans or pants. Classic folding wallets are often too wide and too thick to fit comfortably into any pocket but your back one.
And, at the end of the day, sitting with a wallet in your front pocket is not that much more comfortable than if it’s in your back one. You just shift the tension to the front of your thighs, instead of your spine.
Back pocket
After all, keeping a wallet in the back pocket has always been the preferred way. Almost anyone I know keeps their wallet in the back at all times, and rarely does anybody bother to even think of putting it in the front. But why is that?
Pros
The biggest reason why people prefer keeping their wallets in the back pocket is space. This method leaves your front pocket free for contents such as your keys, earphones, cigarettes, lighter, lip balm, or whatever else you may bring along with you. And since most of these things are much more fragile than a wallet, you just have to put them in the front and, thus, the wallet goes in the back. I mean, just try sitting on your new earbuds for more than an hour!
Another benefit of the wallet-in-back-pocket method is comfortability during walking and crouching. While it can damage your posture, it only does it while you are sitting. Once you stand up and walk around, you won’t even feel as if your wallet is still back there. This is especially good for people whose job requires a lot of moving and crouching, two things that would be much more excruciating if you’ve got a brick of a wallet in your front pocket.
Cons
The downsides of keeping your wallet in the back pocket are largely the same things we mentioned before: health and security.
Sitting on a bulky wallet is not only uncomfortable, but it can also lead to many problems with your back and posture. In fact, medical experts suggest never keeping your wallet in the back pocket while you are at a restaurant, driving, or doing any other activity seated. It will not only pinch your sciatic nerve, causing huge pain down your thighs but also positions your back on an uneven plain which may lead to major complications such as scoliosis.
But those are the long-term issues. In the short term, you should be warier of the fact that somebody can slip the wallet from your back pocket much more easily than if you keep it in the front.
Verdict
In conclusion, the best way to carry your wallet, especially if it’s a bulky one, is in the front pocket. Carrying it in the back is not only inconvenient but can also lead to many bigger issues regarding health and safety.
Ideally, you can get a slim and narrow wallet that would fit into your front pocket, but would simultaneously leave enough space for other contents such as your keys. Trifold wallets are a great solution for this as they have the same capacity and size as the wide bifold wallets, except they fold into a much more compact shape.
If you must keep your wallet in the back for whatever reason, it’s best to buy the slimmest wallet possible and trim its contents down to the few most essential cards and some cash bills. This will help trim the wallet’s size enough for it to not cause any trouble for you while sitting on it. One-fold slim leather wallets are a great example of how can this be done efficiently. Check out my guide for the best slim minimalist wallets if you want to get some ideas.
