lucznik
05-18-2012, 02:08 PM
I’ve been rethinking and refining my EDC (Every-Day Carry) equipment lately. Most of the core elements that I have on my list haven’t really changed much over the years but, as I go I try to upgrade my equipment whenever possible. I’m always trying to get smaller, lighter, and better - all while not losing functionality or performance. The items in my “kit” are not necessarily there because I consider them to be “the absolute best” nor are they the only viable options; rather they are the best I have found and acquired to date for the things I want to do. I’m always looking for the chance to upgrade even more and as such, your suggestions are very much welcomed.
This kit represents what I would have actually on my person (on a belt, in my pockets, hanging from my neck, strapped to my body, etc.). Because of this, it is most definitely not all inclusive. I have two other kits that fit into progressively larger packs (an “Everyday Bag” and a “Get Home Bag”) that are not being considered here. I may also carry other things depending on what I happen to be doing on a particular day but, no matter what I’m doing, I try to keep at least the following stuff on my person (though sometimes I have to make compromises depending on where I’m going at any given moment).
o Pen
Fisher Space Pen – 50th Year Anniversary pen from my employer.
I don’t know how people go anywhere without a pen in their pocket. Whether I’m at a gas station, restaurant, grocery store, in my office, or at some event it seems like I regularly have to sign something or take note of something. My wife just assumes that everyone else will have a pen for her to borrow – and when I’m around someone (me) always does. I can’t stand relying on others like that so, I carry my own.
Now, having said that, let me add that I strongly dislike the so-called “tactical pens.” These to me are an answer to a problem that no one was experiencing. Oh, I suppose if you are a uniformed cop, they might prove useful somehow (maybe… OK probably not) but, for the average citizen, they are a total gimmick. Besides, having been advertised as “tactical” tools, many places where they were intended to be able to be carried (including airports) have now banned them. The TSA even has on their website a traveler’s warning about a man carrying just such a pen into an airport in Florida. Not only did the TSA confiscate his pen but, they called over the airport police who promptly cited the man for illegally carrying a concealed weapon.
You need a PEN not a martial arts weapon.
o Wallet
Minimal Credit Card Wallet – I won it along with some other stuff from a vendor at a convention
This was really fortuitous as I was planning on buying something like it anyway. After years of sitting on a big, fat, monstrosity of a wallet in which was carried every credit card, store card, restaurant card, gift card, spare keys, mini-firesteel, loose change, receipts, coupons, Fresnel lens, and every other sundry piece of junk imaginable, I have reformed my ways and now I carry just a very minimal little wallet. It holds my IDs, a couple of credit cards, and a little cash and that’s it. I haven’t missed any of that other crap and I have had a lot fewer back pain problems as a bonus.
o Keys
Cars, house, and gun safe. NO MORE.
Like with my wallet, I got really tired of carrying around a 3-lb set of keys, many of which I probably couldn’t remember what they went to even if my life depended on it. It was a little uncomfortable at first thinking I might need a key I had left behind (hasn’t happened yet) and I still have a bunch of keys hanging on a wall in my house as I try to figure out what they all go to but, it’s been great not to have that extra weight pulling my pants down and jingling in my pocket as I walk like bells as if I was Santa Clause or something. I have my work keys on a separate ring which attaches to my belt when I’m at work; so too with any keys to other places. Each set is on its own ring and each ring is carried only when they are actually going to be needed.
o IPod Touch
8GB model with a camera
I probably am one of the only people on the planet who does not use their IPod for listening to music. I think I only have like 10 songs total on mine. I use it for the calendar, for various “Apps,” for reading, and for surfing the web. It’s really more of an electronic Day Planner or PDA – at least the way I utilize it. The camera is total crap and I hardly ever use it but, in a pinch, it could be marginally serviceable.
o Cell Phone
Cheap LG something-or-other I got “free” from Verizon
This is just a basic phone that I use for talking and texting. It has some other features but, I don’t use them. Its camera is even worse than the one on the IPod – if that’s even possible.
I really should just replace both my cell phone and my IPod Touch in favor of a smart-phone of some sort but, I’ve always been too cheap to pay the extra $30+/month it would take to have the enhanced data service. That may have to change soon as my work requirements are making a smart phone nigh on a necessity. I’m thinking an IPhone is the way to go as I’m already used to the IPod interface and the IPhone’s camera is actually pretty decent (though limited) – which could potentially partially replace yet another piece of EDC gear for me (more on that later). Regardless, the important thing here is that I don’t go anywhere without a phone.
o Flashlight
Maglite XL200
I wanted a small, bright, durable light that took readily-available and replaceable batteries and that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. It also needed to have the ability to be used as a “tactical” light but, without overtly looking like a tactical tool. That’s a tall order I know but, Maglite has always been a great performer for me and this model has a “super-LED” that puts out 172 lumens and has numerous functions including a user-programmable strobe. It’s only 4” long, 1” wide, and weighs under 4 ounces. It has a "Spot-to-Flood" adjustable LED beam, is made of machined and anodized aluminum for corrosion resistance and durability, and is powered by three (3) commonly-available AAA alkaline batteries. What more could you ask for?
o Knife
Victorinox “FieldMaster”
I’ve described this knife before but, to recap - it is, in my opinion, the best survival and daily-use utility knife on the planet. It has two blades, a very functional saw, scissors (which I use far more often than either of the two blades), flat and Phillips screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, a leather awl, and the ubiquitous toothpick and tweezers. I’ve carried one of these for decades and I have never found a knife that came anywhere close to its all-around usefulness. This knife will not do everything and I do supplement it sometimes with other, more “mission-specific” blades, but this one goes with me everywhere.
o Firesteel and Lighter
Light My Fire brand firesteel and Bic lighter
I’ve yet to find a better quality firesteel than this one. I’ve found firesteels that were cheaper and others that were more expensive; I’ve even found some that probably were of equally high quality, but never have I found one that was better.
A basic Bic lighter is good enough for me. I don’t need a torch lighter or something that’s going to stay lit in 100-mph winds. I couldn’t keep my kindling lit in such conditions anyway. The only thing I use matches for anymore is to light my BBQ or to provide some “air freshener” when someone in the room has had too much potato salad.
o Compass
Sun brand mini-compass
This compass is admittedly limited in its orienteering capabilities. However, it’s not really meant to take me through 50 miles of dense jungle (though it could if needed) – rather it is just so I can keep a general idea of my direction when I’m in unfamiliar territory. I used it a lot when my son and I visited Washington DC in March. At less than 1 ounce and about the size of my thumb, this little guy is far and away better than the button compasses and still is small enough not to ever get in the way.
This kit represents what I would have actually on my person (on a belt, in my pockets, hanging from my neck, strapped to my body, etc.). Because of this, it is most definitely not all inclusive. I have two other kits that fit into progressively larger packs (an “Everyday Bag” and a “Get Home Bag”) that are not being considered here. I may also carry other things depending on what I happen to be doing on a particular day but, no matter what I’m doing, I try to keep at least the following stuff on my person (though sometimes I have to make compromises depending on where I’m going at any given moment).
o Pen
Fisher Space Pen – 50th Year Anniversary pen from my employer.
I don’t know how people go anywhere without a pen in their pocket. Whether I’m at a gas station, restaurant, grocery store, in my office, or at some event it seems like I regularly have to sign something or take note of something. My wife just assumes that everyone else will have a pen for her to borrow – and when I’m around someone (me) always does. I can’t stand relying on others like that so, I carry my own.
Now, having said that, let me add that I strongly dislike the so-called “tactical pens.” These to me are an answer to a problem that no one was experiencing. Oh, I suppose if you are a uniformed cop, they might prove useful somehow (maybe… OK probably not) but, for the average citizen, they are a total gimmick. Besides, having been advertised as “tactical” tools, many places where they were intended to be able to be carried (including airports) have now banned them. The TSA even has on their website a traveler’s warning about a man carrying just such a pen into an airport in Florida. Not only did the TSA confiscate his pen but, they called over the airport police who promptly cited the man for illegally carrying a concealed weapon.
You need a PEN not a martial arts weapon.
o Wallet
Minimal Credit Card Wallet – I won it along with some other stuff from a vendor at a convention
This was really fortuitous as I was planning on buying something like it anyway. After years of sitting on a big, fat, monstrosity of a wallet in which was carried every credit card, store card, restaurant card, gift card, spare keys, mini-firesteel, loose change, receipts, coupons, Fresnel lens, and every other sundry piece of junk imaginable, I have reformed my ways and now I carry just a very minimal little wallet. It holds my IDs, a couple of credit cards, and a little cash and that’s it. I haven’t missed any of that other crap and I have had a lot fewer back pain problems as a bonus.
o Keys
Cars, house, and gun safe. NO MORE.
Like with my wallet, I got really tired of carrying around a 3-lb set of keys, many of which I probably couldn’t remember what they went to even if my life depended on it. It was a little uncomfortable at first thinking I might need a key I had left behind (hasn’t happened yet) and I still have a bunch of keys hanging on a wall in my house as I try to figure out what they all go to but, it’s been great not to have that extra weight pulling my pants down and jingling in my pocket as I walk like bells as if I was Santa Clause or something. I have my work keys on a separate ring which attaches to my belt when I’m at work; so too with any keys to other places. Each set is on its own ring and each ring is carried only when they are actually going to be needed.
o IPod Touch
8GB model with a camera
I probably am one of the only people on the planet who does not use their IPod for listening to music. I think I only have like 10 songs total on mine. I use it for the calendar, for various “Apps,” for reading, and for surfing the web. It’s really more of an electronic Day Planner or PDA – at least the way I utilize it. The camera is total crap and I hardly ever use it but, in a pinch, it could be marginally serviceable.
o Cell Phone
Cheap LG something-or-other I got “free” from Verizon
This is just a basic phone that I use for talking and texting. It has some other features but, I don’t use them. Its camera is even worse than the one on the IPod – if that’s even possible.
I really should just replace both my cell phone and my IPod Touch in favor of a smart-phone of some sort but, I’ve always been too cheap to pay the extra $30+/month it would take to have the enhanced data service. That may have to change soon as my work requirements are making a smart phone nigh on a necessity. I’m thinking an IPhone is the way to go as I’m already used to the IPod interface and the IPhone’s camera is actually pretty decent (though limited) – which could potentially partially replace yet another piece of EDC gear for me (more on that later). Regardless, the important thing here is that I don’t go anywhere without a phone.
o Flashlight
Maglite XL200
I wanted a small, bright, durable light that took readily-available and replaceable batteries and that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. It also needed to have the ability to be used as a “tactical” light but, without overtly looking like a tactical tool. That’s a tall order I know but, Maglite has always been a great performer for me and this model has a “super-LED” that puts out 172 lumens and has numerous functions including a user-programmable strobe. It’s only 4” long, 1” wide, and weighs under 4 ounces. It has a "Spot-to-Flood" adjustable LED beam, is made of machined and anodized aluminum for corrosion resistance and durability, and is powered by three (3) commonly-available AAA alkaline batteries. What more could you ask for?
o Knife
Victorinox “FieldMaster”
I’ve described this knife before but, to recap - it is, in my opinion, the best survival and daily-use utility knife on the planet. It has two blades, a very functional saw, scissors (which I use far more often than either of the two blades), flat and Phillips screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, a leather awl, and the ubiquitous toothpick and tweezers. I’ve carried one of these for decades and I have never found a knife that came anywhere close to its all-around usefulness. This knife will not do everything and I do supplement it sometimes with other, more “mission-specific” blades, but this one goes with me everywhere.
o Firesteel and Lighter
Light My Fire brand firesteel and Bic lighter
I’ve yet to find a better quality firesteel than this one. I’ve found firesteels that were cheaper and others that were more expensive; I’ve even found some that probably were of equally high quality, but never have I found one that was better.
A basic Bic lighter is good enough for me. I don’t need a torch lighter or something that’s going to stay lit in 100-mph winds. I couldn’t keep my kindling lit in such conditions anyway. The only thing I use matches for anymore is to light my BBQ or to provide some “air freshener” when someone in the room has had too much potato salad.
o Compass
Sun brand mini-compass
This compass is admittedly limited in its orienteering capabilities. However, it’s not really meant to take me through 50 miles of dense jungle (though it could if needed) – rather it is just so I can keep a general idea of my direction when I’m in unfamiliar territory. I used it a lot when my son and I visited Washington DC in March. At less than 1 ounce and about the size of my thumb, this little guy is far and away better than the button compasses and still is small enough not to ever get in the way.