Get our 365-Day Satisfaction Guarantee in our NEW shop!

         

Like Carbon Fiber? These 4 Minimalist Wallets are FOR YOU!

I’m a bit of a car guy, and with that comes the enjoyment of carbon fiber. It’s incredibly strong and lightweight, and you can mold it into all sorts of different shapes – all allowing for some impressive performance. So I was that much more excited to find that carbon fiber was making its way into wallets, which I have not had a chance to test quite a few different options out, and I want to let you know my recommendations!

Now, I’ve found the best-of-the-best minimalist wallets right here, but if you JUST HAVE TO HAVE carbon fiber in your wallet, these are going to be your best options.

1. Ridge Wallet Forged Aurora

I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

5.0
Pros:
  • Extremely simple design
  • It's quite durable
  • Forged carbon with green looks awesome
  • Cash strap is one of the best
  • Great card capacity
  • Comes with both a money clip and cash strap
Cons:
  • Still not the easiest wallet to get cards out of
  • It's really expensive, with no additional utility
Specifications:
  • Dimensions: 0.24" by 3.39" by 2.13"
  • RFID Blocking: Yes
  • Card Capacity: 1 to 12
  • Cash Organization: Strap or Money Clip (both included)
  • Coin Storage: No (accessory available)
  • Weight: 45.3 grams
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The Ridge Wallet was the first big (metaphorically speaking) minimalist wallet on the scene. Its sandwich (two plates and an elastic band) build was a simple yet great way to store only what you need (cards and cash). Over the years, the brand has released plenty of different variations, including a carbon fiber version (which they gifted me the green-flaked Aurora wallet).

Rather than the 2 ounces that the aluminum version weighs, the carbon fiber sheds .4 ounces (down to 1.6 ounces). I have both versions of the wallet, and you can see a slight difference in weight between the models, but I wouldn’t say you should spend the extra cash just for the weight savings.

That said, when it comes to carbon fiber (especially the forged carbon), Ridge stands out as having the best-looking forged carbon. The flakes of carbon are larger than just about any competitor, making for a dramatic finish that looks great. The green flakes (or whatever color you choose) stand out extremely well and shimmer. It’s a great-looking wallet.

2. Ekster Forged Carbon Fiber

I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

5.0
$125.00
Specifications:
  • Dimensions: 0.29" by 4.1" by 2.3"
  • RFID Blocking: Yes
  • Card Capacity: 1 to 15 ( 1-6 in main cardholder, additional 9 in backup storage)
  • Cash Organization: Strap
  • Coin Storage: No
  • Weight: 59 - 87 grams (depending on material)
Pros:
  • Extremely easy to access up to six cards
  • High quality build
  • Expandable storage
  • Easy to access cash
Cons:
  • A bit larger than competition
  • Moving parts can wear
Discount Code: Get 5% off on Ekster's Site by using coupon code "GEAR43"
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The Carbon Fiber Ekster Cardholder was the first carbon fiber wallet I was ever gifted by a brand, and I used it extensively! This cardholder design is impressive, and easily ejects up to six cards out the top of the wallet with ease (after a quick press of the button on the bottom).

This carbon fiber variant weighs in at 59 grams, as opposed to the 87 grams of the aluminum. Again, the brand has gifted me both versions of this wallet, and there is quite a noticeable difference between the two wallets when it comes to weight. The additional price might be worth it on weight alone.

As for the carbon fiber styling, the flakes in this forged carbon fiber wallet are a bit smaller, and I have found that after it starts to show some wear and tear, the forged carbon starts to look a bit like fingerprints. Because of that, I would recommend the weaved 3K carbon version of this wallet instead.

3. Aviator Slide Wallet

4.3
Pros:
  • Extremely high quality
  • Great card capacity
  • Easy access to card with pull strap
  • Comes with coin tray
Cons:
  • Fabric pull strap is loud in your pocket
Specifications:
  • Dimensions: 0.41" by 2.12" by 3.37"
  • RFID Blocking: Yes
  • Card Capacity: Up to 20 Cards (Chosen at Purchase)
  • Cash Organization: Cash Strap
  • Coin Storage: Yes
  • Weight: 42.4 grams

The Aviator Slide comes in quite a few variants, including a full carbon fiber rail version! While I don’t have that variant, I do have the version with a carbon fiber cash clip, which earns it a spot on this list because, let’s be honest, you don’t care about the qualities of carbon; you just want the style, and this has that.

The Aviator Slide is a fantastic Ridge alternative, as it offers a two-plate and a strap style design, but instead of pushing the cards out the side, you pull your cards out the top with a pull strap.

These wallets are incredibly high quality, are built in (and shipped from) Germany, and even come with a coin tray!

That said, the major downside to this wallet is that the pull strap can get caught up behind the cards, which happens more often than you would like. This takes a few moments at the register to fix when it does happen.

4. Groove Wallet Trace

I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

4.2
Pros:
  • It has a fantastic card capacity.
  • The wallet is fully-trackable
  • Much slimmer than traditional wallets
  • Easy to set up the tracking capabilities
Cons:
  • It's quite expensive.
  • I didn't care for the money clip.
Specifications:
  • Dimensions: 3.88" High by 2.48" Wide by .38" Deep
  • RFID Blocking: Yes
  • Card Capacity: 1 to 6
  • Cash Organization: Money Clip
  • Coin Storage: No
  • Weight: Unknown
Discount Code: Use discount code "Gear43" for 15% off on Groove Life's Site.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

We recently tested out the all-new Trace wallet from Groove Life (thankfully, they gifted one to test out) and came back thoroughly impressed! Adam found (in his review here) that he very much liked the card capacity (up to six cards) and that it was a slimmer profile than the traditional leather wallet he had before.

As for the tracking capabilities, he found it extremely easy to set up with his iPhone (just a couple of button presses), and he likes that the wallet had its own internal compartment for the tracker card and didn’t take up any card capacity to carry.

Now, it wasn’t all perfect, as he did not care for the money clip and wished it had a cash strap (I definitely agree with that), and he felt like the wallet wasn’t exactly something he would buy for himself, purely because of its high price point.

Join Our Newsletter!

Get our reviews, buyer's guides and more (including deals) right to your inbox!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Scroll to Top