EDC

Anonymous asked: I carry a CRKT M16-14Z now. I want to stay with a larger knife, but go much lighter. Does anyone know of any good ultralight knives worth carrying?

Haha, the way you ask if anyone knows of ultralight knives makes it sound like you’d rather skip my opinion and hear from other readers. I suggest you ask over at BladeForums and EDCF too.

Depending on how light you want to go, consider the Al Mar Eagle Ultralight (2 oz), the Benchmade Kulgera 930 (3 oz), and the Spyderco Endura 4 FRN (3.6oz).

Sorry if these aren’t the lightest knives around, I just know they have good reputations… It’s pretty hard to find a ‘light’ knife that large.

Hope that helps~

Anonymous asked: Hey,

Big fan of this site. Lots of ideas and introductions to brands and products I've never heard of.

One question. Been thinking about getting a knife but I'm scared of accidentally hurting myself or someone else with it as I have little experience handling one.

What's a good book, resource or site that can teach someone like me on proper knife handling and safety?

Thanks.

Hmm, good question. I never really consulted any books or anything but generally just try to use some common sense. Here are just some things I can think of off the top of my head, from before cutting to after the job is done.

DISCLAIMER: This is just advice from a general EDC knife carrier, don’t blame me if you get hurt doing some extreme cutting. Be safe!

• Make sure the cutting area is clear and safe — don’t try to deploy blades too close to other people, especially if they are NKP.
• Similarly, choose a suitable cutting surface. Don’t try to pierce through blister packaging on your lap or something.
• If you’re not comfortable with opening your knife yet, don’t try to be fancy… Open slowly, smoothly and with control and conviction. Speed will come with muscle memory if you perfect the first three.
• Get a good grip on your knife and make sure the blade is properly deployed and locked correctly.
• Keep your blade sharp — this will make your job easier and lower chances of error and injury.
• Think twice, cut once. Think twice, cut once.
• Think twice, never pry.
• Cut away from your body and be especially careful if you have to exert a lot of force.
• Especially if in public, cut discretely and purposefully — there’s no real point in showing off that you have a knife or saved the day or whatever.
• As soon as you’re finished, close your knife. Be mindful of your fingers when disengaging the lock and folding the blade.
• Put the knife away — don’t leave it laying around for someone else to pick it up and play with it. If you do have to hand it off to someone, put it down and let them pick it up. If you can’t do that, hand it to them holding the blade and let them grab it from the handle — don’t let go until they’ve got a good grip.

Those are just some things that go through my head when I absolutely have to cut something in public. I’m sure my readers can chime in, so check the comments for additional advice. Also give a quick google search for knife safety a shot, there are probably much better resources out there…

Hope this helps!

Anonymous asked: This is a great site!
Quick question, occasionally I've seen some pictures with a leather coin pouch in the shape of a triangle with a snap on it. I think it's made out of one piece of leather and folded up. Living in America I don't use coins; however, I will be traveling to Europe this summer and since coins are a big deal there I figured I should have something to carry them in.

If I am not mistaken, you must mean the Dorito Case by TUFTSMANIA.

While the site says they’re sold out, kindly hit up chris [a t] tuftsmania [d o t] com and he should get you geared up.

Thanks for the kind words and have a safe trip this summer!

katipunancowboy20110801 asked: What's your take on Rolexes? Are they negatively regarded much like Bose and Tag Heuer? Just wondering if you know of anything given I just saw this seemingly-tactical piece here: http://katipunancowboy.com/post/1456555431/youmightfindyourself-cue-ushers-u-got-it

I am no watch expert, especially in the higher-end range of watches, but AFAIK Rolexes are timeless and well-respected…

However, that ‘seemingly-tactical’ piece probably does not enjoy that same respect, as it’s one of those extra expensive limited edition collaboration pieces that fit a current trend.

More info @ Project X Designs

Anonymous asked: I have been lurking around for 2 weeks and have questions. First, why are so many people carrying flashlights everywhere they go? Is there a rash of power outages I've missed? And could you explain your philosophy/reasoning for what makes a good edc kit?

You don’t need to be in a power outage to understand the value of carrying a flashlight. Every time the sun goes down (I think this happens quite often) there is a potential need for a flashlight. Sometimes in urban areas, there are light sources around but they are inadequate.. I think it’s more dangerous to trust fixed light sources if you’re walking around at night, especially if you aren’t familiar with the area. Carrying a flashlight allows you to supplement or overpower misleadingly-not-so-useful light.

Even then, there are instances indoors (during the day too) that could call for a flashlight. Any time a little extra light is needed, a flashlight is in my pocket. Although I’ve answered this question dozens of times, I still can’t really think of a convincing answer other than you’ll need to carry a light to understand its utility. In the end, it’s pretty simple — a flashlight gives you extra light if you need it. That’s all there is to it: can you think of any instances where you needed some light but flipping a lightswitch was too much or whatever lights were on were not enough?

Regarding an ideal EDC, here are the things I look for when deciding what to carry for myself:

1. Manages most common daily tasks specific to my lifestyle
2. Prepares me for emergency situations or uncommon tasks
3. Not too little, not too much
4. Quality/durable gear that I can rely on every day
5. Comfortable to carry and conceal accordingly
6. Comfortable and easy to access and use each tool
7. Looks gr8 on my desk

There are many more thoughts and considerations that influence what and how I carry, but it would be difficult to write them all in a single post… To give you an idea, it took a whole post just to write about 5 and 6. Another noteworthy aspect of EDC that’s different from the common pedestrian carry is the mindset behind it — EDCers tend to think “it is better to have and not need than to need and not have” as opposed to people new to the whole concept who would scoff at someone carrying a flashlight thinking they’re a catburglar or someone with a knife, thinking they’re a serial killer -_-. The funny thing about that, though, is it’s usually the people you help out with your flashlight/knife/multitool etc who ask you “why do you carry a _____?” Anyway, I digress…

I hope that cleared some stuff up for you.

Anonymous asked: Hi. The posts (esp. the recent ones) seem to be heavy on the guns and knives. Is this a reflection of the submissions or your own interests?

The recent posts have been submissions (as indicated by both the #submission tag and the ‘submitted by’ credits). While I do filter submissions, whether or not they have a gun is not one of my criteria for publication. Secondly, I have no interest in guns. I do, however, like knives and find them useful.

Let me take this time to clarify something about this blog. The focus of this site is not ‘what do you have in your pockets?’ While that is related, the purpose of this site is not to be simply a place where you can submit a picture of your pocket contents for the rest of the world to see how unique you are or something (which seems to be trendy lately.) I started this tumblr as a way to bring exposure to the EDC lifestyle in an effort to promote preparedness and self-reliance, as well as to archive my appreciation for successful marriages of function and design. As a curator, I try to showcase quality pictures to make gear more appealing to those who might have negative preconceptions about knives, flashlights and tools. This isn’t that important though.

As an editor, however, is how I try to differentiate this blog from the rest of those similar blogs out there. There are many, many EDC blogs and sites that review gear or post upcoming products, and there are many places where people can upload pictures of what they carry every day.

Here at EDC I try to provide original content through my own pictures and video reviews and through commentary and criticism. I have yet to come across a blog, a one-man effort no less, that answers readers’ questions and provides suggestions to contributor submissions. While it is time-consuming to both sweep the web for good pictures and to do research on my own to answer readers’ questions, I think the rising popularity of preparedness and EDC in general, along with positive reader feedback is worth the effort.

If there’s one thing that I would like new followers and readers to know, is that there is indeed a difference between what you carry with you every day and everyday carry.

gaws asked: I'm kinda looking for something cooler to hold my keys than a carabiner. I see a lot of people using leather lanyards or some sort of intricately tied rope thing. Kinda looking where I could get one of those/if you recommend anything.

My first suggestion would be to go down to your local hardware store and check out the chain/accessories aisle. You can find some sturdy clips and such to hang from your belt loop for not too much money.

If you insist on some lanyard, like you mentioned, two common options are leather and the tied rope thing is usually paracord.

Previous question about leather lanyards/keyfobs: Click

Great resource for paracord: Stormdrane’s Blog

I get my paracord from Amazon because of the free 2-day shipping for students.

Hopefully these are good starts. Good luck!

Anonymous asked: While setting up my first EDC, I decided to start small and opted for a Maglite Solitaire for my keychain light. After putting a new Duracell battery in the barrel, I realized the beam wasn't bright at all… Is this because I purchased a cheap flashlight, or can I get another type of battery to make it stronger?

Any suggestions are much appreciated!

There is nothing wrong with the battery. The Maglite Solitaire is just a weak, incandescent light. Lighting a matchstick would get you more light and longer runtime. :\

I actually bought the Solitaire as my first light (before I knew what EDC meant, I just wanted a new geeky hobby) and, disappointed with its sub lumen output and wonky looking beam pattern I researched LED lights. I settled on the Fenix E01 but eventually upgraded to the Fenix LD01.

I make this recommendation far too often but you might as well spend the $20 and get an iTP EOS A3.

Sorry about the Mag :\

bossham asked: so got any advice for a good notebook? i've always used moleskins but noticed when you use them longer then a year ya got to tape the binding as i've done with my current and last one. seen rhodas and other stuff at B&N and some memo pads and weatherproofs off acontinuouslean but still not really liking any of them. hoping nothing more then a twenty or since in the uk now nothing more then a ten note, this for say blank notes, and a reporter or left handed memo pad.
thanks
-mw

If you like your Moleskine but durability is the issue, you might want to look into a quality leather Moleskine cover:

EYB
Saddleback

Again, I haven’t really carried many notebooks so I don’t have any firsthand recommendations. Readers, feel free to help via disqus.

Good luck~

onemanonearm asked: Sup B-
EDC going strong...i need to submit an updated picture of my current pocket dump/school carry. But i don't know if you got my last question. I was looking at the Quark Mini 123 and the iTP A1 EOS and was wondering if the iTP is just as good. The price difference is about 15 bucks and is it worth the saving or should i just go for the 4sevens.
Thanks
-GT

The iTP will have less light overall but should throw further in a tighter beam on account of using the XP-E instead of the XP-G as found in the 7777 Mini series. Build quality is probably similar but 4sevens has a 10 year warranty on their lights. The iTP seems to have favorable reviews on CPF so I don’t see any reason against getting it. I think the iTP can also use a pocket clip.

I am not familiar with the iTP from experience though, so keep that in mind.

Additional reading @ CPF

Good luck~

Anonymous asked: Hello! I had a few questions...Hope you don't mind!
I recently just started carrying around a Moleskine(thanks to seeing some of your edc ahah) and was wondering what is a good pen, easy for edc and note taking with a real smooth glide. I don't really have a price constraint. Just looking for something nice and simple.
Also, what would you suggest a good day pack as? Just have a few notebooks and school etc, but didn't want something too big.
Thanks a bunch

Hi anon,

I don’t mind if you have questions! (Unless it’s a “what ____ is this in this pic that you posted before”) To be honest I generally look for durability, ease of carry and design over smoothness when buying pens, so I don’t have a recommendation for you. I’ve heard Uniball Jetstream and Zebra Sarasa write smoothly… Hopefully people can chime in via disqus. Maybe try looking at PenAddict for some ideas.

As for bags, it’s hard to make recommendations because bags are something you just have to try for yourself, as everyone’s bodies are different. I have a 5.11 Tactical RUSH 24 but this is a ‘tactical’ bag, it might not be what you’re looking for (the RUSH 12 is smaller).

Anyway I’ll leave this post up so people can chime in. I’d just like to thank the regular commenters for the wonderful job they do supplementing recommendations for me, I appreciate it a lot ~

Anonymous asked: Have you ever watched videos from guys like nutnfancy and if you have what do you think of them.

I used to watch nutnfancy but his videos are way too long and he talks way too much for my liking. He had a half hour review on the 4sevens Preon II. I am a self-proclaimed flashaholic and a big 4sevens fan but I could not bring myself to watch his review in its entirety, especially because for all that length he doesn’t get very technical or in-depth with the information. My personal favorites are thecajunblaze and cutlerylover. I’m not really interested in what they review or anything but their videos are enjoyable and friendly — I don’t get that feeling from TNP. Oh, and cutlerylover and cajunblaze have some cooking videos too l o l

btw, thanks for asking a question that isn’t “What knife is that” or “what is the smallest cheapest brightest flashlight” B)

Anonymous asked: Where would you suggest I buy a quality leather lanyard?

I am not entirely sure what you mean by “lanyard,” but here are some key-holding devices from various quality leathercrafters…

Corter
Tanner Goods
Hollows
MAKR
Zissou

Hopefully that’s a good start. Good luck!

Anonymous asked: What do you guys find is more practical in an EDC folding knife? A straight blade or a blade that's straight and serrated?

I'm looking to purchase a folder and can't really make up my mind.

I would personally take plain edge over combo edge. I might be wrong about this but I think plain edge provides cleaner cuts and is easier to sharpen. They are also more sheeple-friendly. I think serrations are better for heavy duty cutting, but even then you would probably want a fully serrated knife.

I’m not a knife expert or anything but that’s just from my experience. Hopefully people can chime in via disqus with their opinions.

Additional reading:

Bladeforums - plain edge vs combo edge
Knife Depot - Serrated vs Plain Edge Knives
Knives Town - Plain Edge or Serrated
Spyderco Forums

Anonymous asked: Any headphone recommendations? I’m looking for earbuds since I carry them every day. I had a pair of Skullcandy Ink'd that died after 3 months (I don't wrap em around anything) and Skullcandy sent me a new pair but now the same thing has happened again so I think I need a new brand.

I take it you’re already comfortable with using semi-canalphones like those Skullcandies. I would pretty much avoid Skullcandy, Beats by Dre, Bose etc type of headphones.

In my recent memory Sennheiser CX300/Creative EP-630/Sharp MD-33 are good canalphones for the money. Slightly bass-heavy, though.

If you can afford to spend around $100+, look into in-ear monitors by Westone, Shure, Ultimate Ears, Etymotic Research, Sennheiser… I know there are more recent models but to be honest I’ve tried really hard to avoid this hobby because it can get pretty expensive.

You’ll find better answers at head-fi.org. I would help you out and do some research for you like I do with other posts but it’s too risky for my wallet.

If anyone cares, I have Shure SE530s and am looking to upgrade to SE535s.