In the fast-paced world we live in, being prepared for whatever comes our way has become an essential part of daily life.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional, a dedicated adventurer, or simply someone who values practicality, having a well-curated collection of EDC essentials is a game-changer.
From the smallest details to the most versatile tools, these carefully selected items can make a world of difference in your day-to-day activities.
Glock 43X, Streamlight 1L-1AA, Spyderco Delica, Winfield MD-1 mission timer, Oakley sunnies, and Vertx Dead Letter Sling bag.
In this article, we’ll explore a comprehensive guide to the must-have everyday carry essentials for every man. Get ready to streamline your life, enhance your style, and be ready for any situation with these EDC items.
EDC Knives
Most people I know carry at least 1 knife in their EDC kit, and many carry 2 separate knives. Why would someone bother with 2 knives? It all depends on what you’re lifestyle is like and your preferred tools. For example, carrying 2 knives will allow you to use 1 knife as your go-to for all things non-combat-related, such as opening Amazon boxes, cutting rope, opening bags, and even cutting food at a campsite.
However, you should always have a knife strictly for self-defense because you want to make sure that knife is always sharp and never dull enough to compromise your fighting capability. There are so many knives to choose from, but I always recommend a fixed blade for fighting and a folding blade for every day in stress-free environments. However, one of my favorite EDC knives is a folding blade with a glass breaker on the bottom of the grip.
Spyderco Delica 4
The Spyderco Delica 4 might quite possibly be the perfect EDC folder in its class. Now that I’ve had a few years of use with it, I can confidently say that my statement holds true. The biggest advantage I see out of the gate is the price point. The MSRP direct from Spyderco is $142.00, but you can find them on Amazon for around $85. At that price point, you’re getting one hell of a folding knife made with quality materials.
Not only is this a great lightweight folder to carry on you everywhere you go on your urban adventures, but it really does a stand-up job as a wilderness EDC folder too. I’ve used the Delica 4 countless times in the woods for carving, prepping kindling for a fire, and striking my Ferro rod to produce sparks for the fire.
I also carried this knife clipped to the waistband of my board shorts, while at the beach for a week. The knife was submerged in saltwater for the better part of the week. After I returned home, I disassembled the knife, wiped it down, and gave it a light coating of oil. Absolutely no issues whatsoever.
The Spyderco Delica 4 is now a constant companion when running during the spring and summer. Like I did at the beach, I just clip it to the waistband of my running shorts and head out for a run. Through rain and sweat, the knife has never failed me. Take care of your gear and it will take care of you.
The Ka-Bar Dozier is a trusted EDC knife among the Marine Corps MWTC (Mountain Warfare Training Center) Instructor staff. Here is what one of them had to say about the Ka-Bar Dozier.
The Dozier design Kabar, it is my daily carry and has been since 2006. I met Dozier at SHOT, as well as the president of Kabar. I have more knives than any human should own… mostly because companies send me different models to include in my kits. I have several Benchmade knives, including an automatic and I have almost every folder from SOG, because Gunny Lee Ermey is a friend of mine and they wanted to be in the kit we provide to Navy SpecWar. I still carry the Dozier.
I like it because it is lightweight, thin and sharp as a razor, right out of the box. A friend of mine who was an elk hunting guide called me from Colorado and said that he had completely dressed and quartered an elk with a Dozier and didn’t sharpen it one time. He said no one had ever seen that done before.
As a survival blade, I prefer a drop point that is one hand opening and a lanyard hole is a must. As you know, most gear packed in a survival kit never gets used and when it does, it is for short periods. I have yet to find a superior replacement for the Dozier, so I’ll continue to use it, while knives that cost 10 times as much sit in the drawer.
Ka-Bar is one of those companies I never really had a lot of experience with other than the Marine Corps Ka-Bar fixed blade knife. Ka-Bar now has a full line of folding knives available, so I decided to give them a shot. The model I decided on after doing my homework was the Dozier Design folder.
This is not what I would consider a hard-use folder by any means due to its lack of stainless steel lines, but that doesn’t take away from the overall durability of this budget folder.
Let your smartphone be the tech device that connects you to the world. But let your wrist be a place to show style, elegance, and a place to appreciate the importance & simplicity of the one thing that controls the world; TIME.
What constitutes a quality timepiece?
Weight – A watch with a decent weight or heft to it is like a good solid handshake. You can just tell that you’re dealing with something that is going to last.
Movement – Automatic movement all the way. Auto movements contain more moving parts, provide the sleek sweep movement of the second hand, and generally are more of an investment for the watchmaker. Although the ETA2824 and Citizen Caliber 9015 seem to be quality movements from my experience, a properly regulated NH35 will do the job just as well.
Lume – I’m a huge proponent of quality lume. If I cannot tell what time it is in the middle of the night, then it’s a no-go. That is just my personal preference. There are different types of lume, so do your homework when looking for that quality timepiece. To be brutally honest, Winfield Watch has the best lume out there based on the different watches that I own and have used. I have other watches that claim to have a ‘high quality’ lume, but cannot be easily read in the darkest of dark and fade quickly. This is one of the reasons that the Winfield Watch Sky Lead Stainless is now a go-to watch of mine.
Winfield Watch MD-1
Every Winfield watch movement is regulated in six positions, pressure tested to 200 meters, and receives a full quality check.
Winfield Watch Company offers a 2-year transferable warranty on its watches from the time of purchase.
Features
The NH35 movement is a reliable workhorse movement that punches way above its price point. Its reliability, for such an affordable movement, is one of the reasons it is so highly regarded among watchmakers.
Winfield watch company regulates the NH35 movement in 6 different positions. This enables the movement to hold its regulation longer, improves the performance of the movement, and maximizes the accuracy of the watch.
Super-LumiNova has become a ubiquitous name in watch lume. If you see Super in front of the LumiNova, then you know it’s 100% Swiss-made.
The C3 is a lume that is used in most vintage-styled watches. C3 LumiNova gives an extraordinary look to your watch when you are in the dark. Hailed as one of the brightest lumes compared to other variations. The relative brightness of C3 LumiNova stands at an astonishing 100%.
C3 Super LumiNova will provide you with enough visibility to see the time in the darkest of dark for hours on end. The Winfield MD-1 uses 6 layers of the C3 Super-LumiNova!
Additionally, many watch companies will stop at the screw-down crown to secure a 100-meter water resistance rating, but Winfield Watch took it a step further to ensure the longevity of their watches by incorporating the two rubber gaskets into the crown stem and at the same time achieving a 200-meter water resistance.
Case – Bead-blasted 316L surgical-grade stainless steel, drilled lugs, dual case back gaskets, metal movement holder
Crown – Screw-down with double gaskets
Crystal – Double domed sapphire with double anti-reflective coating
Bezel – Stainless steel uni-directional 120 click
Hands – Bead blasted stainless steel
Lume – Six layers of Swiss Super-LumiNova C3
Water resistance – 200m / 660 feet, individually pressure tested
Movement – Seiko (SII) Japanese NH35 Automatic, regulated in 6 positions
41mm diameter
48.5mm lug-to-lug
13mm thick with domed crystal
20mm lug width
Vincero Kairos
In the John Wick movies, you can see Wick wearing a swiss timepiece, Carl F. Bucherer Manero. It comes in a 38mm stainless steel case that is only 8.75mm thick and paired with a black Louisiana alligator leather strap. The version that Wick wore in the movie is with a white dial and silver-tone luminescent hands and markers.
The date window is shown at the 3 o’clock position. It comes with a scratch-resistant anti-reflective sapphire crystal together with a transparent sapphire case back. It’s also water-resistant to 30 meters and is powered by a CFB 1965 caliber automatic movement with a power reserve of 42 hours.
With a retail price for the watch around $2,600 depending on where you look, not everyone can afford that for a cool timepiece. With that said, there is a great alternative available for a fraction of the cost. The Vincero Kairos. Coming in at around $180 with the leather alligator strap.
The Vincero Kairos has several similar features to the more expensive Carl F. Bucherer Manero timepiece.
They both feature a white dial with a silver-toned case
The watch face of the Kairos has some very subtle differences, but at first, glance are pretty close to the Carl F. Bucherer Manero.
The original Carl F. Bucherer comes with a black Louisiana alligator leather strap. For the Vincero Kairos I ordered, I opted for the black Italian alligator leather strap.
The caseback of the Vincero Kairos comes with an Italian marble inset and the inscription "Veni. Vidi. Vici." meaning "I came. I saw. I conquered." Very fitting for a watch that John Wick would wear.
Vincero has chosen to use the Japanese Miyota quartz movement for the Kairos, a solid choice that matches the philosophy of the watchmaker: high-quality at a reasonable price. A middle of ground movement that punches above its price point. They are both reliable and durable. Miyota quartz movements have proven to be as reliable as the Swiss ETA movements that cost around 3 times more.
The Vincero Kairos uses a mineral glass crystal treated with a sapphire coating. The sapphire coating adds to the ruggedness of this timepiece. It gives you peace of mind to strap on this watch and not worry about the times you may knock it against something.
The Vincero Kairos has a rated water resistance of 10 ATM which is equivalent to 100 meters. For a watch in this category that is a welcome feature if you’re more of an active person.
For a few years, I’ve been carrying either the ProTac 2L or the ProTac 1AA as my everyday carry light. One of the advantages of the 1AA was the fact that it is powered by a common battery size found in almost any store, but it was obviously not as bright as the 2L which is powered by two CR123 batteries. Typically I would carry the 1AA as my daily light. If I was going out at night anywhere I would take the 2L just for the sheer fact that it has a much brighter output. Enter the Protac 1L-1AA.
The obvious advantage to the ProTac 1L-1AA is the fact that it can be powered by either a commonly found AA battery or a single CR123 battery depending on what you have available and what kind of output you are looking for. I generally run mine with a CR123 battery, but can always fall back to a AA if need be. When I travel I always put a fresh CR123 battery in prior to leaving, but can always replace it with a AA from a local store.
The Buffway wallet is compact and discreet, measuring just 3 1/8" x 4 7/16".
This wallet provides plenty of room with 8 slots to easily store your driver’s license, credit cards, cash, and membership cards, making your work and travel more convenient.
More importantly, the Buffway wallet effectively blocks RFID signals. Outfitted with advanced RDIF blocking technology, this wallet blocks electronic signals to keep your identity protected while you travel, shop, or explore.
Having a portable battery charger for your phone is incredibly important, and with the newest technology showcasing renewable energy, it’s a no-brainer. As everyone knows, the chances are that if you’re in the middle of nowhere, your phone battery will drain faster as it looks for service (I always turn my phone into airplane mode unless I need it).
The portable charger that I chose to highlight is a solar-powered charger that includes a flashlight and is meant to charge iPhones up to 6 times faster than battery-operated chargers. The coolest feature is that this charger can give juice to 3 different phones or other electronics simultaneously.
Even though solar power isn’t the main energy source, it can run on solar in an emergency. This is why it’s important to put this charger on the outside of your gear with the attached carabiner to expose it to the sun as long as possible. Always plug this charger in before you set out on a hike, and it will be ready to go anywhere you need it to.
Carrying a pistol for me is a necessary evil that I wish I didn’t feel like I had to do, but such is life. Whether you’re hiking, hunting, or just out in public, a CCW is essential to the peace of mind that you’re going to have a way to defend yourself no matter what happens.
If you’ve read any of my blogs, you know that I carry a Walther PPS M2 as my EDC CCW with a Model 82 CarryLok holster. I love this pistol because it’s small enough to conceal in any type of clothing I wear and still accurate out to 50 yards with Federal HP rounds. I recommend carrying a pistol with a barrel no bigger than 5" for sure, but normally less than 4.5". A Glock 43X is a great CCW, as well as the Glock 19, 23, and 48.
Glock 19 Gen 5
For the sake of not repeating myself, I’m not going to get into detail about the Glock 19. We’ve written exclusively about the Glock in many different blogs, including our Glock 19 | Definitive Review. With a 4" barrel and overall length of 7.28", this pistol can be concealed without printing in most clothing options (don’t wear a muscle shirt).
The best part about the Glock 19 is the overall capacity is perfect, with 16 total rounds without reloading. Weighing only 1.88 lbs and featuring interchangeable backstraps for different hand sizes, this Glock is tough to beat.
Invest in quality, durability, and functionality when choosing your EDC items.
Seek out trusted brands and products that have proven their worth. Remember, your everyday carry is a reflection of who you are and what you value.
So, gear up, gentlemen, and embrace the power of everyday carry. From organizing your belongings to being prepared for any situation, these essentials will become your reliable companions.
Elevate your style, increase your efficiency, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with being well-prepared.
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