Everyday Carry

Simple Silver/Grey Carry
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The Drop: LOOP GEAR SK01s LEP Flashlight

The Drop: LOOP GEAR SK01s LEP Flashlight

It's a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.

Most EDCers will be familiar with the LEDs on the business end of their flashlights. When switched on, a flow of electricity is passed from a light's battery to its LED, and depending on the battery's voltage and the light's electronics, different brightness levels can be achieved. What may be less familiar to those not fully in the deep end of flashlights is a type of light called a LEP, or Laser Excited Phosphor.

Without going too much into the nerdy details, the simplest explanation is that a blue laser is passed through a focusing lens onto a phosphor element backed by a metal substrate, which in turn produces a broad spectrum white light, which is further focused through other lenses and filters. The result is a focused beam that resembles a pointing laser more than a traditional flashlight—an intense hotspot with minimal spill, unlike a traditional spotlight-type LED flashlight, and often able to throw significantly further distances thanks to off-the-charts levels of candela.

This brings us to one of the coolest LEPs to hit the market today, LOOP GEAR's SK01s. Nicknamed "Skywalker," it's one of the most compact LEPs you can buy, being on the 18350 battery platform, and it's also a zoomie, able to adjust its max 910 lumens at 640,000(!) candela beam profile between 2.8° and 18°, all while throwing up to 1.6 kilometers. This overcomes a LEP's usual one-trick utility of having only a tight hotspot and being able to expand it to cover a broader area, much like the spill on a regular light.

That's a brand-new feature that we haven't seen before, and that's also on top of some insane specs like full titanium construction with a futuristic design worthy of its namesake, ceramic balls for emergencies in the bezel and tactical ring, a party of light effects in the tail switch, and even a bolt mechanism that acts as a physical lockout so you don't accidentally power up a laser in your pocket. Both the lower ring in the head and the tactical ring are even free spinners, adding a fidget factor to the light. Every inch, every edge of the SK01s seems to have one interesting or useful feature or another, and it's definitely one of the most exciting lights we've seen in a while.

What we like: A zoomie LEP already hasn't been done before (that we know of), and this has no business adding so many more interesting features and utility on top.

What to watch out for: While it has the zoom function, a LEP still may not be the tool you need for everyday illumination, but it's one heck of a light to add to the rotation. The titanium models also command a steep asking price, but more affordable aluminum options are available.

Final verdict: LOOP GEAR comes out strong with a truly unique light that brings a ton of new and exotic features to the table, and is seriously one to watch, if not picked up already.

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Compact  Orange and Black
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The Drop: Orbitkey Pebbled Leather

The Drop: Orbitkey Pebbled Leather

It's a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.

If you don’t have an Orbitkey Key Organiser in your life yet, you’re in luck. Not only will your jingly jangly world of disorganized keys level up to one of order and convenience, but Orbitkey also just released a new material for their award-winning key stacker: Pebbled Leather.

The new leather is LWG (Leather Working Group)-certified, and its subtle pebbled finish is designed to be less prone to minor scratches and scuffs, so you won’t have to worry about it joining coins or other belongings in your bag or pocket. Available in Caviar, Ecru, Emerald, and Amber, the leather material certainly exudes a premium feel in both touch and aesthetics and can give your current kit a more refined look. Everything we love about Orbitkey’s Key Organiser is still here: you can carry 2-7 keys (up to 11 with the Extension Post), car keys, and fobs on the D-ring, and its locking mechanism is as efficient and as secure as ever.

What we like: The Orbitkey Key Organiser doesn’t just hold keys. You can attach USB drives or Orbitkey’s Multi-Tool, increasing its usefulness and versatility ten-fold.

What to watch out for: For larger keys or key fobs, you’ll need a keyring such as Orbitkey’s Ring v2, which is sold separately.

Final verdict: It’s the Key Organiser we know and love, using a new refined, luxurious material. Keeping all your keys in one place has never looked so good.

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My First set up
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Work/Life Balance
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Pocket dump
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Waterfield Essential Crossbody Tall Bag

Waterfield Essential Crossbody Tall Bag

"The latest version of Waterfield Design’s Essential Crossbody bag can hold a 14″ MacBook Pro, 13″ MacBook Air, or a 12.9″ iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard. The bag is lightly padded and has two interior pockets and an exterior zipper pocket. It’s made from 1680 denier ballistic nylon with a colorful accent stripe and..." (via The Awesomer)

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All blacked out edc
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The Drop: Mystery Ranch Coulee 20 Backpack

The Drop: Mystery Ranch Coulee 20 Backpack

It's a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.

Mystery Ranch makes some of the best hiking and outdoor backpacks in the business, and their Coulee range exemplifies that. These bags feature Mystery Ranch's signature tri-zip design, allowing quick, rip-open access to the pack's internals. The trail yoke harness also makes for a comfortable ride even when the bag is packed to the brim. But because these bags have tended to be designed for extensive multi-day treks across the field, they may be too big for some. This year, Mystery Ranch introduces the Coulee 20, a sized-down and much more EDC-friendly daypack version of the Coulee. This brings this bag's convenience, comfort, and stability into a more suitable package for carrying in an urban environment.

As the name implies, the Coulee 20 features a twenty-liter storage capacity. Aside from the easily-accessed main compartment, the top zippered lid compartment allows for small item storage of daily essentials. The included waist belt offers stability and pockets for storing items that would otherwise crowd your pockets. The smaller size and 2.6-pound unloaded weight make this bag perfectly sized for everyday use, even if you don't go out into the wilderness often. But when you do, the internal compartment still keeps compatibility with hydration bladders, and there are additional stretch-woven pockets on the sides of the pack for water bottle storage.

What we like: Mystery Ranch has brought one of their best and most comfortable hiking pack designs and sized it down to provide the best results for urban carry. The tri-zip design is a joy, especially if you're used to traditional top-loading bag styles.

What to watch out for: If you carry a laptop, this bag has less padding than other designs. Additionally, the hiking bag origins of the harness mean it will ride a bit higher than a traditional bag. This makes it much more comfortable to wear long-term, but it may look and feel awkward on your back.

Final verdict: Whether you're looking for a new hiking day pack or you're looking for a bag to carry your gear around in and out of the city, you'll enjoy the practical comfort and stability of the Mystery Ranch Coulee 20.

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Van Life EDC
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The Drop: Leatherman Micra's New Colors

The Drop: Leatherman Micra's New Colors

It's a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.

27 years is a long time to still be part of the conversation when it comes to EDC gear, but since its launch in 1996, the Leatherman Micra has done exactly that. It's remained virtually unchanged in all that time and remains a solid option for a compact or keychain multi-tool, which is a true testament to its utility, versatility, and one heck of a validation that Leatherman got it right on the first try.

The Micra has come in a few flavors over the past few decades in addition to its classic stainless steel silver look, with options in black, and primary red, green, and blue, but this year Leatherman takes it up a notch by giving it the Cerakote treatment. This ceramic coating not only gives additional durability, protection, and resilience to the tool, but it's also a great canvas to display lavish matte colors. The release comes in four new colors: Navy, Black Cherry, Arctic Blue, and Slate.

Of course, we can't forget the Micra's primary function as a multi-tool, focusing on its robust main scissors, along with nine other functions including a small penknife, a nail file and cleaning tool, screwdrivers, a bottle opener, a ruler, and even a set of tweezers. And like all Leatherman tools, and as it always has been the last 27 years, the Micra is still made in the USA and backed by a 25-year limited lifetime warranty.

What we like: A timeless multi-tool, in magnificent new matte Cerakote colorways.

What to watch out for: The Micra still doesn't come with pliers, but you probably knew that by now.

Final verdict: More colors to match more EDCs, and more protection makes for a more premium pocketable tool.

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Today’s EDC
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Peter Lenkefi
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Gerber Dual-Force Black Multi-tool

Gerber Dual-Force Black Multi-tool

"Gerber’s excellent Dual-Force multitool now comes in a matte black finish. Like its silver brother, it packs a dozen tools, with highlights including strong butterfly-jaw pliers, a center-axis bit driver, and firmly-locking tool blades. Functions include a wire cutter, wire stripper, saw, files, knife, chisel edge, and..." (via The Awesomer)

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