New trucker wallet

[Buffalohump]

Although I drive neither a truck nor a bike I have a penchant for trucker/biker wallets and I have a few of them.

This latest one I got from an eBay vendor.... he describes it as oil-tanned leather which I've never heard of before.

Its very well made and a hella robust item that much I do know. Big enough to be a ladies purse and lots of pockets too. He added the swivel loop at my request and I made the chain myself from a dog chain.

Just a little puzzled by the leather, its not like any I've seen before and I have lots of leather gear. It has almost a rubbery feel.

Anybody ever heard of oil-tanned leather?

 

[Shotgun]

Can you ask him if he used some sort of exotic leather?

Just curious, is there a point to these types of wallets other then style points? I like em but I don't think I can pull the look off considering my normal daily wear. Is the chain there because it sticks out of the pocket and would be easier to steal?

 

[A.L.]

I really like trucker wallets, but I would probably never carry one because I prefer ultra thin front pocket wallets.
But I substitute that (document carry) with my self made leather notepad that I have.

Could the leather be synthetic?

 

[Buffalohump]

Can you ask him if he used some sort of exotic leather?

Just curious, is there a point to these types of wallets other then style points? I like em but I don't think I can pull the look off considering my normal daily wear. Is the chain there because it sticks out of the pocket and would be easier to steal?

You know I am not even sure about that myself. I have tried lots of different wallets and I like the longer form of these. There is a ton of space for what have you. I guess its the opposite of minimal. I would imagine the chain aspect of it evolved to provide security but now its more of a style thing (although if you're in a crowded public space, you do feel better for having it there).

I have seen sterling silver chains made by Bill Wall and the like that sell for thousands of dollars! Not to mention the wallets...

 

[Buffalohump]

I really like trucker wallets, but I would probably never carry one because I prefer ultra thin front pocket wallets.
But I substitute that (document carry) with my self made leather notepad that I have.

Could the leather be synthetic?

I hope note, its advertised as leather. Which I assume means actual leather.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

The wallets were made bigger because truckers carried more papers with them, bill of lading, inventory sheets and these would never fit comfortably in a regular wallet, remember, they had no office, desk, the wallet was essentially a briefcase.

A's for the chain? Think about it this way, all your documents are in your big wallet that sticks outta your back pocket a good few inches, you get in and outta your truck 20+ times a day if not more so the chance of losin' that big wallet stickin' so far outta your pocket was pretty good and many did. Now what better way to keep from losin' your big wallet stickin' so far outta your pocket than to put a leash and eventually a clip on it too?

My Old Man was a fleet mechanic and long haul trucker till he passed away, he used a briefcase and rubber bands to keep his money and papers together.

 

[Buffalohump]

The wallets were made bigger because truckers carried more papers with them, bill of lading, inventory sheets and these would never fit comfortably in a regular wallet, remember, they had no office, desk, the wallet was essentially a briefcase.

A's for the chain? Think about it this way, all your documents are in your big wallet that sticks outta your back pocket a good few inches, you get in and outta your truck 20+ times a day if not more so the chance of losin' that big wallet stickin' so far outta your pocket was pretty good and many did. Now what better way to keep from losin' your big wallet stickin' so far outta your pocket than to put a leash and eventually a clip on it too?

My Old Man was a fleet mechanic and long haul trucker till he passed away, he used a briefcase and rubber bands to keep his money and papers together.

Very interesting background, thanks! I admit to being fascinated by all aspects of 'authentic' ie blue collar American culture and this is definitely one of those little idiosyncrasies that seems unique to the USA. Some people can't believe I carry such a large wallet but I find you are a lot less likely to lose them this way. And just to say I have been the victim of a pickpocket before and its not fun to lose all these little plastic cards that are so essential to life.

 

[Buffalohump]

This is the full collection, the outside two made in USA and the middle one in Canada.

And yes, I do have more purses than my wife.

 

[A.L.]

Good looking wallets! :thumbup:

 

[Buffalohump]

Good looking wallets! :thumbup:

Thanks bud.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

I wouldn't carry a trucker wallet but I can see the appeal. I do carry my keys on a similar chain, for security and convenience. Especially in winter with heavy gloves and a long parka, I can reach under and hook the chain with my thumb. If I drop the keys, they're easy to scoop back up.

Do a Google search for "oil-tanned leather" and you will find it works well for footwear.

 

[Billy The Blade]

This is the full collection, the outside two made in USA and the middle one in Canada.

And yes, I do have more purses than my wife.

...I like the look of the darker one on the far right...Nicely styled.
-Maybe they need, if they don't already have a nice little S.A.K. pouch sewn in.... B.T.B.

 

[AntDog]

The wallets were made bigger because truckers carried more papers with them, bill of lading, inventory sheets and these would never fit comfortably in a regular wallet, remember, they had no office, desk, the wallet was essentially a briefcase.

A's for the chain? Think about it this way, all your documents are in your big wallet that sticks outta your back pocket a good few inches, you get in and outta your truck 20+ times a day if not more so the chance of losin' that big wallet stickin' so far outta your pocket was pretty good and many did. Now what better way to keep from losin' your big wallet stickin' so far outta your pocket than to put a leash and eventually a clip on it too?

My Old Man was a fleet mechanic and long haul trucker till he passed away, he used a briefcase and rubber bands to keep his money and papers together.

Absolutely. I've had my wallet slip out of my pocket, dropped it, had it snag on stuff, etc. and every time it happens, it's just there dangling from the chain. Just stick it back in your pocket and go.

It definitely doesn't make it easier to steal. No way. In my case if somebody tried to lift my wallet they'd find 230 pounds of pissed off biker at the other end of the chain.

 

[EdRonax]

Yes, oil tanned leather is usually found on items like shoes, jackets and just about anything for the outdoors. Oil tanned leather is not actually tanned with oil, it is usually a chrome tanned leather that has been treated with oil to make it more weather resistant.

 

[22-rimfire]

".... to make it more weather resistant." Just like in Lord of the Rings and westerns, they wore oiled leather parkas/rain gear to protect from the rain.

 

[Buffalohump]

Absolutely. I've had my wallet slip out of my pocket, dropped it, had it snag on stuff, etc. and every time it happens, it's just there dangling from the chain. Just stick it back in your pocket and go.

It definitely doesn't make it easier to steal. No way. In my case if somebody tried to lift my wallet they'd find 230 pounds of pissed off biker at the other end of the chain.

Haha.... for sure. Simple ideas work!

 

[Buffalohump]

Yes, oil tanned leather is usually found on items like shoes, jackets and just about anything for the outdoors. Oil tanned leather is not actually tanned with oil, it is usually a chrome tanned leather that has been treated with oil to make it more weather resistant.

Cool, thanks! :thumbup:

 

[Buffalohump]

...I like the look of the darker one on the far right...Nicely styled.
-Maybe they need, if they don't already have a nice little S.A.K. pouch sewn in.... B.T.B.

Yeah, that one is cool, a bit more slim line than the other two as well. I like leather because it comes in so many different flavours. The middle one for example started out as plain untreated leather, almost white. Now a year or two later its taken on a cool caramel hue from use, sweat and oils etc. The dark brown one isn't quite as stiff. These ideally need to be made from quite stiff leather to work best. The tension on the snaps also needs to be just right too, not too tight. Good leather work is an art from and the wallet is one of the toughest to get right.

I will post a pic of the chains I have accumulated, that's a whole other part of the story.

 

[Buffalohump]

OK here's the other part of the story, which is the chains.... the ones I have are mostly solid brass with a couple of chrome jobs. Good stainless chains are hard to find and pricey! Also heavy. The brass ones are heavy enough trust me. I also use the thick curb one as a key chain when the mood takes me.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Let me offer one piece of advice I learned the hard way, if you happen to get the chain caught on something, in my case it was on the handlebar of a dirt bike I dumped. It looped over the brake reservoir and where the bike went, I went. I woulda gave anything for a cheap ripstop nylon trifold wallet that day.

I just recently started carryin' a wallet again' all my tethered leather wallets have long since wore out or in the case of my last one, lost the wallet when we got flooded during Katrina and I found it a year later in a box I missed in the corner of the basement under the stairs. It was the only bikers wallet I ever lost, still got the chain , belong to my 16 y/o Shepard from when I was a kid.

In all seriousness a couple of things to keep in mind, a bikers wallet with change is like a tie in a machine shop, if it gets hooked on something and it's attached to you, you go where it goes. Also in a fight, I've seen a few guys go down bein' flung like a dog on a chain because the wallet was securely attached to the chain and the chain securely attached to the biker.

Hook it to a belt loop by the clip instead of the belt through the leather loop. The stitching at the belt loop will pull free of the fabric with substantially less for seein that the anchor points on the wallet or the leather belt loop. Another option is to use a weak link to attach to the leather belt loop, I used to use decorative unwelded aluminum links as a break, they're stung enough to hold against a snag or pull that I notice it before I'd lose it but if I had to break way from it I could`with a little effort. Better to get separated from a wallet momentarily than separated from your life permanently.