At the risk of sounding like some sort demented doomsday prepper I've started to get into the idea of EDC (every day carry). Useful "stuff" people have on their person as they go about their lives (within the laws of their land of course). For years I've had a small multi-tool as a key ring. It used to be a leatherman micro but the scissor joint became loose on that (it got lots of use) so now have a Gerber one instead. The things on it I seem to use the most are the package opening blade and the tweezers! My kids run around barefoot a lot so splinters happen often. I don't go clubbing or get on planes or anything so it's not an issue to carry afaik. Did jury service a few months back so left it at home on those days. I also have one of these on one of my keys but honestly only use to to tell the back door key from the front key in the dark! I've just added a tiny torch to my keys too. One of these. Really bright for the size. Something that I've also started doing recently is having a water bottle to hand so I know I'm getting enough hydration. Recently ordered something a bit more robust than your average plastic job. Lastly I wear a G-shock GBA 800 step counter watch with an after-market (more comfortable!) NATO strap. Was wearing a fitbit step counter anyway so decided to combine that functionality with a decent watch. If UK laws allowed I'd probably carry a pocket folding knife of some sort but realistically I wouldn't be adding any real additional functionality I don't already have covered in my existing kit. Beside feeling like a badass. When we go camping I bring a Morakniv companion but can't carry that habitually so it ain't EDC.
Oh and recently got a folding phone case and cut down on all the receipts and crap I carried in a wallet so I now just carry my phone, some cards and a little bit of cash. Less stuff to remember and keep track of but obviously if I lose it everything is gone in one go. Oh and P.S....didn't realise those pictures would be so massive!
haha those pictures are massive? If that's to scale on my 32" screen, then you must have a gigantic back door? I used to have pen knife with me all the time, many uses - but it had a locking knife so I didn't bother with it. On my car key chain I have Swiss utili-key. I did have this on my normal key, but I often forget about it and then it gets flagged on a security scan at airport or similar. all my other keys are in a key organiser, I have a bunch of keys and a lot of holes in my pockets from them. My phone case has a card holder in it, I can carry a note and credit card in it, so it saves having to carry a wallet around, which I rarely carry anymore. I almost always have my watch on - polar vantage v. constant hr tracking and usual sports watch stuff for tracking activity, and sleep tracking - It has been useful for fatigue management or getting on top of my health if something was going on which I hadn't picked up on yet (i.e. sleeping HR is usually up when my body is dealing with something). Had this for 2 years and no signs of wear. my wedding band I recently replaced for every day silicone ring. I wear my wedding ring when we go somewhere nice, but often would get it caught or it would start to get stuck if my knuckles were swollen. (I still take this of for BJJ, I know of some people who wear theirs in training, but I rather not take that risk)
Stopped wearing my wedding ring years ago. One of those things you don't get to try on much before you wear it and I just found mine really uncomfortable day to day.
I got one of these card holders. You can get really nice ones in carbon fibre or titanium for about £70. This is an £8 Chinese copy I actually don't like it, it's not comfy in your pocket at all, so it's time to go wallet shopping soon.
Great thread. I think discussing things like your EDC items raises less eyebrows now than it did before real life started to feel like a potential zombie movie. Here is a list of things I take with me wherever I go: iPhone (always 100% battery before leaving the house). Apple watch (also always 100% charge before leaving). Pocket-sized high power portable phone charger if I'm going to be on my feet for a while (e.g., walking around London sightseeing and shooting lots of video). Rovyvon Aurora 650 lumens flashlight. Thing is tiny but very bright for its size. Not my hand, obvs. 140 db personal attack alarm. I got one of these each for my partner and her teenage daughter. I also carry one myself (in black) because it's loud as hell and might offer a useful distraction if I need to leave a particular situation and verbal de-escalation hasn't worked. I'm less worried about rape than if I were female, but street robberies are quite high where I live (probably drug related). Paracord bracelet. Can be quickly unravelled and extends to about 3 metres. Found it to be handy when wild camping, but it could also serve as a makeshift tourniquet. I might also carry "dummy" items if I'm in a large city - a fake wallet or phone I can give to someone if they pull out a knife and asks for it; a cheap pocket lighter I can pass (throw) to someone if they ask for a light as part of a ruse (only ever happened once, in Glasgow); or loose change I can give to a street beggar to avoid being harassed (happens a lot here in Manchester; most of them are fine, but you may get some who try to corner you coming out of Greggs or on the tram). I wanted to ask about this point because I do also carry a folding pocket knife with a 2.75-inch folding blade. I was found with it on me by police only once: coming out of Manchester Piccadilly not long after the Arena bombing in 2017, BTP had set up a temporary stop & search checkpoint and were primarily asking to look in rucksacks/backpack. I had my bag searched and my knife was in an interior compartment (I saw no use for it while on the train from London) and informed the officer before he opened it. He examined the knife for all of about 2 seconds, said it was fine, and gave me back my bag. So I wanted to ask if you don't carry one because you don't think it's legal or because it might be viewed as excessive in light of your multi-tool? Or did you mean one with a blade longer than 3 inches?
Yeah bad phrasing on my part. I meant really just the general "culture" of knives in this country. How they are viewed by others, my actual need for one, where I'd carry it habitually, how I'd feel with it on me, my actual boring middle aged lifestyle compared to some wild wilderness lifestyle I might dream about, etc. Rather than the actual law per se. Carrying a knife of any sort I think would be excessive to my needs (especially given the other stuff I carry) and I think would come from a place of "this is cool" rather than any actual "need" for one. I'd rather just not have any sort of situation where someone would think "why's that tool carrying that tool!?" And plus my missus hates knives so there's that.
What knife do you carry out of interest? As mentioned I have a Morakniv companion for camping. Our go-to site has fire pits on each plot so I use it for doing the kindling, batoning and carving spoons around the fire. But I've never owned a pocket folder though so I'm interested in them.
I used to carry a legal non locking spyderco, inside my wallet, but I got funny looks a few too many times, so I just stick with the smallest Swiss army knife they do now, and it's good enough for most things.
@Smitfire if you contact leather man UK via Whitby and co they will probably replace you're Micra free of charge. I've returned 2 leather man MUT and a squirt which have all been replaced. Their customer service is fantastic. As for my carry, I never leave the house without a knife and torch. 99 percent of the time it's a Swiss army knife. Tweezers and toothpick get used a lot! But sometimes a folding single blade, all 'uk legal'. A boker XS is the usual replacement. Torch is often an olight i1r. Olight sometimes offer these for free if you just pay postage, I think you sign up to their newsletter for this. I've got 3 now and they are generally plenty of light for day to day. I also carry a pen, a cheap metal eBay 'tactical' type. Not for defence, but because it lives in my back pocket and plastic biro types get snapped a lot... Phone is standard too I suppose! I also wear a watch. I could use my phone for the time but I like the convenience of just looking at my wrist, and I like watches. I rotate through maybe 20 or so that I own. House keys have a glow in the dark fob on them which is handy, and also a pry bar. Last thing is a hankie too. I've carried stuff for years and had pockets brimming with all sorts of stuff. What I carry now is refined down to stuff I actually use daily and no excess weight
Phone, wallet, keys. No earthly reason for me to carry a knife every day, though I've got a couple for whittling. Starting to feel under prepared!
While I don't use my Gerber multi-tool every day it's at least once or twice a week. On the weekend I was at a Wartime experience show, bought my son a new toy and so used it to open the packaging and then used the philips head screw driver to open the battery compartment. Usual ones are splinters, package opening, hang nails, loose threads, etc
Same here - Phone, wallet, keys, pen and paper (normally a shopping list). I might occasionally carry a Leatherman Skeletool or simple Swiss Army knife if I'm going somewhere I might need them but that's about it.
