If you’re like us, finding the right gear to EDC for yourself is hard enough. Finding the perfect holiday gift for another like-minded EDCer can be a daunting, if not utterly exhausting, task. How do you pick something they’ll appreciate, actually use, and be proud to carry? We’re here to help. We’ve broken down over 50 gift ideas across every category for every kind of EDCer on your list, so you can give the absolute best gear out there, in time for the holidays. Ready to be the ultimate EDC Santa this year?
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This post was last updated on 11/15/2023 12:00PM ET.
The 2024 Everyday Carry Holiday Gift Guide
Knife gift ideas
Flashlight gift ideas
Bag gift ideas
Multi-tool gift ideas
Tech gift ideas
Watches and wallet gift ideas
Pens and stationery gift ideas
Fun-ctional gift ideas
Travel and outdoor gift ideas
Knives
Every EDCer’s primary tool. Give the gift of the best sharp things we’ve seen all year.
Give the gift of a compact, premium knife that seamlessly fits into any collection. With four colorways to choose from, an ambidextrous crossbar lock, and a low-profile design, it’s easy to slip into a pocket and carry every day. It’s the perfect companion to your giftee's other premium essentials, like their Ridge Wallet.
Don't let this knife's price fool you into thinking it's an inadequate gift. The knife collector in your life has plenty to love in this Blade HQ alum Zac Whitmore design, which already has Best Buy of the Year at Blade Show 2024 under it's crossbar-locked belt. It's no-nonsense, ambidextrous, excellent EDC knife at a great price that makes for a great gift.
Benchmade's first folder foray into MagnaCut is a capable cutter both on land and around the water. A versatile drop point blade, ambidextrous AXIS lock, and lightweight Grivory handles give it that familiar Benchmade profile along with all the performance for EDC, no matter the outing.
A standout EDC knife is a perfect gift for this holiday season with Kizer's premium black-and-gold Mini Militaw, a favorite among their new releases. Crafted with high-quality S45VN steel, titanium, and zirconium, this knife is both durable and stylish. The luxurious colorway, fit for royalty, makes it an unforgettable addition to any collection.
If your giftee is a big WE Knife Co. fan and also looking for a super-premium, ambidextrous, and compact blade, then this is one they'd definitely appreciate. Utilizing the innovative and ambidextrous Superlock, this Sneckx Tan design is packed with interesting top-tier touches.
Gift a top-tier blackout knife that any EDC enthusiast would love. This Spyderco knife not only boasts a sleek, stealthy look but is also crafted with high-performance MagnaCut steel, making it one of the best in their lineup, and one of the best EDC knives they can carry today.
This Laconico design just oozes premium style, and it backs up its looks with a top tier combination of S35VN steel and sleek titanium handles. It's the perfect addition to a knife enthusiast's rotation, especially those who are looking for a smaller, premium knife.
Another sleek design from Ray Laconico, but with a size and features jacked up to 11. MagnaCut and titanium are the stars of the show in this slim but super slicey 3.54" folder, and it's a big, beefy, and ultra-premium knife to gift for the discerning EDCer.
We love the Pyrite in all its variations, but this larger Alt with its wharncliffe blade, new AR-SFII blade steel, steel handles, and button lock ticks all the boxes on its way to getting the job done. It would make a great gift for those looking for a larger blade for bigger tasks, especially if the giftee is a fan of the Pyrite already, like we are!
This new knife from CRKT and knifemaker Richard Rogers shows that big things come in small packages. Acid-etched Damascus pairs with titanium and carbon fiber for a super-slick gent's slip joint. Also comes in a more affordable liner lock flipper variant with the same base design, giving you options to plan and budget for your gift.
Would John Wick carry this knife? We're not sure, but the movie and knife fan on your list won't be able to take their eyes off this new Sparrow Design folder from Kansept. Even better, like most of Kansept's knives, the Baba Yaga comes in multiple variants to best fit their EDC—or bulletproof suit.
One of the most fun and useful utility knives you can gift gets decked out in this black and gold topo design, featuring custom CNC'd scales and Exceed's own serrated topo blades. Underneath still lies a rock-solid locking titanium flipper, and one of the most unique and super fun executions for a utility blade we've seen.
Ocaso's flagship gent's knife goes ballistic with its handle design featuring entropic anodizing that's unique to every knife. It's an incredibly eye-catching upgrade to this super-slim S35VN titanium flipper, and a unique addition for the EDCer on your list deserving of an extra-special flair.
The Unnamed is the first folding knife from up-and-coming knifemaker TAKCOM, and is currently flying under the radar so it will be the perfect surprise for your giftee. It will be a treat for them to discover its unique, 3.44″ MagnaCut blade paired with micro-milled titanium handles and textured button lock details that just scream premium.
Flashlights
Darker nights this time of year? Now’s your time to shine with our favorite flashlight picks.
Nitecore has perfected their rectangular flashlight form factor with the 4.05" EDC23, whose handheld size is still able to output a scorching 2,500 lumens and will be perfect for the pockets of the EDCer on your list. A physical lockout switch is also our favorite new addition to the series, which they're sure to appreciate to prevent any holiday trouser mishaps.
This super compact but super powerful light from Wuben would be a great EDC gift thanks to its wide array of output and utility, including a rotating head paired with a magnetic tale to get the light they need in the hardest-to-reach places. A blue body light and magnetic charging are just extra fruits on the cake.
LOOP GEAR's most advanced flashlight yet covers all your giftee's bases with a throw, flood, and multi-color RGB array of side lights. The best part? Its fidgetable battery bay which lets them pop out and swap out a fresh pair of standard 18650 batteries.
Wurkkos's value-packed EDC flashlight is back and it's bringing triple Nichia 519A LEDs and 2,500 lumens with it. Powered by the versatile Andúril 2.0 interface and offering incredible value for its price, this one is an affordable but awesome gift for enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike.
Imagine gifting the IMALENT BL70, one of the brightest handheld flashlights available. Your giftee will be impressed by its massive 6,000-lumen max output, perfect for those who need reliable, powerful lighting. With six output levels and a red LED for emergencies, this flashlight goes beyond sheer brightness, offering practical everyday utility as well.
The latest from AceBeam is all about versatility, from its LED options, to its power sources, and even to its lighting modes making it a great gift for the EDCer looking to rely and do more with their light. With up to 2,800 lumens output with Luxeon LEDs, it's also got more than enough power to spare for all kinds of EDC tasks.
Bags
Everyday Carry is also about what you carry with, and these are our picks for the best slings and backpacks to gift this year.
Aer's flagship 24L travel and EDC backpack achieves its ultimate form thanks to the Ultra400X fabric exterior from Challenge Sailcloth. It's the best of both worlds between X-Pac's weather resistance and Dyneema lightweight strength, and is one of the best materials you can get for bags today, making it one of the best backpacks you can gift for the special commuter or traveler on your list.
One of the most iconic EDC bags of all time, in a stripped down "Slick" version as a collaboration with Huckberry. It's a timeless pack perfect for the EDCer who needs a buy-it-for-life bag that goes the extra mile. Making an appearance in Ranger Green for the first time, and now comes with the latest GORUCK upgrades like the 210D CORDURA backing and quick access pocket.
The Carryology collaboration returns better (and more available) than ever in the Dragon 2.0. It's a fully-featured 26L X50 Tactical X-Pac EDC and travel backpack that also comes with Mystery Ranch's ultra-comfortable Futura harness among a beastly list of enthusiast features. You likely have an adventurer on your holiday list looking for the perfect go-anywhere and do-anything beast of a bag, and this is one grail bag worth questing for.
For the discerning material and product design enthusiasts on your list, DSPTCH's new slings represent everything they do great: technical urban designs using state of the art materials, with tons of utility and useful details. With two bags in 6L and 12L across a variety of top tier materials, there's plenty for you to choose from to haul this year's EDC gifts with.
Multi-Tools
Cover all your EDC bases with the best multi-tools in the business, from keychain backups to the ultimate toolboxes in your pocket.
Look no further, this is the best multi-tool out there that any EDCer would appreciate in their kit. Leatherman's latest full-sized multi-tool is a greatest hits of their best functions, including a magnetic opening and locking system, a bit driver and included bit kit, and the ARC's highlight—a main blade made of the ultimate MagnaCut steel.
Screwpop have been making awesome keychain utility tools for a long time, and the Toolkey II is their latest key-shaped essential to stuff the stockings of everyone on your list with. With 17 functions from drivers to rulers to an essential bottle opener, it's a great addition to any EDCer's keychain.
Victorinox's yearly special edition tools are a treat, pairing collectibility and utility in one of the best multi-tools you can buy. This limited edition Huntsman is a great gift of 16 functions for those born on the Year of the Snake, designed with custom snake-themed Cellidor scales packed in an awesome commemorative box.
Do you know someone who's mentioned their multi-tool would be perfect if they could only swap out one or two functions? That's the exact thing the GOAT Tools multi-tool was built for, as one of the, if not the only modular full-sized multi-tools out there. With 17 additional modules available and counting, it's a great way to build the perfect everyday toolbox.
Tech
Essential electronics to cover your digital EDC bases.
Koss's classic, 40-year old futuristic headphones get the wireless upgrade they deserve. Now sporting Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and USB-C charging for its 20+ hours(!) of battery life, the Koss Porta Pro Wireless headphones are now ready to take the music lover on your list's soundtrack into the future.
Someone on your list who loves their AirPod Pros and their active noise canceling but can't get comfortable with their silicone tips? The AirPods 4 arrived at the perfect time to bridge that gap, as it takes the familiar shape of the 3rd generation AirPods and pairing it with the tech of the Pros.
Those who live in the tropics know: portable handheld fans have become and absolute essential to battle the oppresive heat and humidity. This JisuLife is our favorite balance of power, runtime, and noise, with a sleek design that slips right into many everyday bags.
The best and most discreet way to film one's day, wrapped in a pair of one of the most iconic sunglasses ever made. Meta AI integration also lets your giftee gather information from everything they're seeing, giving them a wealth of information at your fingertips, but also completely hands-free.
The MagGo has been one of our favorite power banks for EDC thanks to its size and ability to latch on to wirelessly charge magnetically. This latest version trades in the kickstand for a whopping 10,000mAh battery in the same compact form factor, making it an even more compelling tech essential that everyone would appreciate in their carry.
Give the gift of flight with DJI's latest and lightest drone yet. The Neo is the easiest most affordable way to get into DJI's fleet of camera drones by itself, but leaves the door open to a fully featured flight experience—including FPV—thanks to its compatibility with all of DJI's controllers and headsets.
The iPad mini bridges the gap between large phone and full-sized tablet, giving the techie on your list the full and convenient media consumption and productivity experience without weighing them down. The lastest version packs the new A17 Pro chip, giving you all the power they need in the most packable tablet they can carry.
These power banks from ELECOM's NESTOUT brand are a fantastic nod to vintage camping and military gear, while also offering the outdoorsman on your list an innovative modular system that lets them attach lights and lantern hardware for the perfect camp lighting setup. If they're tired of the same old black boxes for their power reserves, give these aesthetic accessories a look.
Need a little something extra special and unique for the bookworm on your list? The original Palma made waves by being a compact mobile ePaper device that could slide into your pocket like a phone. The upcoming 2nd generation upgrades the distraction-free device to the next level with improved speed, open Android ecosystem, and excellent hardware features like dual-tone front lights and even a fingerprint reader for unlocking.
The case your earphones come in is an underutilized space, and iKKO makes good use of it by putting an AMOLED touchscreen on it along with an AI assistant powered by ChatGPT-4o. This lets your giftee easily switch from their daily soundtrack to recording, transcribing, and planning their day all from their earphones and their case.
WATCHES, WALLETS, AND OTHER ESSENTIALS
Phone, wallet, keys—the absolute essentials when walking out the door, but here’s a little more worth carrying in your EDC.
Let the EDCer in your life embrace their soft side with the gift of Ridge's newest and most comfortable wallet, the Biflex. It's got the same super-compact card-sized form factor, but now wrapped in buttery full-grain leather and a new elastic system to give them more compartments to manage up to 8 cards and cash.
Garmin's fenix line is a tried-and-true premium GPS offering, and the 8th generation AMOLED is one of the most advanced multi-sport trackers you can gift today. Its vibrant new screen delivers comprehensive tracking and training features for up to 16 days, along with other useful utilities like voice commands and sleep tracking.
This unassuming new release from G-SHOCK comes with one exceptional feature: a 10-year battery life, vastly outlasting many of its peers. Pair that with the standard suite of G-SHOCK timers, alarms, and illumination, and your giftee's got a watch set for a lifetime.
How your giftee carries their keys is half the battle, and Ridge's new carabiner makes light work of both. Available in aluminum or premium titanium, the double-gated design keeps their keychain in check as they attach it to their belt loop or bag, and even doubles as a handy bottle opener for a cold one at the end of a long day.
The latest watch from Canadian microbrand Redwood is a diver's dream, with pronounced, legible diver's dial designs within its 40mm case, powered by a Seiko NH38 automatic movement. The dive watch enthusiast on your list would love the 300M water resistance, sapphire glass, and Super-LumiNova lume among its robust, adventure-ready features.
Luminox is best known for their Navy SEAL-approved stealthy timepieces, but we also love to see the utility of tritium tubes on a classy sport watch. The new Pacific Diver Automatics joins a short list of tritium watches the collector on your list would appreciate, powered by Swiss Sellita movements encased in 42mm stainless steel, offering dressed up new silhouettes from the standard tactical designs.
Marathon is best known for their mission-ready, incredibly beefy Search and Rescue watches, and the OSAR-D joins the crew as a bold new 41mm diver. Like its brothers, the OSAR-D is every millimeter a tool watch, powered by a Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement with extra large MaraGlo-painted indices for excellent underwater visibility. It's a truly special gift for the EDCer looking for an absolute tank of a tool watch for their daily missions.
Alpaka's new zip wallet packs a bit of extra space for your giftee to secure their smaller essentials like their earphones or the ever-cumbersome car key fob. It also comes with an attachment point for compatibility with Alpaka's other magnetic HUB accessories.
Ikigai's pill and storage cases are some of the sleekest and most stylish we've ever seen, and a great way to upgrade your giftee's small storage game. Plenty of sizes and colors to choose from for the ideal gift, and hardy 6061-T6 aluminum construction make EDCing them a no-brainer.
PENS AND STATIONERY
Slice, light, and write is the EDC trinity, so here are our picks for upping your pen game.
Ridge's Click Pen is everything the EDCer in your life loved about the fidgety pen from school, built to EDC standards in anodized aluminum and premium titanium. They can write with comfort and familiarity thanks to its Schmidt 9000 easyFLOW M refill.
Tactile's latest seasonal pen is all about that pirate life perfect for the salty sea dog on your list. Like all Tactile pens, the attention to detail is staggering, including wood-textured Cerakote, a treasure map engraving on the clip, and a 24K gold-plated steel bolt that's perfectly in theme with pirate booty.
Big Idea Design are machined pen masters, and the Base Line is their challenge to themselves to build a full-sized, bolt-action pen packing a ton of value at an affordable price, making it an exceptional stocking stuffer for everyone on your list. We think they've pulled it off, especially with five premium material options to choose from as well as pairing with the ever-reliable Schmidt P900 ballpoint refill.
FUN-CTIONAL GIFTS
Sometimes your EDC doesn’t always have to be brimming with functionality—sometimes it’s worth carrying something simply because it brings you joy, like our picks below.
aroundsquare makes some of our favorite functional manipulation tools, and the MKUltras stand out simply because they're great to wear as well. This makes them a doubly awesome gift as both a mindfulness tool and a stylish accessory. There are tons of sizes and variations to choose from (we love the titanium ones especially), but these recent animal horn beads have definitely caught our eye.
The Polar Ring is Project Ratchet’s latest wearable, a silent successor to the clicky original and a fun fidget accessory for those looking to calm down their anxious energy. Over 14 N52 neodymium magnets line the interior of the Polar Ring, giving both a silent, tactile feel while also now allowing the outer ring to be engaged in either direction. It provides the same, satisfying, segmented clicking sensation, only now much quieter.
What do you give an EDCer who has everything? An aesthetic place to put all their awesome gear, of course. JRW makes a unique display tray featuring rubber pyramids to help hold and segregate essentials, keeping them in place and preventing them from bumping into each other when not in use. Five colors and other styles and sizes give you or your giftee plenty of options.
TRAVEL AND OUTDOORS
Sometimes you find yourself in new and amazing places, so it’s always good to be ready for any adventure. We’ve got you covered with essential upgrades you may have missed.
Ridge put a lot of work into making the best carry-on and check-in luggage you can buy, with thoughtful details from German Makrolon polycarbonate shell construction to all-terrain wheels, and even a sleek touch of personalization. Grab a set for yourself or a travel buddy with the Frequent Flyer Kit, which includes a discount for the Commuter Backpack as well to complete your travel EDC.
Flint and Tinder’s Waxed Trucker Jacket is a thoughtful holiday gift for anyone who appreciates quality and timeless style. Made from weather-resistant waxed canvas and lined with cozy flannel, it’s built to handle chilly days while looking effortlessly cool. Plus, it ages beautifully, developing a unique patina that tells the story of every adventure.
Danner’s Mountain 600 GTX boots in the exclusive Gold Rush colorway make an excellent holiday gift for the adventurer in your life. Built for comfort and durability, they feature a suede upper, a GORE-TEX liner to keep feet dry, and a Vibram sole for solid traction on any terrain. Inspired by frontiersmen but made for modern explorers, they’re perfect for tackling trails or just braving a rainy day in style.
Gerber brings the career campers on your list a complete outdoor eating experience with a 16-piece cooking set that includes pots, pans, and tableware to easily feed a whole camp. And when they're done, everything stacks and stores into an easily transportable storage bag for the next camp out.
People always ask us how to travel with a knife, and one way would be to bring an empty utility knife and check in or purchase spare blades at your destination and store them using Exceed's handy 3D-printed BladeBank. It conveniently stores standard utility blades flat and with the pointy ends protected in a card-sized form factor. Just don't forget to check it in!
