0241 – The Throw Away Wallet

We know that the best way to avoid the consequences of violence is to avoid violence all together.  If a dirtbag on the street decides to take my wallet and I truly believe that giving up the wallet will end the situation, I have no problem giving up the wallet.  All that the wallet contains is a small amount of cash.  Would you pay $100 to avoid getting hit, kicked, cut, shot or stabbed?  I would.  Even when I dominate that conflict there can be negative consequences.  I don’t want those negative consequences.  It is for this reason that I carry a Throw Away Wallet.

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What Is a “Throw Away” Wallet?

My throw away wallet is a pretty simple piece of my EDC gear.  It is a simple leather bill fold which has a couple of pockets for credit cards, ID’s etc and an integral money clip.

• It is a functional piece of my EDC.
• I use it as storage for my cash.
• Despite the pockets I rarely carry ANYTHING other than cash in the wallet.
• Most importantly I am willing to toss this wallet any time to avoid a problem.

Purpose of a “Throw Away” Wallet

Crime and Violence Avoidance

The main component of the wallet is cash but I don’t carry all of my cash there.  I carry a real wallet that has all my important stuff in it as well as a stash of cash.

Before the crime

Because I only carry a small amount of cash in my TAW, I can open it in public with confidence that I am not going to make myself a mark.  It’s 2011, and a hundred bucks just isn’t a hundred bucks any more.

If I end up in a gas station to pick up a coffee in the middle of the night, the last thing I want to do is open up a wallet that is holding a couple hundred bucks.  There are several problems with this scenario.

• I don’t need to attract attention to myself
• I don’t want to indicate that I have a chunk of cash to steal
• Often times people with a load of cash have other things that scum might like to have

After the crime

I carry a TAW to avoid escalation of simple crime.

I can only imagine how much it would suck to get stuck up for my wallet, but I can also imagine that it could get worse after the fact.

Compliance

Sometimes a scumbag just wants your wallet.  When that is the case, its best to just give it up.

• When it comes to AOJP,  J or intent is the hardest to judge.
• Another individuals intent is difficult to judge as we can never get inside someone else’s head.
• At the same time, when our gut tells us that giving it up will do, that is a great place to start.

Distraction

Having a TAW can be a great distraction.

• Even if you are wrong when it comes to AOJP having a TAW can buy you time.
• Time = Distance = Opportunity
• Tossing a TAW can create opportunity for you to defend or escape.
• Get yourself a TAW!