Hey y’all. Not long ago, I did a video showing you what I carry on a daily basis, and today’s the day I put it all in writing! You know, whether I’m out and about working in the world or I’m on the homestead, there are certain things I carry on my body that come in very handy almost on a daily basis. Some of the things I’m going to tell you about today, I use almost on a daily basis, so they come in very handy.

Now, having said that, Everyday Carry (EDC) is a very personal thing. If you search EDC on YouTube or the internet in general, you’ll find people have opinions about it because it’s as personal as every individual that carries it. Certain things come in handy for one person but may not for another, as they have totally different needs.

I’m going to start today by showing you some things I used to carry, and then I’ll bring you up to date on what I carry right now every day. My journey with EDC has definitely been an evolving one, driven by practical needs and a desire for efficiency and comfort.

The Evolution of My Carry: From Bulky to Brilliant

My EDC journey started with a traditional Spec Ops wallet.

It’s a trifold design with a clear section, a zipper pocket, and room for plenty of cards, even a hidden pocket inside the fold for bills. I carried this for a long time, and it was packed, carrying most everything I needed in my wallet. But it got “pretty thick” and was in my back pocket, and I got tired of sitting on it every day, so I started looking for options.

I then found this little Maxpedition bag.

With this, I could carry a few other things I needed. It has a front pocket, a main zipper pocket, and inside, there are two pockets, some webbing, and a little paracord loop that’s good for keys and whatnot. That would fit very well in my back pocket, but again, it was really thick when I started to add other things I wanted to carry. I carried that for quite some time until I got tired of it being too thick.

Then, I migrated to this Viper Aid bag.

I love this little bag! It has a zipper in the back, a couple of pockets in the front, one large pocket, and then some smaller pockets. I used to slide a handy-dandy Swiss Army knife right into that pocket. I would carry this in my front pocket as opposed to my back pocket, avoiding sitting on it all day. This one (the black one) is still in great shape. These are very good little bags for the money; you can find them on Amazon.

But after a time, I decided there were some other things that I really needed and wanted to carry, and I came across this Viper Aid bag.

My Current Front Pocket Carry: The Viper Aid Pouch

This current Viper Aid bag goes in my front pocket, and it’s not very thick, yet it “holds a lot”. It comes in several different colors. On one side, I’ve even got a velcro area in case I want to put a morale patch. Inside this compact pouch, I pack some truly essential items:

• Leatherman Style CS: This little Leatherman has scissors that come in very handy, and a small knife blade. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available any longer.
• Flash Drive: This has some important documents on it in case something ever happens to me.
• Survival Fire Tool: Missy got me this little tool. It has a pointed end you can use to break glass, but it also comes apart. On one end, I have a Ferro Rod (fire steel), and I can take the tip off to reveal some tinder that I can scrape and use to start a fire. If you’ve ever seen a Ferro Rod before, you know how that works. Plus, this is actually an old antenna that I can pull out and use to feed oxygen to a fire and get a fire going, even if things are wet.

• Keys & Glow-in-the-Dark Tie: At the top, I have an S-binder with my house key and whatnot, and another little binder. This glow-in-the-dark tie-on thing is something Missy got me for Christmas; it’s just kind of neat to have.
• Emergency Cash Stash: In the zipper, I keep a little emergency stash of cash. Missy gets on to me for not carrying cash, so I try to keep that on me.
• 511 Pen: I used to carry a Fisher Space Pen, which fits nicely in the hand when put together for writing, and it’s very small when put away. But Missy got me this 511 pen for Christmas, and I really like it; believe it or not, this thing writes “really smoothly”.

• Olight i1R2 Flashlight: One thing I use almost on a daily basis is this Olight. I love this little flashlight; it’s the i1R2, and I’m telling you, it is “awesome”. In my daily job, there are times when I have to look in some pretty dark corners, and this comes in handy. You might think from its size that it wouldn’t do much, but if you turn it just a little, you’ll get a dim light, and if you turn it a little more, you’ll get a bright light. I’m telling you, it is bright. The really cool thing is it doesn’t need batteries because it has a charging port right here, and I can just plug it up and charge it. This is my daily front pocket carry; I love that little pouch, well worth the money. The neat thing about the Viper bags is they’re not expensive, but they’re very well-made, good quality.

• Paracord and Cable Ties: If you open the pocket on the edge of this pouch, I’ve got some paracord and some cable ties (some people call them zip ties) in there. They “come in handy occasionally”.

Beyond the Pouch: Notebook & Wallet Essentials

Not everything fits into one pouch! I also carry a few other daily essentials:

• Traveler’s Notebook: I carry my Traveler’s Notebook on a daily basis. We all have cell phones these days and can take notes on them in a thousand different ways, I know that, but sometimes I just want to take my 511 pen and jot something down. If I’m on the homestead, I may need to make a note, maybe I’m taking measurements – this is something I do a lot. In times past, when I’ve had homes where I had to do any type of carpentry work, I would have to jot down measurements, and it is so nice to have. My notebook holds little pads of paper where I can just jot down a note right on the spot. It’s also good to have for important papers or business cards. The Traveler’s notebook, I love that, goes right in my back right pocket every day.

• Dango A10 Wallet: I told you at one time I carried a Spec Ops wallet, and then I graduated to other things, but I really wanted my everyday carry stuff like this bag, the pen, the light, etc., separate from my wallet. Carrying my cards and cash in those bags was a little too much trouble getting them out every time. Missy got me this Dango wallet, and I have carried it for several years now, at least three years, on a daily basis, and I love it. When I first got the Dango A10, it came like this: just the aluminum part. I had my ID card, other cards like my check card and credit cards right here. If you slide a card up inside, there’s space for cash.

• Wallet Evolution: Initially, there were only three or four cards right in there, plus the one card, which wasn’t enough. I have multiple cards for work and whatnot, so I invested in an attachment that slides right into the rail, giving me a little extra space for cards while still allowing me to raise it up and access my cash [4, 5]. I carried it like that for quite a while, then decided that still wasn’t enough. I had more cards to keep up with for work – a gas card, a company credit card, my personal cards, ID cards, my driver’s license, and so on. So then I invested in another attachment that slides right onto that rail, providing more pockets inside. This is the one I have carried now for well over a year, I’m thinking maybe two years; I think she may have gotten me this for Christmas a couple of years ago.
• Nitecore Flashlight: On the end of my Dango wallet, I keep this little Nitecore flashlight. I got Missy one in pink, and she loves it for looking in her purse, but she also plans to use it for looking in chicken boxes early in the mornings to avoid snakes. Mine is “perfect” for various uses, offering a very bright light that can even “blind you” with a double tap.

The Ultimate Multi-tool: An Upgrade for Durability

My multi-tool journey also saw an upgrade:

• From Leatherman Skeletool to Leatherman Wave: I did a short a while back that teased about this video, and I said I used to carry the Leatherman Skeletool. I liked the Skeletool, don’t get me wrong; it has its uses. I love the size of it; it feels pretty good in your hand. The area where the screwdriver is can be a “hot spot” if you’re really bearing down on it. It has a great little blade and all the necessary things like the screwdriver.

• But I found that it was “too small” for some of my use cases. What really got me was one day I was using the pliers, and I almost broke it; it started to “really bend and give,” and I said, “well, this is not going to cut it”. So I looked around and I found the Leatherman Wave. It’s “quite a bit heftier” and has “quite a bit more weight,” but it’s “worth it”. You’d be hard-pressed to break it for my uses; I’ve found that it works very well.

• Wave Features: The Wave has cutters and pliers. It has a serrated blade and a knife blade, both of which are lock blades. It also has a wood saw blade, which I have used on several occasions, mostly camping. On the other side, it has a file, and inside, it has all your regular tools: Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, a bottle opener. I love the scissors; while I do have scissors on the small Style CS I showed you earlier, this has a “pretty good pair of scissors”. I particularly love this “tiny” screwdriver – I’ve used that on my watch band and my glasses, and that little screwdriver comes in handy sometimes too. I actually use this Leatherman Wave, I promise you, some part of it on a daily basis. Absolutely the knife and the pliers I use almost daily on something. The screwdrivers and whatnot I use very often. As I write this, I just used the scissors today.
• Pocket Clip Preference: I do not like the pouch that comes with it. Some people like them and wear them on their belt, and if it works great for them, I’m tickled to death for them, but I don’t like it; I don’t want it on my belt. So I invested in this pocket clip; you can get this as an extra. It pops right on there, and it allows the Wave to slide all the way down into my pocket, and you “really don’t even know that I have it”.

My EDC: A Personal Journey

As I emphasize, EDC is deeply personal. My setup reflects my homesteading lifestyle, daily job needs, and a desire to be prepared for various situations, from starting a fire to making quick repairs. Hopefully, this look into my everyday carry gives you some inspiration for refining your own!

Here is a link to the YouTube video.

Thanks for reading, and Lord bless you!

—

Wave https://amzn.to/4hGxv5p
Viperade VE1 blac pouch https://amzn.to/4hGxv5p
Viperade VE16 https://amzn.to/4iVysb2
Dango products https://amzn.to/4c3ljdF
Travellers notebook https://amzn.to/4iOgWpD
Leatherman Skeletool https://amzn.to/4iOgWpD
Olight https://amzn.to/4bTFue5
Nitecore https://amzn.to/4bSPO61

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Thank you for your support!