My wallet had been a good one. A Fossil  I think (the brand, not a remnant of a long dead organism found buried in the ground). It must have been trucking around in my back pocket for at least 7 or 8 years now. Suddenly, it was no good.

This old wallet is getting pretty worn out after long years of reliable service

Hollering out to the wife, “Hey, if the situation arises, I could use a new wallet.” Silence.

But, a few days later she suggested I make one out of duct tape. Sounded like a reasonable idea. Especially since there was no money in said wallet with which to purchase a new wallet. I just happened to have a selection of excellent duct tapes down in the basement.

I searched for a plan at Instructables.com, looking for just the right combination of quality and utilitarianism. They have plenty, but none struck my fancy.

A short time later after googling “duct tape wallet” I found one I liked at the website of a designer named Dustin Kirk. The instructions are not the most clear, but after reading them a couple of times and diving in, it was easy to figure out what to do.

First I made four pieces of duct tape “cloth” one for the bill fold and one for some card pockets inside.

Duct tape cloth in fabrication

Then it’s just a matter of trimming the pieces to size and taping them together. The exposed cut edges are a weak point so I covered them over with folds of tape to keep them from fraying.

For a first attempt at a duct tape wallet, I am pleased with the result. For a half-hour of fun work and less than a couple of bucks worth of materials, I’ll be happy if it lasts a year or two. According to reports I have read, good quality duct tape will last up to two years; lesser  quality maybe only one. I think this is pretty good duct tape.

Finished duct tape cloth pieces, ready for assembly

When the thing does wear out, I’ll just make another! The neat thing is, that I won’t need to follow any particular plan next time. With the experience of use, I should be able to design and construct a wallet that is customized for exactly my needs.

Duct tape comes in many different colors these days and some plans show you how to make a weave patterned cloth so the goods are two-toned. There is of course no end to what can be done with duct tape.

Finshed, reloaded wallet. Look at all that junk I purged in the process.