EDC

submitted by yana

Cool blog!  I came across it while looking for a replacement for a keychain SAK that is now the property of the TSA.  

Bag dump:

— LV coin purse: extra contact lenses, band-aids, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, safety pins, q-tips, tiny tube of hand lotion (refillable), feminine supplies.

— handkerchief

— iPhone (Japanese lacquer decals, hand-applied)

— earbuds in little coin case

— Mont Blanc pen

— teeny notepad, 31 very thin sheets, goes in the wallet.  

— patent leather card case used as a wallet. Huge wallets are marketed toward women, but all I need is that little case.

— pill box

— key chain: mini e-gear flashlight, USB drive.  USB drive has a metal casing; switched out the cellphone charm type lobster clip for a sturdier clip.

— True Utility nall clipper kit.  Has a blade, nail file, scissors, and has replaced the above-mentioned SAK and the separate nail clipper I used to carry.

— mini screwdriver set on same ring, with an extra clip to clip to key leash in the bag.

— eye drops (sit in front of a computer all day…), lip balm

— business card case

— watch, bracelet, necklace: everyday wear rather than carry, and I thought the Cartier screw motif and the Tiffany key on a ball chain were thematically appropriate to EDC…

Editor’s Note: Hi Yana, thanks for sharing… I appreciate thorough explanations of your purse contents (most of the time I have no idea what’s going on in a woman’s purse, haha). I can tell your load out is very well thought out and I admire that you still manage to keep things nice and compact despite the temptation of overcarrying, which is common when people have a dedicated bag for EDC (in this case, presumably a purse of some sort). Keeping a shoulder bag, purse, or what have you lightweight is important for comfort and ergonomics too. As for your kit, good job on utilizing the popular ‘pack in pack’ approach with smaller sundry items in your LV pouch, earbuds in a coin purse, separate wallet, etc. This lets you have a more ‘modular’ setup if you switch bags, making adjustments to your EDC convenient and painless. The coin pouch should both protect your earbuds and prevent tangling, improving retrieval out of your bag too. The tools you choose to carry make sense, don’t seem out of place, and offer a good variety of utility. I also like the attention to detail on your keychain, swapping out your USB’s clip for something more sturdy. Retention is key when it comes to smaller, fragile items like that. Overall there are plenty of good concepts going on in this carry and it’s a good example of a nicely planned EDC, with some item choices other people could look into. Thanks for sharing and carry on! 

submitted by hans nelson

From left to right:

Luminox 1828 Field Watch
Koyono Slimmy Wallet
Benchmade Emissary 470
Nite-Ize S-Biner Stainless Med.
Fisher Space Pen
Streamlight LED Nano-light
Lacie USB Key
Glock 30SF .45 ACP
iPhone 4

Editor’s Note: I’m guessing that with this carry you’re trying to keep it minimal and lightweight. Your choices of a slim wallet and the Emissary are good for this purpose, as is keeping other gear keychain sized. Your little keyring/space pen clip mod is pretty clever, I’ve never seen one carried that way! I see you keep your gear on clips for that modular versatility. My only recommendation would probably be to replace the old version of the S-Biner, many (including myself) have had issues with its retention strength. Your keychain looks lightweight so items coming loose might not be an issue, but it’s still worth mentioning. You might also find a little Swiss Army Knife to be useful too — a 58mm tool adds some redundancy and incorporates other tools while maintaining a slim, lightweight profile. Otherwise, everything looks nice and solid.

Thanks for sharing!

submitted by potato-potato

Casio Data Bank, Cambridge Frame, Skinray Wallet, Jetbeam RRT0 R5, Zebra Pen, CRKT Drifter, Boker Steel Kubotan, Moleskin Sketch Book, Zippo

Editor’s Note: Nice, cool carry here… Doesn’t look overly tactical but still boasts all-around everyday utility. I like the RRT for its battery versatility, making it a good light to EDC anywhere. The Zebra is a classic — durable, carries well and writes decently, and I like that you have a Moleskine with it. That’s a sensible system. The Drifter and kubotan I haven’t seen much of, but from what I remember the Drifter is still a good, affordable user. The Kubotan is an interesting ‘keychain’ so to speak but aside from the obvious I suppose it also serves to improve retrievability of such a small key! Nice cordage work you have going on too for the same reason, it brings you carry together too.

Thanks for sharing!

submitted by Flip

These are the things I carry with me everyday.

• Ibelo lighter with regular flame
• BIC maxi lighter
• Zippo lighter with turboflame insert
• Bally wallet
• Vintage cigarette case (Birmingham, 1894)
• Certina DS-2 Swiss watch with NATO-strap
• Dutch army issued Victorinox pocket knife
• Cross ballpoints (2x)
• Braunbüffel pencil case
• Keys with an AVO cigarpuncher

Editor’s Note: Looks like somebody likes fire, haha. Interesting array of lighters and cigarette related gear! With so many clipless, metal objects in your carry, I hope you’ve found a method of carrying that isn’t too bulky, loud, or likely to scratch/dent your gear against each other. As far as overall utility, the Victorinox covers a lot of everyday tasks, but aside from your lighters it looks like you might find a dedicated torch useful. A small button-celled twisty light could work on your keyring. I also see you carry pens, so maybe adding a pocket notebook could come in handy. Lastly, I’d like to add your carry overall looks beautiful — I especially like the pattern details on your Zippo and cigarette case. The watch and strap bring the aesthetic of the entire carry together with fantastic results.

Thanks for sharing!

submitted by olara21

I love your site, I submitted my edc a while ago and this is how far I’ve gotten. I either carry the Wave or my Kershaw Leek when I want to go lightweight. 

Magpul Field Case - Black 16gb iPhone 4
Fenix E11
Leatherman Wave
Casio Watch
Fisher Space Pen - Bullet
Key Chain - Carabiner, Gerber Shard, LED light

Editor’s Note: Here’s a simple, well-rounded carry that doesn’t really break the bank. The Fenix and Wave combination should cover many bases, not take up too much pocket space, and last a long time. The E11 is a decent, affordable and simple torch that runs on easily sourced batteries. Your keychain is kept minimal with a backup one piece multitool and an LED, which is good — I’d probably consider swapping out that carabiner for a different kind of retention clip though (but with such a lightweight keyring, you might be okay there). The Space Pen is a classic EDC staple and the Magpul is a good choice of case too. To be honest there’s not much in the way of outstanding high-end gear, but it’s good to remind readers that you can configure an EDC for pretty much any budget and any lifestyle. The advantage of more affordable gear is that they’re also easily replaceable if they get lost. Just be aware that there is a difference between cheap and affordable! You did a great job of that. Thanks for sharing.

submitted by torjonsson

Hello, this is my EDC: 

• Tissot PRC 200 Chronograph
• iPhone 4S 64GB (made this picture with it)
• Hard Graft iPhone case/wallet. (holds cards and cash)
• Victorinox Spartan 

I find the can opener driver to be sufficient for most philips screws, so my preference is the corkscrew. It functions as a marlin spike (+ I drink wine and attend parties) and I prefer the look and feel of a corkscrew SAK.

The Spartan is representing as my knife on this photo, but it could just as well have been my Skeletool CX which I carry equally much.

I prefer a SAK or the Skeletool for their added versatility to any common folder. For serious cutting tasks I use sheath knives.  

During this dark time of year I sometimes EDC a Nitecore EZ AA R5 but it’s rare. It’s usually in a bag. What I have listed in the photograph is what I carry on my person. 

Thank you for reading and keep up the good work!

Editor’s Note: Very cool — I like that you’ve found your preferred Swiss Army Knife in the Spartan. I think for a minimalist, less-tactical carry, Victorinox offers a wide variety with some models that are bound to fit your every EDC need. I myself love the Super Tinker. Beautiful watch and wallet, too. I can see the appeal of keeping your wallet and phone together but I can only imagine the frustration of losing or forgetting your wallet… and your phone~

Thanks for sharing and carry on.

submitted by Brian

Hi - love the site.  Here’s my pocket dump.

Simple keyring, I don’t like a lot of clutter on my keys, so I keep it to just keys, nothing else.  I put the extra split ring on because two microchipped car keys are pretty bulky right next to each other on a single ring.  The simple yellow plastic surround helps me find the house key in the dark.  This is one of my favorite little additions - sometimes the simplest things are the most effective.

Clockwise from there, the Saddleback Small Wallet.  I think this is the perfect little wallet - just big enough.  I have it whited out, but normally I keep my grocery store card in the license slot for quick scanning (since I’m there seemingly everyday).  Keys and wallet go in the front left pocket.

Simple Citizen Eco-Drive watch with a leather strap.  It was a gift, and is the nicest watch I’ve ever owned (I’m not into the really expensive stuff - I used to just buy a little Timex every couple of months when they broke).

Droid 2 - just the current cell phone.  I’m definitely a smart phone convert now, so I have dedicated my right front pocket to just the phone to avoid scratches and for easy access.

Moleskine pocket squared with Fisher Space Pen.  I keep a removable set of sheets in the moleskine for disposable notes, and keep more permanent notes, lists, and ideas in the notebook.  This is the back right pocket.

Back left pocket gets the special treatment.  I have dedicated a Saddleback Small Gadget Pouch to storing four things (laid out next to it as they fit):

• Streamlight Microstream
• Peanut Lighter from CountyComm
• Leatherman Skeletool
• Protective case for hearing aids (just in case)

Everything fits in the gadget pouch snugly, and because it has the access hole in the bottom, it is easy to push things out.  It works well for me because the only thing in this pouch I need on a daily basis is the flashlight, and it protrudes just enough that I can grab it without removing the wallet.  Everything else stays put.

Thanks for keeping such a great site!  I’ve gotten a lot of ideas here, and appreciate the stylish demonstration of the EDC philosophy.

Editor’s Note: Brian, thanks for your support. I appreciate the thorough explanation of your gear here, and I can tell some of the ideas I try to put forth on the website resonate with your carry. Your carry covers many bases in an uncluttered way, but still features some nice tricks worth highlighting. Firstly, I like the minimal keyring. The hi-vis keycap is a good idea, if you wanted to take that to the next level you could try attaching a tritium locator or a glow in the dark keycap maybe (although it would be hard to maintain a charge when you pocket carry). The leather gadget pouch system is a unique approach to me, as many EDCers turn to a “pocket organizer” or “urban wallet” for this method of EDC. I can see the merits of leather include longer lasting durability, a snugger fit to improve content retention without the use of hardware that could break like zippers and snap buttons, and a sort of ‘cushion’ to protect your gear from scratching each other up. The contents cover many bases — you have your light, blade, tools, and lighter (ear protection is good to keep too, props for that). My only concern is that by backpocket carrying a lot of your gear you could risk some spine issues down the road. However, you at least mitigate this issue by symmetrically loading up the back pockets, which would be better than say, sitting on your wallet in one pocket with your other backpocket empty. Just keep that in mind if you ever decide to slim down/rearrange your carry options.

Nice carry and thanks for sharing.

Want even more EDC content? Check out @carrygram!

This new platform will serve as an additional medium to deliver user-submitted content that isn’t as well-suited for the main tumblr for whatever reason. It’s a win-win situation, as less content goes unpublished. I appreciate your submissions and want to do my best to publish them in one way or another.

If you don’t have instagram, don’t worry! You can still view @carrygram on the web.

Cheers and carry on,

Bernard

submitted by rmgphotos

What I carry everyday. Left to right

Omega Seamaster
Gap repurposed wallet
Peter Atwood G5b
Swiss Army Manager attached to keys
Modified Zebra 701 with bit driver
Generic notepad. 

Editor’s Note: Neat little setup here. Nice minimalism and I like the DIY effort you’ve put into your carry to make it unique and even more practical. Just look at that awesome F-701 mod! It looks like you’ve replaced the tailcap with a bit driver and repositioned the clip at the other end. It’s a pretty clever idea — that way you can get added functionality of two drivers and with the repositioned clip you don’t have to worry about accidental leaks in your pocket (which I can’t imagine happening wih the F701 considering how robust it is!). I just imagine that actually using the driver installed into the retractable tailcap might be an issue… Anyway, nice watch and great choice of the Manager on your keychain. I’ve got one too! I would suggest maybe just adding a small keychain light considering you’ve got some space on your keyring. Using a McGizmo clip with it like you do with your SAK you can keep it modular for when you do want to carry a light.

Overall, good carry, great mod too. Thanks for sharing!

submitted by duneplanet

I’ve been a long time reader of this blog and been into the whole edc thing for quite some time now. I value simplicity in both construction and usability of gear. I try to keep the overall weight and bulk of my EDC stuff at a minimum.

• Sinn 856 non-utc
• Spyderco Dragonfly ZDP-189
• Zebralight SC51
• Saddleback Leather Simple Wallet
• Iphone 4
• Keys

Please keep up the great work. Your blog is a pleasure to read. Thanks for your effort.

— duneplanet

Editor’s Note: Hi, thanks for the kind words. I can relate to your philosophy and approach to your carry as I also aim for high quality and practicality in a minimal, well-designed system. The D-fly and SC51 are great choices for a compact EDC that does not compromise performance. Both of these tools boast nice ergonomics as well, with the D-fly’s lightweight but grippy FRN scales and jimped finger choils and the Zebralight’s side-switch operation that lets you hold the light at waist level better unlike many other more tactical lights. As always I like seeing thin, durable wallets and keyrings kept free of clutter, so good job with that. While I normally like to see some kind of retaining clip or keychain with keys, I can imagine with a sparse carry like yours you can afford to comfortbably pocket carry your keys. Last but definitely not least, beautiful Sinn… the finish is gorgeous.

Thanks for sharing and carry on.

submitted by noirblue

I’ve been carrying this for the last couple months.  It’s pretty heavy, but I think every piece has its place.

• Hollows Leather Key Fob with Titanium Peanut Lighter, Tweezers, TT-Chopper Pocket Tool and car key on a McGizmo Mini Clip.
• Victorinox Deluxe Tinker
• Rotring 600
• Pilot Birdy
• Pervburger Droid Bionic
• Small Card Case
• LaCie XtremKey
• Al Mar Payara
• Golden Wheel Lift Arm Lighter
• Quark MiNi 123 Satin Titanium
• SRM 704
• Apolis Handkerchief

Editor’s Note: Here’s a little more fully loaded pocket dump, but a nice example of some great gear. I definitely can see how each piece here plays its part, so if you ever needed to slim down the carry you’d want to consider how often you actually use some of these things, or if they can be either replaced with smaller options or have functions consolidated in another type of product. I see you have the Xtremkey — but do you really need that kind of durability, especially to the point that you’re willing to take up more pocket space with it than your primary flashlight? You could replace it with a keychain USB, and your lighter with something smaller, and ditch the SRM as you have two other blades, etc. The Rotring you carry no doubt is a great pencil, but with its exposed tip it might be better to look into a different pencil or forego it altogether, considering you don’t seem to carry a pocket notebook. I like the Pervburg sticker tho, keep that. Anyway, like I said, you have good gear — but possibly too much. There are always different opinions on what degree of ‘preparedness’ is ‘acceptable’ or ‘recommended’ in EDC circles, so if you feel perfectly comfortable with this configuration, congrats and carry on. If you want to slim it down, know that you have good gear to work with and I hope my suggestions prove useful. Sometimes you just go through different phases of acquiring, field testing, selling off/consolidating until you reach that sweet spot of minimalism and utility that works for you. Thanks for sharing!

submitted by sfwall

Congratulations on an iconic blog. I humbly submit the following. Barring the occasional variance, this is what I have on me everyday:

Colonna Slimmy Wallet
Prodesign Prescription Glasses
Rolex Datejust
Classic Zippo with Z-Plus Insert
Keys with Spyderco Spin as fob, Atwood Poltergeist, VersaTi whistle, and 4Sevens Quark123Ti
iPhone 4, Magpul case
B&W C5 earset, in a tin I got at Maido
Countycomm Embassy Pen in stainless
Plain cotton handkerchief

Editor’s Note: Definitely a cool carry — a nice blend of ruggedness and class! The use of a small folding knife with pocket clip as your method of retaining keys is pretty clever. I notice you keep it on a McGizmo clip too, so you can use your keychain tools or your primary knife without the extra bulk of the knife, keyring or vice versa in the way of your handling. I like the improvisation of a hinged tin as an earphones case — there’s just so much versatility in those tins and they cost next to nothing! The Datejust, Embassy Pen, other stainless/Ti tools are great. You’ve got your bases covered here, and the overall silver/brown motif looks good with the setup! Thanks for sharing!

submitted by Rob

Amsler Knives bottle defense tool
D22 Titanium revovler bead
maratac mid pilot automatic watch custom bead blasted grey 
Zulu grey two buckle watch band
AmslerKnives all TItanium VAL
Digital calipers

Editor’s Note: Interesting setup you’ve got — I see you prefer fixed/non-folding tools, kydex sheaths and retrieval cordage with beads as opposed to pocket clips and folders. The bead blasted finish looks awesome on the Maratac flieger too, I really like that. I would suggest maybe a small, Ti button-cell light would pair nicely with the rest of your loadout and would just about round out the carry. I use digital calipers a lot in my research lab too, so I’m curious as to how you carry those around on your person. It’d be interesting to see a dedicated kydex sheath or something, haha. Thanks for sharing!

submitted by freshmonster

Great site! As a graphic designer, I wanted to submit something a little bit different. I’m from Norfolk, VA and drive a 40-minute commute to work. This is also my first real job, so this carry is basically from a student’s budget. 

Blackberry Curve
Pentel Quicker Clicker
G-Shock Glide
WD Hard Drive
Wallet
Moleskine
Ring – Earring Plugs
Keys
Spyderco Leaf Storm
Chapstick
Apple Macbook Pro
iPod Nano

Besides my keys, wallet and jewelry/watch, everything goes into a H&M laptop bag. Within the bag, a majority of the smaller items are organized in a Lihit Lab Teffa Bag in Bag. A few things were not included in the illustration, such as a small first aid kit, several usb flash drives, several markers/pens, and a microfiber cloth.    

I am hunting for a useful/minimal keychain tool and flashlight to complete my carry. Any suggestions would be awesome!

-JP

*Note: the objects are not to scale.

Editor’s Note: Hey JP, very cool presentation, great work! I appreciate the use of a woodgrain backdrop too, haha. I can see the utility of your carry given your position as a graphic designer, but as you mentioned, I agree you could round out the carry with some tools on your keychain. My go-to combination is a small, single-cell twisty light and a multitool of sorts. I currently use a 4sevens Mini123 with a primary battery as they last a long time and as a twisty light may offer more reliability (less moving parts to break) paired with a Victorinox Manager, which includes many commonly needed tools including a pen! On a student budget, however, you can invest in a more affordable 1xAAA light like a Fenix E05 and use a simple Victorinox SAK Classic. I’m not too partial to one-piece multitools but YMMV.

To the other readers, what keychain tool setup do you carry? Leave a comment and make some suggestions!

Thanks for sharing your work — I can imagine some people would be very interested in getting one of these made for their own carries :3. Keep it up and carry on.

Don’t miss out on your chance to back one of these cool keyhook / bottle opener hybrids by Eric of Corter Leather Goods. He puts out quality stuff, I’m sure some of you guys would appreciate this if you’re in the market for a keychain solution. There are only 10 days left on this Kickstarter project!