# Why is the convention to put your wallet in the back pocket **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 22, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649 "2011-03-22T21:12:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/1 "2011-03-22T21:12:18Z")
isn’t it easier to have it stolen than in the front? But still everyone says real men put it in the back ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/2 "2011-03-22T21:18:43Z")
Easier stolen than in front, but also then not mistaken for weird, oddly shaped junk. Unless you’re into people wondering what’s wrong with your junk. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/3 "2011-03-22T21:22:56Z")
Also it’s generally more confortable in the back pocket when walking. In the front pocket your leg runs into it. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/4 "2011-03-22T21:47:20Z")
Your front pockets are for your hands. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/5 "2011-03-22T22:16:25Z")
When fashion trends dictate insanely tight jeans, it can be damn near impossible to get your wallet in and out of your front pocket. Or anything else for that matter. > [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Unless you’re into people wondering what’s wrong with your junk. I’m just happy to see you! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/6 "2011-03-23T03:16:07Z")
If I my wallet was infrontal pocketus, it would make it its business to fall out every time I sat down. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/7 "2011-03-23T03:29:50Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > If I my wallet was infrontal pocketus, it would make it its business to fall out every time I sat down. That’s what I was gonna say. I keep things in my front pockets (even my wallet sometimes because I don’t like sitting on it), but I have to be careful because sometimes things fall out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/8 "2011-03-23T05:18:54Z")
I usually carry a shoulder bag or backpack, and my wallet is usually in it. Unless I’m wearing a jacket, in which case it’s in the inside pocket. I **never** put my wallet in my back pocket, that’s just asking to lose it. Also, I _sit_ on my buttocks - how do you back-pocket-walleters avoid crushing your cards if you’re sitting on them all day long? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/9 "2011-03-23T07:44:38Z")
Front pocket is very uncomfortable when you sit down. And as far as theft is concerned . . . my wallet was stolen in the Madrid airport, from my front pocket with a zipper on it. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/10 "2011-03-23T07:48:50Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I **never** put my wallet in my back pocket, that’s just asking to lose it. Also, I _sit_ on my buttocks - how do you back-pocket-walleters avoid crushing your cards if you’re sitting on them all day long? I’ve never had the problem of damaged credit cards. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/11 "2011-03-23T10:00:45Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > isn’t it easier to have it stolen than in the front? But still everyone says real men put it in the back If common sense tells you to put your wallet in the front pocket, why does it matter what “everyone” says about it? I’d laugh at everybody who judges anyone’s manliness by the way he carries his wallet. And here’s a surprise: There are even men who put their wallet in their _jacket_! (Btw, I do carry my wallet in my back pocket, but only because it’s _convenient for me_ this way) ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/12 "2011-03-23T10:20:24Z")
Wallet belongs in the front pocket. I don’t understand folks who keep it in back. Painful to sit on, easy to steal, but it seems to be the default. Glad I think for myself. ---
**Author:** ![abel29a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@abel29a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abel29a)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/13 "2011-03-23T10:34:49Z")
Now a days the question should be - why have a wallet at all? I have a card holder for my credit cards, driver license and so on, and that goes into my front pocket - as well as a couple of bills if I need cash, which is perhaps once a month these days. That being said, back then, 7-8 years ago when I still had a wallet, I always kept it in my front pocket. (Altough I briefly followed fashion in the mid nineties, with the wallet in the backpocket, but tied to a chain that was fastened to the front of the pants - even prevented a pickpocket from escaping once, too 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/14 "2011-03-23T11:37:38Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > how do you back-pocket-walleters avoid crushing your cards if you’re sitting on them all day long? They’re made of flexible plastic, it just isn’t a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/15 "2011-03-23T11:57:16Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > That’s what I was gonna say. I keep things in my front pockets (even my wallet sometimes because I don’t like sitting on it), but I have to be careful because sometimes things fall out of them. > [@panache45](#): > > Front pocket is very uncomfortable when you sit down. I can only imagine that the two of you wear tight pants with those front pockets that you can only fit your hand in up to your knuckles. Neither of these is an issue if you have anything more than perfunctory pockets. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/16 "2011-03-23T12:11:10Z")
I find it much easier to get a wallet out of a back pocket than a front. Even if I’m wearing ‘slacks’ (like khakis or something,) it’s still loads easier to get it out of the back than to do that awkward “tuck your arm really close to your body to get it at the right angle to slip it into your pocket” thing. And it’s about a billion times easier to get out a wallet from a back pocket while sitting down. I also have my front pockets occupied…keys, change, and other loose items in the right front, phone in left front…nothing left for wallet anyway. Besides, I don’t have a super-thick wallet like George from Seinfeld, but still slightly more than a simple money clip could hold. Three credit/debit cards, license, insurance card, a couple grocery story rewards cards…and I guess that’s all I’d need for day-to-day travel, but I also keep a few other things in there and it’s still only ~1.5 inches thick. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/17 "2011-03-23T12:18:49Z")
I use my front pocket. I read somewhere that a guy had a lot of back problems that were hard to fix. His Dr. finally found out he had a huge wallet he sat on all day and that caused his back pain. ---
**Author:** ![Brandus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Brandus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/18 "2011-03-23T13:30:56Z")
Wallets are an anachronism and make you look like an old fogey. I have a [money clip](http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/david-donahue-money-clip/2981139?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=1298) that contains my driver’s license, credit card, and work badge. It’s about 1/3" thick and all I never need. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/19 "2011-03-23T13:48:30Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > If I my wallet was infrontal pocketus, it would make it its business to fall out every time I sat down. Your pockets must be awfully small. I keep my wallet in the front, and when I sit down it is against my upper leg, and I end up with a crease by my hip _above_ the wallet, which prevents anything from falling out. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649/20 "2011-03-23T13:52:09Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > I’ve never had the problem of damaged credit cards. Agreed. Besides, at least when I’m wearing jeans (which I wear 90% of the time), the wallet doesn’t end up under my leg when I sit, anyway…the rear pockets (and, thus, the wallet) are a little higher up on my butt, and aren’t underneath me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-convention-to-put-your-wallet-in-the-back-pocket/575649.md?page=2)