With the new year underway, it’s a great time to re-evaluate our EDCs and see what could be different in 2019. Maybe you’ve got a new philosophy towards EDC in general, or you’re looking to upgrade a few pieces here and there. You could even have other New Year resolutions and having the right gear can help you reach your goals. To help kick things off, we’re listing a few essentials our staff are committed to keeping in their EDC to use more regularly this year. Read on to see if these spark any ideas for your own daily kit, and let us know in the comments what plans you have for your carry this year.
Takeya Actives 64 Oz. Bottle
Mikey: I got gifted a handy double-walled stainless steel water bottle over the holidays, and throughout the break it’s been a pleasure to have my drink constantly hot or cold for extended periods of time. Whether I’m out for errands for the day, working at a coffee shop, or staying up late catching up on shows, I know I’ll have extremely ice-cold soda or extra hot coffee at the ready without getting hassled by refills every 30 minutes.
That said, I would like an extra large bottle to get me to drink more water, especially when I’m hunkering down for an extended writing or gaming session. The hulking 64-ounce/1.9-liter Takeya Actives beer growler would certainly fit the bill, especially with Takeya’s signature insulation in both the bottle and the lid.
The former comes with a BPA-free, double-walled vacuum construction that keeps drinks cold for 24 hours(!) or hot for 12, ensuring the temperature of its significant contents. The latter is as good as a water bottle lid can get (which is why Takeya sells it by itself, too), with an insulated twist spout that’s narrow enough for ease of drinking while protecting and sealing the opening when not in use. And the best part–the lid is even EDC-friendly thanks to a carry handle, so it’s easy to take with me when I’m on the go.
Peak Design Everyday Sling Bag + Fujifilm X100S
Jonathan: I picked up the Fujifilm X100S late last year as an inexpensive workhorse that packs tremendous image quality into a compact frame. It’s actually astounding how much detail the X-Trans sensor captures, and it’s small enough to put in a jacket pocket. It also fits with my my personal goal this year, which is to have a camera on me everyday and to shoot more with it.
That’s because I wasn’t happy with my output last year. Outside of work and some street I did on vacation, there wasn’t much to look at when it was all said and done. And the only camera I carried with me everyday was my phone. That might be okay for most people, but as a professional photographer the quality is simply unacceptable. The problem is, having two Nikon professional bodies and fast aperture lenses around for the ride everyday is simply impractical. The X100S is small, discreet, and works well.
It also fits well into the Peak Design Everyday sling bag I also picked up near the end of the year. It lets me carry the essentials in a manner that doesn’t scream to the world that there’s gear inside. It’s also pretty versatile in how you can carry it, from sling to shoulder with easy access at all times. And with its side clip areas and straps I can attach more stuff to it, especially after a bit of modification.
Etymotic ER20XS Hearing Protection
Bernard: I’m a firm believer in EDCing personal care items, especially since much of my EDC is geared towards helping me work on this site by keeping healthy and comfortable. And between business travel, commuting in the big city, or just trying to work out of a busy coffee shop, things can get pretty noisy. Since hearing damage is irreversible, I’m doing my best to preserve my hearing while I’m still (sort of) young. I’ve carried hearing protection or earpro in the past, but haven’t been as diligent with using them because they feel uncomfortable at times and are fairly easy to lose given their size. This year I’m going to try upgrading to the newest iteration of Etymotic earpro, the ER20XS. It’s lower profile, comes with different tips to get the right fit and seal, and it’s harder to lose with updated retention cables and a soft carry pouch for your keychain.
The difference between standard foam earplugs and this type of hearing protection is that you can still clearly hear your surroundings (which I find important when walking around town, watching a movie, or holding conversations in crowded places) but at a less damaging volume level. Sometimes it’s also a better option than simply cranking up the music in your earbuds to drown out noise, as that can cause its own damage.
If you don’t use hearing protection but realize you work in noisy environments, definitely consider adding some to your EDC. There are plenty of options designed to fit on your keys so there’s little reason not to have some handy. Even if your use case isn’t exactly like mine, you might find it useful if you operate machinery, ride a motorcycle, see live music often, and so on.
Leatherman Premium Nylon Sheath
Adam: One of my first multi-tool purchases back in the day was a Leatherman Wingman which is a practical, easy to use, and (most importantly) affordable tool. Then I got into one-piece multi-tools which are much lighter with fewer moving parts. Not to mention that they’re usually way easier to travel with. For the last year or two, I’ve been swapping multi-tools in and out of my EDC based solely on how lightweight they are. Still, as convenient as they are for EDC I found myself needing a good pair of pliers on more than one occasion only to find that my bottle-opener/box-cutter hybrid wasn’t up to the task. So this year one of my personal goals has been to get my Wingman back into the rotation.
Luckily, Leatherman has always made some quality sheaths for their multi-tools. While I think their new leather options are gorgeous they’re not really my style. Plus, I want something that can do a little bit more for me than just put the tool on my belt, which is why their new Nylon sheath with pockets first caught my eye. You know it can live up to the task of being a part of your EDC thanks to its Ballistic nylon construction, and because it’s elastic I can still make use of it when I eventually talk myself into upgrading to a Wave.
Besides future-proofing my EDC, it was the elastic pockets on either side that sold me. They were designed to fit a small flashlight and pen, which turns this already solid sheath into a surprisingly versatile pocket organizer. Whether it’s in my pockets or being tossed into my bag, the ability to consolidate my most-used tools into one package makes it instantly worth it to me.
What changes are you making to your EDC this year? Let us know what you’ve got planned in the comments below.
