VanillaOS and OpenSUSE immutable ones use BTRFS snapshots dont they?

For openSUSE’s atomic offerings, you’re correct. Vanilla OS is a bit more nuanced, though. I don’t quite recall how they did it on their original images. But since Orchid, there is a reliance on OCI images for its updates. Note that bootc is also contingent upon OCI images, which is why I made the comparison earlier. They behave so similar to one another, that Vanilla OS’ Vib can be used (without too much trouble) to create Fedora Atomic images.

As for the usage of Btrfs snapshots on Vanilla OS, I think it doesn’t quite need it because it relies on lvm thin provisioning instead for its ABRoot. However, an attempt to verify this by installing it within a VM failed spectacularly and I don’t think the blame is on me 😅…

While I absolutely adore everything rpm-ostree/bootc, I do think operations involving it are relatively heavy; at least compared to what else is out there.

Depending on your (in)tolerance, you might therefore consider opting for something else, instead. Assuming that this list does a considerable job at presenting your options, I’ll try to provide input on some of the more mainstream ones:

• openSUSE’s offerings. AFAIK, it is lighter. Heck, I’d reckon you might not even be able to distinguish it from its traditional counterpart; Tumbleweed. However, its ecosystem is still very much in its infancy. Hence, I don’t recall any of their offerings that don’t rely on GNOME/KDE-Plasma. There used to be Project Greybeard, but it’s far from lively… As for Aeon (i.e. GNOME version) and Kalpa (i.e. KDE Plasma version), they haven’t had a general availability release yet.
• NixOS. I have heard good things regarding how well it does on low-end PCs. However, FWIW, my own testing portrays a different story: I once had an update that resulted in a lot of compilation and my machine was struggling quite a bit. The same machine that handles Fedora Atomic quite gracefully*. Perhaps that was a fluke, but I wanted to point it out. I’d argue nix does handle operations more gracefully than rpm-ostree/bootc on average, though.
• Guix System. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this outdoes NixOS in terms of how gracefully it operates on a low-end system. This is mostly on vibes, though.
• Endless OS. If you liked Bazzite, but want something lighter, then this might be just that. It relies on ostree only and thus doesn’t have the heavier operations from rpm-ostree/bootc. The goals of the foundation behind it align with enabling low-end hardware. This is reflected in their system reqs. Note that GNOME is still relatively heavy, but you should be served well even on just 4 GB of RAM.
• ChromeOS Flex. For completeness’ sake, if you’re otherwise okay with this, then I suppose it’s another option worth considering. FWIW, there’s also FydeOS (and perhaps others).
• VanillaOS. Does something similar to bootc ever since its Orchid release. So, it’s probably not that light. Furthermore, I got many questions regarding the health of its ecosystem. This used to be another serious contender, but I’m afraid it might have missed the boat…
• GNOME OS and KDE Linux. While not production-ready yet, these will definitely be interesting in the long run.
• aerynOS. Another project that’s not production-ready yet.
• Nitrux. Definitely one of the more interesting ones. It has been around for quite a while now, but I’ve yet to come across someone that dailies it.

Having said all of that, the gist is basically that atomic distros are still relatively new. As such, I can only recommend Endless OS, Guix System and NixOS. Note that the latter two are rabbit holes, though.

Can someone please provide a TL;DW? Much appreciated!

For posterity’s sake:

• I’d like to thank everyone. However, I didn’t quite get the feedback I was hoping for. Perhaps these wallets are too niche. I don’t know…

In the end, the reqs found below only yielded Frenchie Co.'s Speed Wallet Mini - Aroma Collection (with Essentials Pocket). So, it became the wallet I ultimately decided upon.

• Semi-perimeter ≤ 163mm and Depth ≤ 30mm (Both of these values are data-informed to justify the wallet as compact)
• Capacity floor of:
  • 7 cards
  • some amount of 160 x 77 (in mm) bills - which will be straight inserted without requiring pre-folds or causing wrinkles
  • some amount of coins
• Still in production
• Presence of third party clout. Basically; do people talk about it on the internet
• Contained bills shouldn’t be exposed when handling cards or coins
• Sane handling only; for reference, both TROVE Cash Wrap and Slimpuro Znap fail this
• No prone-to-yellowing ID windows
• At least one premium/quick access slot from where a card can be pulled (and reinserted) with the wallet closed
• Offers selective RFID while shut/closed; shields the bank card, lets a transit card tap through a closed wallet. Full RFID kills the tap; zero RFID forces sleeves on the cards you do want shielded

FWIW, I wouldn’t be surprised if a subset of the above would already be sufficient to single out Frenchie.

No worries, fam. Thanks for chiming in!

Do your pants have a change pocket?

Hehe, most of them do. So, I suppose I got my answer. I’m not sure how robust it is, though. Perhaps I should buy pants that do a better job at keeping it shut.

I hadn’t heard of them yet. Looks cool. Thanks for mentioning it.

Though, I wasn’t able to find any of their offering that provides a solution to both:

• carrying coins
• fitting/inserting bills unfolded

Do you happen to know if they sell any wallets that satisfy both requirements?

Yeah you’re right, don’t think they do because of the unfolded requirements,

Yup, I believe that’s the primary culprit.

The push towards minimalist wallets has produced plenty of innovation and I’d say has been great overall. But it’s a pity that folding bills has pretty much become a given across the board 😭. Which, I suppose is somewhat expected as it’s quite straining on the design space.

Thank you for your thoughts!

Coin capacity is highly overrated.

I personally agree with this.

You put your wallet in a pocket. Coins can also go in the pocket. You still have to dig around to find the right number of coins for the task, regardless of which method you choose.

But the idea of loose objects in my pocket doesn’t sit well with me. Perhaps it’s a me-issue; I only use my front pockets. Ever. So, the coins would (probably) reside together with other objects: could be phone, keys, or wallet. The thought that coins may slip/come out of my pocket whenever I’m grabbing something else horrifies me. It’s not even about the unnecessary loss of money, but the fact that my EDC doesn’t provide a robust solution to it.

I’m somewhat of a perfectionist. Hence, I’d rather be over-prepared instead of under-prepared. Even if this causes friction with minimalism. Thankfully, a wallet like say Frenchie Co.'s Speed Wallet Mini proves to me that a minimal coin pocket shouldn’t be too much to ask.

Don’t underestimate the value of RFID blocking.

I used to be a die-hard RFID fan. But Walletopia’s videos on the topic led me to believe it’s more nuanced. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if my understanding is still severely lacking. So please feel free to educate me 🙂.

FWIW, all the wallets mentioned in the post offer RFID in some capacity.

Regarding your thoughts on card storage areas, they do resonate with me. I believe this is somewhat reflected in the shortlist:

• STUDIUM timik basically has two pockets/slots for cards. One of which is supposed to work as a quick access slot, the other is larger and is able to contain like half a dozen cards or so.
• The Frenchie Co.'s Speed Wallet Mini doesn’t even have single-card pockets/slots. Instead, it has two high-duty pockets/slots that demand three cards each.

I believe this is the primary reason why they can have such a small footprint while being very thin still. (The EXENTRI Multiwallet has a considerably larger footprint than both. Allett Coin Wallet 2.0’s footprint is even massive.)

The bigger the wallet capacity the more you will fill it. You really don’t need all those cards.

I agree. Currently, there are only 4 (type of) cards I’d like to carry:

• Bank cards
• Public transit cards
• Identification cards
• Tracker cards

And it’s very much possible that I’ll only carry one of each. Tracker cards are thicker than regular cards, though. So, effectively, even with just one of each, it’ll be as if I’m carrying ~5-6 cards.

The one downside of this is that your basic two panel elastic wallet kind of sucks for cash. But I don’t use a lot of cash anymore.

I still need my cash 😜. But thanks for mentioning it!

Thank you for mentioning it! But I don’t think any of their wallets satisfy the requirements. Please correct me if I’m wrong, though.

RFID protection is often present in wallets, and it would be helpful

Thank you for mentioning this! FWIW, all of the wallets mentioned in the post offer RFID (in some capacity).

I have other places to keep coins

Like where 😜? Looking for inspiration on a robust solution.

https://bellroy.com/

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve come to the following conclusions regarding Bellroy:

1. IIRC, only their Note Sleeve fits the bill (pun intended).
2. IIRC, reports on quality are mixed; i.e. not everyone is fond of it.

Though, I suppose All The Wallets’ review is at least promising regarding the Note Sleeve’s long-term durability. So, I’ll grant it the benefit of doubt and put it on the shortlist. Thank you for mentioning it!

Btw, how have your experiences been with Bellroy wallets?