Osongas

Pocket Storage Blues

Every day carry.

We're changing things up again recently, taking some of the previous changes I had made and iterating on them once again to fill in the gaps of some flaws I uncovered.

Since I haven't discussed this before, let's consider some basics.

What is EDC?

For the sake of avoiding the "everyone knows what a horse is" meme, EDC is a principle or philosophy regarding mindfully selecting the items that you carry with you, every day. For me, the most important concept is the intention.

EDC is less about packing yourself full of knives, pens, and tools just in case, and more about being considerate of your day's needs, your own interests, and how they mingle to inform your choices about what fills your pockets.

So what are my needs?

The Basics

Let's start with a simple assumption: everywhere I go, I will need to communicate with others, and will need access to money. So the first two items on my list are:

In my case, my phone is supported by a Mous case. Shock resistant and slim. My previous phone was the unfortunate doorstop for my car door while wearing a Mous, and I was able to replace the screen protector and keep it going another 2 years.

The wallet on the other hand has had a significant downsize this past year. I was previously employing a variety of Lochby journal covers as wallets, however as my writing interests waned out of phase, the bulk started to become a detriment. As well, the want for wearing lighter clothes left the wallets in a difficult spot, creating a large bulky space that is hard to manage.

Circumnavigating this led me to a slimmed down wallet model from an .stl file, secured in place with paracord and ranger band. As the number of cards I carry shifts up and down a lot, being able to stretch and collapse is useful.

Scaling up

Changing wallets gave me my compactness, at the cost of less resources available to me. While the writing surface was less of a loss, as it was not being used much, the lack of access to the writing implements has been more deeply felt.

I'm not one of those people who throws a pen in their pocket freely, and the holes in my cargo pockets can speak to that. Instead, I'll be picking up a small pen case, also by Lochby, and keep a pen and marker in there.

If I'm away from home I probably got there by car or bike. Either way I'll need those unlocking tools, and mine are stored on a Keysmart. I enjoy the heft of it and the ability to find what key I need by feel, like a multitool.

Flashlights are, in my opinion, the best self defense weapon after a firearm. Bright light, impact surfaces, solid metal. I'll carry this before a knife, and I encounter dark spaces more often than things that need cutting. I would like to change the light I have, however thats a financial cost.

Having the time, not on the mobile device, is a nice thing. No distractions or attention pulls. I wear a Bertucci field watch, and it's in need of repair right now.

I've been a fidget since I was small. Keeps the hands busy and the mind focused.

Second Line

"First line" items make their way into pockets or belts. If you drop everything else, you still have that. By that logic, the "Second line" comes in the form of extras, things carried in jacket pockets, bags, or etc.

Inspired by the Myntwave Utility Cord, my own version helps with carrying a loose jacket, grocery bags, or other items.

One of the reasons I chose to play the ocarina when I started buying them, was due to their portability. Now that I've started learning again, I usually bring one with me.

*Dice

I prefer dice over playing cards, with my favorite game being Liar's dice. I keep a set of d4 or d6 dice handy for that purpose.

#edc #organization