Spend a lot of time in the outdoors and you鈥檒l聽inevitably suffer some聽injuries. I鈥檓 no exception. Over the years, I鈥檝e broken my nose while kayaking in Peru,聽dislocated my right shoulder falling off a bike, and met with聽all manner聽of other unfortunate accidents. But I鈥檝e been lucky that none of them set me back for very long. In fact, my most annoying injury happened indoors聽while writing about the outdoors.聽Almost a decade ago, I was laid up for a couple of months with sciatic nerve issues due to sitting at a desk 70 hours a week鈥攐n my wallet.
See, my wallet was perpetually stuffed with receipts, old library cards, and prized items like聽my middle school ID. At its most bloated, it was two inches thick. Like a lot of guys, I kept it in my back pocket, which might have been fine if I鈥檇 been聽on my feet most of the day. But I was sitting for hours on end in front of a computer while working as聽an editor for a kayaking magazine.
In late 2009, a tennis-ball-size knot formed in my lower back, accompanied by shooting pain from my hip to below my knee. The official diagnosis was sciatic nerve pain resulting from inflammation.聽As one doctor explained it,聽sitting on my wallet all day might not have been the only cause, but聽it certainly contributed. After spending most of that summer on my couch because of the pain, I started carrying my聽wallet in my聽front pocket.聽Alas, even today, I still cram it full of crap.
That鈥檚 why I was excited to see the Chums Maverick Wallet ($13) as I walked the aisles of Summer Outdoor Retailer in Denver last month. It caught my eye with the bold colors, but聽I really fell for the minimalist build. Like all pared-down pieces of gear, it forces you to be more selective, with room for only three credit cards and an ID. The Maverick comes out in spring 2019 and doesn鈥檛 have space for cash, which is a deal breaker if you frequently聽pay with paper. But since adopting Venmo, I rarely have need for dollar bills anymore.
The Maverick was inspired by Chums鈥櫬爌opular ($10), a nice piece but with a zippered pocket that would surely tempt me to accumulate odds and ends. I like聽that the Maverick won鈥檛 let me hoard change or expired AAA cards.
To be sure, there are other minimalist wallets out there. But the Maverick鈥檚 flair, hardy but lightweight聽construction (mostly ripstop nylon), and $13 price tag made it one of my favorite products at the OR show, even with all the high-end gear on display. In addition to letting you rock聽skinny jeans, it just might save your back.