So. EDC. Are you familiar with this acronym? It stands for everyday carry, or, the items you have on your person on a daily basis. This could be your wallet, keys, phone, shotgun, axe, lighter, you know, the usual stuff. Personally, I carry my wallet, phone, keys, knife, and flashlight. I try to keep my wallet lean; it’s a simple tri-fold that I’ve had for more than ten years. As far as the phone goes…it’s too tall. It barely fits in the cargo pockets of most of my pants. I do miss my flip phone. I was watching an older show where the character was answering their phone on the nightstand, and it wasn’t hooked up to the charger – remember when you only had to charge them once or twice a week? Anyway, here’s the wallet and phone(s). Mine? Uh-duh, nope.
My favorite thing to carry? That would be my knife; I rotate among three depending on which pants I wear. Many folks ask – a knife? When do you ever need a knife. Well, you need it when you need it. What do I look for in a knife: costs less than $30, one that can be deployed with one hand, and one that can easily be sharpened. There are countless videos demonstrating how to sharpen your knife, such that you can effortlessly slice through a loosely supported piece of paper, shave your fingernails, or shave your arm or leg hair. While those things are impressive, it’s not realistic to maintain such sharpness, in my opinion. I typically hone or sharpen every few weeks, depending on my usage, and I typically use my pocket sharpener for my folding knives. I resort to sandpaper for my fixed blade knives that are reserved for outdoor purposes. Furthermore, I’d rather not spend a lot on a pocket knife since it’s small and could possibly get lost – so, a secure pocket clip is also something to consider.
The last item to the right is what I have attached to my key chain. Surprisingly, the flat head screwdriver portion has been helpful, and I also got to help someone open their pop top soda bottle. Its usage is pretty rare, but its size doesn’t add much bulk to my cargo pockets. Lastly, I carry a mini flashlight, which comes in handy more frequently than the Shard (the key chain tool). These are inexpensive, also, and they don’t really bulk up my pockets.
Lastly, I don’t wear jeans. I haven’t worn jeans since my college days when Levis was still making loose fitting Silvertabs. I have worn cargo pants ever since, and my go-to brands are Duluth Trading and 5.11 Tactical. I like 5.11’s strap and slash seat pockets, because they’re deep and keep items secured, but I wish their front cargo pockets were a bit deeper for my abnormally tall phone. Because of that, I actually prefer Duluth Trading’s cargo pants. That’s it! What’s your EDC?