Tag: EDC

April 25, 2024 – Familiar is Comfort and Comfort is Best

April 25, 2024 /

For some reason, my son thinks I need more knives. He made me a cleaver for my birthday and he recently bought me an assisted opening knife while on a trip. I have never had one of those before. It is kind of a fun novelty to continuously click it open while I am sitting and staring into space.

I live in the knife capitol of the world. Gerber, Leatherman, Benchmade, Kershaw and CRKT are all headquartered here. As a result, I have some unique opportunities like the annual seconds sale at Kershaw. There are fifty dollar knives that sell for $5. Some of them are defected while others are models that just didn’t sell. It has been a number of years since I went to the sale. The truth is I can only use so many knives. I love the idea of buying a deal and getting something cool but why…? Besides that, a lot of the knives I have have been given to me. Like the two below in the picture.

These are my two newest folding knives. Both of them were given to me. The gray one is the one I was saying that my son gave to me. The old fashioned one I was awarded by the local state representative that I was helping with his trap fundraiser. When I got it, I thought, what am I going to do with this? I keep it in my office to open boxes and packaging. The truth is, it is not a locking blade and so I am leery of putting it to real, hard work.

I have often thought that I want to buy a real barbeque show piece. I can afford it and I should have a heavy-duty tactical knife for the zombie apocalypse. But then I think about how torn I am to surrender the $15 Leatherman at TSA and I think not a chance I would carry around a $400 knife to possibly lose it.

The knife that I carry 99% of the time is the same knife I bought in middle school. I like it, it is comfortable. (read more about it october-22-2020-tacticool-thursday) It is not the best steel, it is scraped to heck back on my first amateur attempts to sharpen and it doesn’t even have a pocket clip. Those were just being invented at that time in the 1980s. My brother bought one about a year later that did have a clip. But, it does lock.

I think one of the things that I do like is that it doesn’t have a clip. That makes it slim to fit in my pocket and doesn’t catch on other things when I pull it out. I would be very, very sad if I lost it (wouldn’t be the first time). This always gets me thinking about buying a replacement Everyday Carry knife. Each time I do, I find myself going back to what is familiar and comfortable.

The only knives I have lost since becoming an adult have been because they were taken from me at the airport. However, as a kid I lost track of the number of knives that I have lost. I think two Swiss Army knives, a Boy Scouts branded folder and an Opinel given to my from our French exchange student we hosted are amongst the list. Part of the reason this is true is that it is carried every day so I always know where it is.

One time I bought a very nice looking, titanium clad knife and I carried it a while. It turns out that I hated using it because the pocket clip bit into my hand while using it. Another time I bought an expensive (for the time) knife off of e-bay. When it showed up, I was in shock. It was tiny. It is also uncomfortable to use. This was about the time I was learning that I needed to see things before buying them because the dimensions provided did not translate well in my head.

End Your Programming Routine: I probably will switch over to this new knife for a while. I don’t have the same emotional attachment to it so I am less worried about whether I will lose it or ding it up doing things it wasn’t designed to do. I doubt too that this will be the last one either. But, don’t be surprised if I go back to my old faithful either.

February 18, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

February 18, 2021 /

My official transformation has begun, and no it’s not becoming a woman. I officially left my last day at Amazon on Monday and I started my first day at my new job yesterday. Things haven’t gone entirely smoothly or at least the way that I expected. The recent weather has thrown a monkey wrench into delivery services like Amazon and Fed-Ex to name a few.

I have been waiting for my computer to get started since Friday of last week. The tracking site has literally not change in over a week. So, in lieu of working right now I am am going to shift my day later and work later. That means I can do this right now.

Today, I was thinking about carrying my stuff around. I was thinking about this as I unpacked my work pack and put all my stuff away that I was using while I was a delivery driver. Some things went back to where they were before I was a delivery driver. Some things were specifically for that job and I am not sure if I will ever use them again and trying to figure out how to move on.

The backpack on the left I use to hold my computer. It was company swag. I switched over from a Swiss Army Pack because I thought that it was the right thing to do, showing the colors with the logo. My Swiss Army pack was quickly repurposed by my nephew who needed a new backpack and gone forever. I went along with this pack for probably three years at work.

Let me say, I hated it from the day I switched. The divider arrangements, the overall capacity (volume), the depth of the zipper opening all were not adequate. It was fine for light use and carrying a computer around, but not for carry-on travel or everyday carry (EDC). On some business trips, my backpack would be the only luggage I would take and I didn’t have the room for a book plus toiletries plus a change of clothes.

When I started working at Amazon, I said “I hate this bag but I can make it work because I don’t need to spend extra money right now”. And it is true, there is a bit of first world syndrome in my thinking. I got my lunch and water bottle and raincoat in there. But I could never get out what I wanted without pulling everything out. It was crammed and difficult to close. When I wanted to clock out, I had to carefully repack everything and squeeze. I couldn’t just stuff and dash to get home.

I started immediately dreaming about what I would want in a daypack. I wanted outside water bottle access, a sunglasses pocket, full access to the inside, one small item organizer compartment and no waist belt. I also didn’t want a huge logo or at least a globally recognized brand. Nothing says tourist or maybe this bag is full of cash like when the entire back says Oakley on it. When I was in China, I had a Dell backpack and I always felt self-conscious like that just added a little extra target on me.

I thought about life after Amazon and how I might use a new pack. Infrequent day trips or family vacations would be the primary mission in the future. I looked at very ‘Tacticool’ packs with concealed carry pockets and gear loops and things. But, I wanted to be the gray man, plus I don’t think that is the best way to carry anyway.

Another thing I have learned is that everything is a compromise. More pockets generally mean less space because everything still has to fit in the same overall volume. Once the bag becomes segmented, it restricts the amount of gear in each pocket in order to retain the integrity or function of the particular pocket. For example, either exterior water bottle takes from interior space for rigidity or it relies on some sort of elastic material to keep the bottle restrained. The latter design ultimately doesn’t hold up to hard use because the elastic stretches out of shape and then your water bottle starts falling out. My hunting pack has that problem.

One last consideration, it is fairly difficult to find a ‘Jack of All Trades’ bag. The hunting bags are camouflaged, the computer bags are made for pens and computers and tablets, the hiking bags are made for overnight trips, the school bags are made for textbooks and such. Stores that are oriented towards particular markets carry items that are oriented toward their customers and market. Online is the best option for model and color.

I found some packs that I almost bought that I would have gotten near lifetime use. Mystery Ranch was my top pick but it was $200 everywhere I looked. If I am going to spend that kind of money, I really want to see what I am buying because it is difficult to visualize the difference between the 24L and the 28L and the 32L sizes. I had some second choices with Patagonia and The North Face, but everything was above $150 that met most of my requirements.

I was very frustrated with my computer bag. After looking at REI and other outdoor stores on the more high end side I went to the discount store Sierra Trading Post and I found this Thule bag for $70. It met most of my requirements, so I bought it. It is 28L and has one compartment. It is sleek and doesn’t have a lot of straps and things to get hung up. It had a removable waist belt and it held all of my stuff I wanted when I was on the road.

It did not have an organizer compartment. But, I have a Maxpedition ‘NeatFreak’ organizer that I carried inside of the bag. I could put my pens, spare batteries, tire gauge, charging cables, etc into the organizer. Again, everything is a compromise and those things take up space too. But, once I switched over I felt immediately better. Getting to my lunch didn’t require a complete un-pack. I could grab my water bottle on the road. I had cold weather and wet weather gear with me at all times.

One thing I have been guilty in the past has been ‘make due’ attitude. Many times, that is to my advantage (from a financial standpoint at least) but sometimes it is not. I quickly bought quality footwear and then changed my bag and added a few things to make my life better while I was delivering packages. I can confidently say that it was a good decision because then I could focus on doing the work rather than the other perceived distractions.

Admittedly, this was a want more than a need. Consider how mood and attitude effects productivity and outside work activity. I think that it is worth evaluating your situation and making changes that could be relatively inexpensive for those ‘quality of life’ scenarios. Items like quality cookware, a comfortable bed or pillow or items used in your profession for safety and comfort can turn a miserable day into just another day.

October 22, 2020 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

October 22, 2020 /

Can you believe another week is almost over? I sure cannot. It seems like I was just writing about a range trip that I thought was going to happen but hasn’t yet. It’s that time of week again to talk about tacticool! I thought that I would write about an old friend, my Gerber 400 lock blade pocket knife.

Before I get started with that, I wanted to talk about the company Gerber and what it has to do with todays knife landscape. According to Wikipedia, the company was started in 1939 in Portland, Oregon. Unrelated to Gerber, Leatherman also began in Portland, Oregon in 1983. Between the two of them they have created a knife mecca spawning CRKT, Benchmade and the US headquarters of KAI/Kershaw knives as well.

This one was the one that stuck with me. Believe it or not, by the time I was fourteen this was my fourth pocketknife (and the first one I didn’t lose). My first knife was a really cheap knife that one of the scales (sides) fell off. The blade was poor metal and the blades didn’t lock causing several cuts. That one I think was ultimately thrown away. My second was a Boy Scout branded Schrade knife that was much more durable but it was lost within a few months after a beach trip. My third knife was a swiss army knife. model ‘Camper’. That one also got lost at the beach which is when I bought the Gerber.

This knife has been my constant companion ever since. It has been to Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia. It skinned my first deer. It has helped me eat lunch when I needed to eat around bad spots in fruit or forgot the steak knife or butter knife. There have been times when it was the only knife for dinner, or the picnic cheese plate. It has opened countless packages, cut hose, twine and rope, scraped rust off, cleaned fish, popped balloons for clean-up, splinter scalpel and used as a second rate screwdriver to name a few functions.

I have other knives, but I like this one. It is light and slim with no clip to get in the way. I am not in love with knife clips. I am not convinced that they even make you knife more accessible. They certainly scrape things up when you rub the clip against furniture, the wall or your upholstery. Even though clips are ubiquitous, they are the first give away that you are armed.

Another reason I like this knife is that it was inexpensive. I paid less than $20 in the late 1980s for this knife. Because of that, it hasn’t gotten babied. I have other much more expensive knives that largely stay home to keep them protected – it sounds silly when you write about it. I have cut steel wire and opened paint cans with this blade. Don’t get me wrong, I am not intentionally abusing it, it just happens to be the only tool I have at the time.

The mirror finish, or chrome plating or whatever makes the blade shiny was gouged on the first sharpening. Largely because I didn’t hold the knife properly and didn’t know what I was doing when I attempted to sharpen the knife. Those marks are still there, I don’t think about them often but when I do it takes me right back to being at summer camp. Part and parcel with that is how much life has changed since then and how much more skilled I am than when I was a young teenager.

One of the things that really impressed me when I first got this knife was how well the blade and lock mechanism fit together. I thought that was precision craftsmanship. It still may be because when I look at the fit of most knives today, those parts are almost always rounded to prevent extra fitting needed.

I will also point out that over the years, the parts have worn. Everything still locks up tight, but just from this picture you can see some of the gap that has developed from over thirty years of daily carry in the scales. So, it is not quite as impressive as it used to be but it is always something I thought was special about it.

I am always on the lookout for the replacement of this knife. In my head I am thinking that I should carry and upgrade. I am thinking about the Buck 722 right now even though I think that one is about the same category. But I always come back to – why? I have at times carried two knives under the ‘two is one and one is none’ idea, but I get tired of my pants falling down with all the weight.

“Beware the man with one gun, he probably knows how to use it”. I think you could substitute knife in that spot. If you run into me, I will likely have this knife on my person. It was my first piece of EDC gear and it is my most consistently carried piece of gear. I have had it longer than any key on my key chain or wallet or item in my wallet.

October 15, 2020 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

October 15, 2020 /

I thought that I would write about flashlights today. Now that the daylight situation is rapidly moving towards less than twelve hours a day in my area, it will soon be darker longer than light. Something I carry on my person is a flashlight.

Number one, a flashlight is probably the most used piece of gear that I routinely carry. It is useful when you drop something under the desk or taking a detailed look inside a furnace or diagnosing a basement light issue. I don’t think that it is too hard to try and find the virtues and uses of a flashlight.

A few examples of my flashlights

In today’s phone culture, most people think that the flash LED is an adequate light. While it is true that the one you have is the best one, I maintain that you are better off using this function as a back-up rather than your only flashlight.

A dedicated flashlight is a much better tool than the phone light. Flashlights are made to have the beam focused for longer distance. They can have a much longer run time and create a more intense cone of light. They also don’t take away power from the most important function of a flashlight, communication. Finally, it offers redundant capability.

Even though I have many different lights, consider the batteries. I have some that take AA, AAA, D, CR123 and rechargeable batteries (and even some others). All those different combinations are fine, but for everyday carry use flashlights that might share batteries for other devices like a GPS. That would mean you could carry one spare set of batteries and use them interchangeably if needed.

Flashlight technology has evolved rapidly in the last ten years. LED technology is part of that. The amount of power (usually measured in lumens) and run time has seen an amazing amount of improvement. Ten years ago when I bought the Surefire Executive (pictured in the middle) the high powered flashlights used CR123 batteries and put out 60 lumens of light for two hours. Now you can buy a 200 lumen light for $10 and it will run for 16 hours.

If you have cordless tools, often you can purchase a flashlight that will use the batteries for your tools. Not only is this helpful when you need to work on something in the dark, but they are sure handy around the house for a ready to go, bump in the night light by the door.

From a personal safety standpoint, another reason to have a light on you is self defense. A light can be used to identify a threat or blind an intruder. The shape of the tool also makes it useful as a kubaton. Of course, that kind of proficiency needed training and practice.

For full transparency, I am not always carrying a light. Obviously, it would be helpful to have everything you need when you want it. But in my case, the weight of all the gear pulling you pants down or your pockets jambed full all the time, I make a judgement call. When I am leaving the house I usually think to myself is it likely I will be somewhere in the dark. In the summertime the answer is usually no unless I am going somewhere after dark or going somewhere like a movie theater or mall. That calculus changes in the cooler months.

Besides having one on your person, one by the door and one in your go bag I would recommend you keep one in each vehicle as well. It is almost worth considering replacing old flashlights given how much improvement there has been. If you are looking for a starting point the Streamlight Stylus Pro for $25 is a good start.

June 4, 2020 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

June 4, 2020 /

There is a concept in the preparedness and concealed carry circles about this idea of ‘Everyday Carry’ or EDC for short. The idea is to evaluate what you have on you or with you, always. Those are the things that you will most likely have if something goes south and we are not talking about a zombie takeover, but a car breaks down, you are notified that a loved one was transported to the hospital or the power goes out at the library (or a zombie apocalypse).

I have run the gamut between less and more stuff. Right now, I definitely lean toward the less end of the spectrum. I am talking about things such as keys, wallet, phone, etc. (add facemask for now). Since I have not been working and have been primarily home this last year, I haven’t had a normal ‘get ready in the morning’ routine which now makes me grab and go when I leave.

Example of EDC loadout

There are forums on the subject and some people get really into their gadgets. There are keychain wrenches and gizmos, some people carry USB drives or battery packs for their phones. I have even heard of someone carrying another cell phone from a different carrier as back-up.

What I find is that there is a limit on reasonable amounts of stuff in your pockets. I have literally had my pants falling down from weight at times. This is particularly true when your pants are too big or too small. Women can put a lot of stuff in a purse but I really dont want to carry a ‘man purse’. There is a different level of gear called a ‘get home bag’ for another post.

The concept of EDC is not supposed to change with circumstance. For instance, don’t go to a bad area of town. You want to avoid a gunfight at all costs. However, we are all human. Elastic waste band shorts just don’t hold enough weight to pocket carry a 12oz firearm and phone and keys and flashlight, etc. Unless you are prepared to look like Batman, adjustments have to be made. Cargo pants can help without looking too out of place.

In the past I have enjoyed perusing the forums to see if anyone has had a better idea or some new piece of gear. I always end up enjoying the pictures but not changing anything because there is limited space so it needs to be pretty high value.

There is one more term that is fairly common and that is minimalist. This is the idea that functions are combined and/or reduced to the minimum. Truth be told, I rarely use most things in the picture outside of my wallet and keys. Therefore, I don’t carry most of those things.

Just remember, with all things urban survival, you want to be the ‘gray man’. You don’t want to stand out in any situation.