Monday Morning EDC – Keeping It Simple

I like minimalism. I’m not good at it, but I appreciate it. There are a many who chase gear to make up for performance, or believe that carrying every conceivable weapon type is better. However, there is something to be said for finding what works for you and sticking with it. What works for me is: gun, knife, light, and med kit.

Three of my most common EDC configurations are listed below. You will notice that although there are different primary guns, the general kit that accompanies it follows a minimal approach. There are no knucks, vape rigs, skull-piercing pens, or tools without purpose. Often forgotten is what the C in EDC stands for: Carry – as in, I have to carry all this shit around. Let's face it, the daily common interactions of an active person demand different loadouts and there is certainly no one-size-fits-all setup.

When at all possible, I have my stock guns modified by Doug at ATEi. He is a master machinist, and I trust him to do the work on my Glocks and M&Ps. Pictured here is an M&P9c with stock three dot sights and a slide with full top serrations, facilitating better one hand racking, useful when the other hand is holding a large iced coffee. The holster (or trigger cover in this case) is a Raven Concealment Vanguard 2 that makes the gun disappear when I carry it appendix style. It’s perfect when the weather screams shorts and Tshirts and the minimal footprint really allows for an active lifestyle. Keeping out the glare of the July sun are Smith Optics Prospect glasses from their Elite line with Ignitor lenses. Any stabby actions (like opening bills) are handled by a simple Kershaw Clash. Rather than depend on the sun for time, I rely on a Suunto Core, just like every other guy over the past few years that carries a gun or saw a tactical YouTube video. When it gets dark, and since the 9c doesn’t have a weapon mounted light or night sights, I use a Surefire Fury P2X with the Switchback ring by Thyrm. This gives me 500 lumens in my pocket, and despite its size, is not uncomfortable to carry at all. There is no reason not to have a medkit on you, regardless of the weather, so the Dark Angel Medical Pocket MINI fills that niche perfectly. And that other thing? That’s a Zoom H1 audio recorder for doing on the fly audio notes and interviews. Why not use an iPhone for that? Because I like minimal. One button on, one button off. No playing with apps or worrying about software crashes. It just works.

This is almost as minimal as it gets. Living in the western mountains of Maine, I have quite a bit of property to manage on the weekends. Typically, when I’m out in the yard, I never know what I am going to come across from porcupine, to coyote, to black bear. (Admittedly I see more spiky critters than 200 lb furry ones.) When I’m out in the yard, I carry the same Dark Angel Medical Pocket Dark MINI which would allow me to buy time to get to the house for my larger trauma kit if need be, but substitute a Surefire AZ2 light in my work jeans. The basic get-me-out-of-any-work-jam tool is of course the MultiTasker, because those CNC machined pliers are great at disassembling a tangled weed wacker, and the aggressive texture of the grips do not slide out of my gloved hands. For a gun, I upgrade to an M&P full size 9mm, again worked over by ATEi with a fully serrated slide on top and side, NiB treatment, and Doug’s famous M&P trigger job. 10-8 Performance fiber sights – red fiber front, all black rear – ride along the slide. Internals are an APEX DCAEK kit. Frame work consists of a grip reduction, slight magwell bevel, and full stippling by Sweaty Muddy Bloody. The weapon mounted light is the ubiquitous Surefire X300U. Holster and mag carrier are a limited edition Brian Terry Foundation BORTAC styled set from PER-SEC Systems. Tea is Mint Melange from Trader Joe’s.

It’s time to hit the town or hang out with friends, so I need to up my styling a bit more, lest I be judged. The gun is a Gen 3 Glock 17 with full slide work and slide lightening done by ATEi and a slide milled for a Trijicon RMR 06. Frame work and grip reduction for my tiny paws was provided by Sweaty Muddy Bloody. I carry this amazingly accurate blaster in the most comfortable appendix rig I own, the Raven Concealment Eidolon. The injection molded holster takes a bit of configuration for each unique body type, but it is magical in its ability to conceal a full sized gun. For a time piece, the Fitbit Charge HR has been on my wrist they past few months, passive aggressively telling me I don’t move as much as I should. Glasses are a limited edition collaboration between Daniel Defense and Oakley, producing Gascans that are super stylish. The knife is a custom Strider. Med kit is the ubiquitous Dark Angel Medical Pocket Dark Jr (are you seeing the consistent pattern here?), and for those unexpected moments with friends, a couple of tasty sticks – A Connecticut wrapper from Ghurka, as well as a Ghurka Park Avenue, and a Partagas Black all housed in a leather carrier.

 What do YOU carry, and why?

You can see previous versions of Monday Morning EDC right here.