What You Need for Your Everyday
Every man has stuff that needs doing during his day to day activities and to do that stuff he needs tools, tools he keeps with him at all times.
In this article, I’ll talk about what those tools are and what good values are out there for the avg Joe looking to branch out into the hobby of EDC.
So come join me!
Dude, You Only Need Five Things to be Complete…
I tend to think that every man needs 5 things on his person at all times:
- a wallet
- a flashlight
- a knife
- a pen/notebook
- a watch
I think to make this easier I’ll break this down topic by topic and give my suggestions for EDC for each. (I’ll also post an Amazon link for searches so you can get a head start on looking for your own tools, I am not affiliated with any brand or Amazon itself.)
Wallets
I’ve bought into the front pocket or “minimalist” wallet.
It took me years, and I was skeptical, but the ease of use, the smaller footprint and not having your back hurt because you are sitting unevenly is totally worth it. I suggest going leather, but many people like carbon fiber or modern plastic versions. They tend to look like this:
available at every price point from $10-$100+ depending on how fancy of a lad you are, IMO, great investment just for the back pain savings alone!
Flashlights
An EDC flashlight needs to be small, bright and use a power source that isn’t hard to replace or expensive.
I prefer one that uses either a direct USB or a rechargeable battery that can be hooked to USB. At least get one that runs on a solitary AAA or AA battery, easy battery changes are important when you need a light at 2 AM on the side of the interstate!
Also, try and get 500 lumens of brightness or greater, no sense in having a weak light when for the same $$ you can do much better!
Streamlight 88062- 500 lumens, USB powered and tough as nails, pricey at $40, but you get what you pay for.
Thorfire 18650- Chinese made, and cheaper at $30 but is over 1000 lumens and also charges by USB.
Reylight Pineapple- $50+, but compact, made of quality brass and runs on a lone AA battery, only 470 lumens, but a 4000 k bulb makes a whiter light that makes up for it. Probably the toughest light on this list.
Pen and Notebook
Every man needs to be able to write stuff down.
Sure you can use your phone and an app, but what’s manly about that? Get yourself a Fisher Space Pen (approx $12-$30),or some fancy tactical pen for $100 if you’d like and always be prepared!
As far as notebooks go, I am not a fan of spiral bound flippers as they get worn out to easy.
I use Field Notes.
They come in packs of 3-5 for around $ 10, have nice lined paper and are tough enough to stand up to weeks of toting around on man ass. (plus, how effing cool is Field Notes!)
Knives
There is no more personal property than a man’s pocket knife. I won’t presume to tell you what you need, but here are a few models I like that cost under $50:
Kershaw Shuffle is small, compact and does the job at under $ 20, it has a pocket clip and comes in a variety of colors.
Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) Squid is available in higher quality D2 steel and is a pretty close rival to the shuffle. It is my present-day EDC knife replacing my old CRKT Ripple.
Ontario Rat 1 and 2 are both excellent knives also available in D2 steel, only difference between the 2 is the 1 is a bit larger also available in the $20-ish range.
Of course, there is the Swiss army standby by Victorinox. They come in every price and variety you can imagine.
And finally, the Leatherman multi-tool. Like the Swiss Army knife, you can go cheap or super expensive, it depends on what you want the tool to do!
Watches
Wait you say:
“Why do I need a watch? My phone does all that and more!”
Ahh, but phones break, phones die and phones are big ugly and awkward to lug around. Plus an EDC watch is one of the few pieces of jewelry a man can wear without looking like a pimp!
BTW, when I talk about an EDC watch, I’m thinking of a tool watch, it needs to be rugged, reliable and have a minimum of 100 meters of water resistance. No dress divers or diamond-studded wankery here!
I wear a Vostok Amphibia is my EDC watch. They come in a variety of colors and designs and will run you around $65 or so. 200 m water resistance and Russian military-spec toughness.
Casio-IMO, you can’t go wrong with the digital offerings by Casio, be it the $10 F91w shown here.
or a $500 Mudmaster like this one.
You simply cannot go wrong with their reliability and toughness at all price points!
And my last offering the Timex Expedition Scout-100 m of water resistance, lovely field watch styling, and Indiglo backlighting which is handy when you need the time in pitch darkness! It comes in many colors and styles, all are great and all can be had for under $50.
There are other parts of EDC, some men carry a fancy key fob, or a mini prybar, of course, pistols and magazine carriers, but that’s another article.
Get Your Kit Together!
I hope that this has provoked some deep thought on getting your own kit together and getting into the hobby of EDC.
It’s a lot of fun and quality tools are available at all price points. In fact, it can be fun to challenge yourself to try and fill all 5 slots with a budget of $50 or $ 100!
Happy hunting!
