In other countries, you find yourself carrying a lot more pocket change, because they use coins for their equivalent of $1 bills.

You also probably find yourself using cash more than at home.  Here's a great way to carry your cash and other essentials.

Daymakers Non-slip Travel Coin Purse A small secure coin and note wallet
	This is an ingenious and inexpensive solution to several problems that confront all international travelers. It provides you with a convenient place to carry coins, notes, keys, even credit cards and travel passes. And it offers some protection against pick pocketers, too.

Sometimes it is the small things that pose big problems when traveling.  For me, whenever I'm in another country, I find my pockets fill up with coins, worth up to almost $4 each!  These coins can quickly chew through a trouser pocket lining.

Here is an inexpensive ($14.85) and excellent solution.

Description

This purse or wallet measures 5" x 3¾" and weighs about 1½ ounces empty (but a great deal more when full of coins).

On one side it has a zip pocket (see picture, above).  Also on this side is a stippled rubber type surface that provides the pouch with its non-slip surface.  This non-slip feature both reduces the likelihood that the wallet will simply fall out of your pocket and also makes it considerably harder for a pickpocket to subtly lift it out of your pocket without you noticing.

The rest of the wallet is made from a black micro-fiber material, and it is also available (for $5 more) in leather.

It has a second zip compartment, with the zip opening running around the outside of the wallet.  Inside are a couple of half height dividers providing three small compartments, and another small vertical pocket in which you could place one or two loose keys (eg emergency car or house key, perhaps).  There is also a key-ring clip/lanyard on a short strap, which can be either zipped inside the pouch or left outside while the rest of the pouch is zipped shut.

On the other side is a pocket with a clever opening cut on a diagonal across one corner.  You can place credit cards or key cards or travel passes in here, and because of the way you have to angle the cards in and out, they are held in place securely and are unlikely to slip out.

Using the Wallet

I used the wallet every day during a recent three week trip to Britain and Russia, and found myself using all three storage areas.

I really liked the design and functionality of this wallet.  Because it has large easy to hold zippers, you can easily open and close it with no fumbling or delay.

I used the outside zip pocket for carrying change.  In the past, I've used various different things to hold pocket change, but none have been satisfactory.  They either break, or are inconvenient/clumsy to open and search through for the right coins, or are too small, or are uncomfortable to carry.

No such misfortunate beset me while using the Daymakers wallet.  It was able to swallow up as many coins as I needed it to - sometimes holding almost $50 worth of coins while in Britain.

Because it was so easy to access, open up, and rummage through, I found myself using it a great deal more than other coin purses, not just to store change given to me, but also to take change out of and to make exact payments with.  This meant I ended up not needing to carry so much change with me, and at the end of my travels, I didn't have an accumulated pile of foreign coins that I'd probably never use.

In the middle pocket, I fastened both my apartment keys and also a Micro Maglite (I like to carry a small flashlight with me, especially in foreign cities at night and when riding on Underground Metro systems).  I also kept a few large denomination bills inside the center pocket.

The other side pocket was a great bonus.  I used it to store hotel key cards, and also to store things such as Metro and Tube travel passes - things that I was all the time needing to access as I traveled around the various cities I was in.

Even when loaded up with coins, keys, flashlight, and other goodies, the wallet was easy to fit into my pocket.  And while the fact that I was never pickpocketed doesn't necessarily mean it was the non-slip surface that protected me from such predators, I did feel slightly more secure with this extra feature.

The non-slip feature, while clearly helping keep the wallet in your pocket, does not make it difficult to place the wallet into your pocket or to take it from your pocket - I'd typically put my hand over the non-slip surface while putting the wallet in and out of my pocket.

Summary

After three weeks of intensive use, with the wallet usually full of coins, sharp edged keys, and other objects, the Daymakers wallet has shown no sign of wear.  All seams are intact, no stitching is coming undone, and the material all seems in almost new condition.

The nonslip coating may have dissuaded pickpocketers, and definitely prevented the wallet from slipping out of my pocket.

All in all, this is a marvelous item and I'm pleased to highly recommend it.  It is small, light, simple, and inexpensive.  It is also ingenious and invaluable, and made my travels considerably more comfortable and convenient.  And that is surely worth $15!

The Daymakers wallet is available from Magellan's for $14.85 (or $19.85 if you prefer the leather finish).

Highly recommended, both for your and as a gift for the frequent traveler(s) in your life.

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Originally published 4 June 2004, last update 30 May 2021

You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.