What do you carry?

We were discussing items that we had in our EDC kits and the similarities and differences in them. While we have our own preferences on what we carry with us every day, I'm curious as to what are the top 3-4 items other people carry with them every day. Why do you carry those items? What is the one item that you currently don't own, but you would carry every day if you owned? What makes you want to carry it and why don't you own it yet? If you were to design your own perfect EDC kit, what all would it contain?

-Matt

The Traditional Pocket Knife

Pocket knives are in general a useful item to carry. From a very high level we can divide pocket knives into two types; the traditional pocket knife and the modern or tactical pocket knife (although we can also quickly break pocket knives into slip joint, lock back, liner lock, frame lock, etc. too). This review will focus on the traditional slip joint pocket knife.

Our favorite traditional pocket knife is made by Canal Street Cutlery. While I'm partial to the Half Moon Trapper (shown in the pictures), Canal Street Cutlery makes a few models that are good for Every Day Carry.

 

The pocket knife shown in the picture is about 3-3/4 inches closed and about 7 inches open. The blade 3-1/4 inches long and made of  14-4 CrMo Stainless Steel. This model has a handle made of  Panama White Linen and Resin and has silver nickel bolsters. Each knife has a serial number. Canal Street Cutlery generally uses a nail nick on the blade for opening. This is a traditional slip joint pocket knife.

 

 

These knives are extremely well made and are also Made in the USA. They are hand polished and and finished. The models I have carried fit well in the pockets of shorts, jeans, and dress pants without wearing holes in the pants. There are no sharp corners for catching on pocket material either. The knife is light weight, which is important when considering that this is carried every day.

 

The cost of these knives fit into most budgets (this model is less than $100), and considering the quality and craftsmanship, is an excellent deal. by doing a little research, these knives can generally be found with discounts available.

 

I highly recommend Canal Street Cutlery's knives for Every Day Carry. I'm looking forward to seeing the new model by Canal Street Cutlery: Lil' Pete. It is a two blade trapper with a wharncliffe built on the Half Moon Trapper profile.

 

If you plan on carrying a pocket knife, I recommend that you learn to sharpen it. This Canal Street knife has remained sharp for almost a year and has been used for opening letters; cutting fruit, vegetables, and meat; whittling; and cutting tape. Without going into detail at this point, there are a number of sharpening systems available for assisting a beginner with sharpening.

 

 

-Matt

 



EDC Hack #1 Notebook Calendar

I like to hack my EDC stuff to better fit my lifestyle, and one thing that I do is create small calendars for my notebooks.

Until recently, I've been using the 'cal' command from Terminal on my MacBook to make them. I have to cut and paste them into another document, however, because the cal command wants to print a full year's calendar in a three by four format, but I need them in a single column so I can get three to a page. Then I print, cut, tape into the back of my notebook (but before the perforated pages, of course) and I am left with something practical but, well, aesthetically lacking.

Recently I saw this: over at timeadedate.com. Wow, what a cool tool for DIY and EDC hacks. Within a minute I had created a single column, page broken pdf that I can save and print at will.

Looks so much better. It is easy to use, customizable to a nice degree, and free. Definitely something to bookmark.

Will

Best EDC Notebook

Pocket notebooks strike me as falling into one of two fields, EDC and Project-based. I like to use the hard back ones for EDC and the soft covered ones for projects, mainly due to the number of pages and the length of cover life as the soft covered ones don't travel as well.

I've tried Field Notes, Scout Books, Eco System, Moleskine, and Leuchtturm. The Leuchtturm wins hands down when considered for EDC.

I've been carrying a pocket sized notebook with me for about three years now. Each one has lasted me about six months being carried and used daily. I use them for everything from grocery lists to to-do lists for my work. When I'm done with one, the small pocket size allows for easy archiving. In no uncertain terms, the addition of a notebook to my daily carry has been an unrivaled success; I probably use it more than my EDC knife, honestly. I've been through a Moleskine, two EcoNotes, and I am on my third Leuchtturm.

It has a pocket, a hard cover, placeholder ribbon and an elastic strap like the much heralded Moleskine and the American made Eco System, but it isn't made in China like the Moleskine and it has much better paper and a nicer cover than the Eco System and has some very nice additional features not found on either of the others:

1. Numbered pages
2. Table of contents
3. Archiving stickers
4. 8 perforated pages at the end for tearing out.

When you consider that the Leuchtturm costs roughly the same as the Moleskine, the Leuchtturm is the clear winner. Oh, and the paper is very nice.

Here's a couple pics,

Will