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Out of Pocket: Detailing our everyday carry
I love building a “kit,” a “pack,” a bag with enough stuff in it to make sure I am ready for every eventuality. I’m not talking about a survival kit per se, just some things that mean I am basically ready for any modern situation.
EDC or Every Day Carry is basically part of my personality at this stage. It started with smartphones, moved on to earbuds, and steadily, like many of you, I accrued an assortment of gadgets, products, and things I found myself dragging with me everywhere.
I am constantly on the lookout for the next thing to enhance my EDC. I’m not alone in this; Andrew is in the same boat. We’re product people first and foremost, but practicality has to be a component before it becomes a bigger part of daily lives.
We figured that we’d share some of that intimate knowledge, driven by building packs for trade shows, travel, and just, well, hanging around.
So, this is Out of Pocket, our new series diving into what makes our EDC tick. Expect more deep dives into the kinds of things that are adjacent to your smartphone, the things that you carry every day, or brand new products that might pique your interest. After all, we all have our own specific EDC essentials. Here are a few of ours to hopefully get your own creative juices flowing…
My search for the perfect sidebag has been, I’ll be honest, arduous. Day-to-day, I’m not much of a backpack guy, so a sling or a sidebag is the perfect accessory for all the little things I feel like I need. I already own a Bellroy Venture Ready sling, and while it’s awesome. It is just a little bit too small for a real EDC kit.
TomToc’s T33 sidebag is exponentially better with more pockets, exceptional internal organization, and interior sections. You could fit a small-ish water bottle or drink in the middle section, but netted segments mean I can throw in paracetamol or lip balm for easy access. There’s enough room for a really small tablet or notebook and documents in the back portion.
There’s a key carabiner so I can throw in my house keys and keychain right at the front. It’s stretchy enough to open a door and have the key snap back into the front pocket.
One of my must-haves on a sling is a body-facing “secret” pocket. When I’m traveling, my passport goes here so it’s accessible, but also harder for someone to try and slip their hand in – not that this has been a problem.
One of the most important things for me is that it’s waterproof. While it’s hot right now in England, we’re due a downpour. I like that all my stuff inside is safe and dry. The zippers are smooth, with waterproof seams, and there are lots of carabiner anchor points too, so you can attach a hat or a water bottle. It hits all the right notes, and I’ve abused it thoroughly, and it just wipes clean.