Keep Your Pockets Lean And Clean Looking

Unless man purses come into fashion, we're dealing with more and more junk to carry around these days - wallets, iPods, cell phones, Blackberries, PDA's, etc.  Pockets bulging in the wrong places are unsightly.  You want as clean of a look as possible on your pants as possible and leave the bulging to where it's relevant.  Here are some tips on keeping your pockets lean and clean without having to resort to vertically striped pants.

1. Your wallet. You don't want a thick wallet.  It screams someone with too many burdens, an overzealous World of Warcraft player, or an obsessive-compulsive packrat.  Really go through your wallet.  Toss as much as you can.  Throw out old receipts.  Cancel excessive credit cards.  Burn that VIP membership card to hotbabesXXX.com.  When you're done, it'll feel really good.  If you really have trouble pruning, buy a thin secondary wallet or money clip used for you go out and transfer only the essentials: cash in larger denominations, one credit card, driver's license.

2. Loose change. Get rid of it.  I keep anything under a quarter in change in a jar.  Every few months, I take the jar and take it to a Coinstar machine at a local bank.  I don't get charged for using it.  Most Coinstar machines charge 9% which is quite a lot if you're converting months worth of change.  I know some machines don't levy the commission if you use them towards a gift certificate to specific retail stores.

3. Breath Fresheners. Gum, Pocket Paks, mints, etc. You need to carry a pack of these no matter what - bad breath is your enemy.  I've had varying experience with different kinds, though I generally stay away from the mini spray canisters and stick gum because the paper packaging makes them vulnerable to heat.  Listerine Pocket Paks take up the least space though I find the traditional tablet gum lasts the longest.

4. Keys. You really only need your car and house keys.  Keep them on a detachable so you only go out with those.  I have a fat car alarm pager, but I substitute it with a tiny secondary pager that doesn't have the paging function.  I know German car owners have thick fob keys - I'm not sure if there are any smaller alternatives to those.

5. Cell phones. These days, phones are cheap.  You can easily get a thin flip phone for under $50 off craigslist, Kijiji, or eBay.  You need your phone of course to collect numbers, so like gum, you need to reserve a spot for it.  Make sure the phone has the ability to store and transfer interesting photos from your computer.  I put my rock climbing and recent travel photos on my phone.  When meeting new people, photos are a great communication tool.  The iPhone is great because you can play your own videos, though in context with this article, I'm not a huge fan of it because of its size.

Note: Playing videos of you biking down the World's Most Dangerous Road in Bolivia is cool.  Playing viral Youtube videos that everyone has seen before is not cool.

Extra Note: Never wear your phone on the outside of your pants on a clip.  I know it's really convenient, but in terms of style, it's an eyesore.

6. PDA's and Blackberries. PDA's can be left at home.  If your phone is GSM enabled, then get a small flip phone and swap your SIM card over to it for when you go out.  Staring at your phone and punching away at it like a Gameboy all night in a club has lost it's cool.  For many, the Blackberry is your phone, camera, organizer, GPS, etc.  I like the all-in-one concept, which really helps save pocket space, though I'm scared of its addictive Crackberry properties.

Reminder Note: Never wear your phone or Blackberry on the outside of your pants on a clip.  I need to re-emphasize this because it's like the fashion faux-pas of wearing a t-shirt under a shirt.

7. Digital cameras. I used to carry one around when I first starting going out to clubs a lot to "track my progress" - it was encouraging.  After a while, I stopped carrying one around because of the pocket burden.  Now, I occasionally carry one to film some rough live footage of my dancing.  If your camera has a decent camera with a mini-flash on it, this is probably the better way to go.  After a while, club photos with random hot women and friends all look the same.  This one's up to you though.  If you really love pictures, then by all means bring a camera.   Just try to get a model as thin and slim as possible.  I know Canon, Sony, and Casio all carry pretty thin models.

Exceptions. If you have a medical condition that forces you to carry medicine, inhalers, etc that fatten your wallet, then by all means carry these items.  If your pockets are getting bloated by these or of the above items, I have seen some decent looking waist bags that hang stylishly off your belt, and don't look like purses.  I've seen overpriced Gucci waist bags, but since waist bags are popular in Asian culture, I know some Japanese fashion stores carry Japanese men's Hanpu waist bags that carry the same function and look even better.

Also, you might consider wearing a sports jacket or a heavily pocketed military style jacket as part of your club wear to get more carrying capacity.  Just remember, the clubs get hot.  I love how a jacket or club blazer looks, but it doesn't combine well with dancing unless you sweat very little and have a high tolerance for heat.