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 current kit (Damien)
The Sidebag – TomToc T33 (3.5L)
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.
It’s super cheap for what it offers at under $45. My only gripe is that the color options aren’t all that extensive, but you could level that criticism at basically any sidebag. This is one that won’t break the bank.
The Juice – Anker Nano 5,000mAh power pack
Power banks are just so ubiquitous now that you can basically boil it down to what you want or need. Because I use the Pixel 11 Pro, I always want a Magsafe-compatible power bank around to slap to the back of the phone.
I had been using the Genki Energy Pack for almost a year now, and there were a number of reasons for that. Firstly, it looks awesome with the black and orange color scheme. Secondly, it’s Qi2 certified, so it does all the necessary handshake stuff required to get faster and more efficient charging speeds.
However, it’s blocky and bulky, so I switched it out recently for something a little lighter. I’m rocking the Anker Nano power bank now because it isn’t as bulky and has enough juice to give me a full charge on basically any phone I’m carrying.
There’s a tiny strip of LEDs that shows remaining battery level; it’s Qi2 certified, but that is limited to 15W. I use the solitary USB-C charging port if I need 20W and above, but most of the time it’s absolutely fine when you’re out and about. For what it’s worth, I carry a super short USB-C cable that’s like 10cm for that specific reason too.
I do think it’s a little pricey, but you can get it in different colours and mine has taken a beating over the year or slightly longer I’ve been using it. It’s just something that can slip on to the back of your phone without being huge or messing around with cables – which is something I appreciate.
On-the-go entertainment – Boox Go 6 e-reader
I reviewed the Boox Go 6 e-reader almost two years ago, and since then, it has become a staple in my EDC setup. It’s just so small and inconspicuous that it basically lives in my sidebag.
As an e-reader, it’s nothing special. I’d even say it’s a little underpowered for what it offers, but the size and shape are what keep me coming back basically every single day. I basically leave it running the Kindle app or download some epub files, and it handles those absolutely fine. It is technically an Android tablet, so you can share files using Quick Share. I find this is great if you find something you want to read because you can just fire things over without messing with cables. Heck, I have hundreds of EPUBs that just work now, which is lovely. Even PDFs work just fine.
It’s under 300g with a magnetic flip case attached, so it’s not heavy by any stretch of the imagination. I have my eye on a few of the even smaller Magsafe e-readers, but at 6-inches this is like a pamphlet or an especially large coupon. Perfect for reading novels, documents, or even a downloaded webpage – not that I would recommend that!
A newer version has just been released that enables note-taking and various other improvements. I’m hoping to test drive that soon, but I have genuinely loved the compact design of the Go 6 and think I’d struggle to go back to a full-sized Kindle for that reason alone. It has come down in price to around $160, which isn’t cheap, but still not bad if you want something super small. That said, something even smaller might be better for just throwing into an even smaller sling bag…
Always available audio – USB-C earbuds
I simply hate not having some earbuds with me when I’m out of the house. I simply must be distracted with podcasts, YouTube Music, or if I want to take a call, I cannot live without a pair in my bag.
I usually have about 20 pairs of Bluetooth earbuds lying around my desk, but when the battery dies, they’re useless. I was so annoyed at a pair of buds dying mid-flight while traveling last year that I bought a random pair of USB-C earbuds from an airport vending machine to keep the music flowing. I think they’re from Xiaomi as there’s a little “Mi” logo embossed on the inline remote. I only paid like $16, but Belkin makes a pair that are $15 and reputable enough that I might pick up a pair as a spare.
Honestly, they sound fine. The threshold is that a pair of earbuds just needs to sound better than traffic or that dull airplane drone. These earbuds live in my bag as a last resort audio option, heck, they’re great to just share with someone if they’ve forgotten their own earbuds. They take up basically negligible space, too. When I’m done with them, I quickly wipe them with an alcohol pad, and they’re sterilized. Trust me, it’s worth having at least one backup option because the one time you need them, it’s a lifesaver. If you lose them, it’s not a big deal. Win-win in my book.
Retro on the go – Gamesir Pocket Taco controller
If I’m taking a backpack, I usually try to make room for my Steam Deck or Switch 2, but if I’m going out for a few hours, I’ll usually stick to something much smaller. I love Gamesir’s range of controllers, but the Pocket Taco is one that, as a millennial gamer and Gameboy obsessive, I’m sticking with for now.
It clips onto your phone – don’t worry, it has rubber pads to stop scratches – and gives you real buttons to play games in portrait orientation like Nintendo intended back in the late 1980s. It really does feel like a DMG Game Boy in the best ways. Thankfully, there are more buttons that you can map so that you can play other emulators, not just Gameboy.
If you’re not a gamer, mobile or otherwise, this might not be for you, and that’s absolutely fine. For nerds of a certain “vintage,” you’ll probably love this as much as I do.
The extras – ‘stuff’ and ‘things’
We’re all humans, so we can’t just have cables and batteries in our bags. I carry a few other key things that are useful. Most of these are just cheap things that I’ve found are worth having.
After a trip to a city with questionable-quality streetlights, I picked up a little keychain torch that just attaches to my keys. Olight makes a ton of EDC lighting products, but I love the iMini 2 at just $20 because it can just go on my keys with the carabiner clip.
I just charge it every couple of months using the integrated USB-A plug at the back, and it lasts a lotng time despite the fact that it’s absolutely tiny. Detach to power on, then it magnetically snaps back into place, and the light turns off. Super useful if you don’t want to drain your smartphone’s battery, and it’s bright enough to light a small room. Sometimes I just use it to fine stuff I’ve dropped down the side of my car seats.
I have spilled tea and coffee on my clothes so many times that I started carrying around a Tide stain pen a while back, and it has saved many a shirt. It’s not going to get out huge stains, but it’s still nice to stop something from ruining your outfit. They’re around $15 for a 5-pack. I can’t recommend them highly enough because they’ve stopped so many of my shirts and t-shirts from getting completely ruined over the past few years.
On a similar note, I try to carry a microfiber cleaning cloth, alcohol cleaning pads, and napkins or tissues. Throw in some hand gel, lotion, a little sunscreen, and I’m covered for basically any eventuality.
My current kit (Andrew)
The backpack – Peak Design Travel Backpack 20L
Whether I step outside with a sling or my backpack is entirely down to whether I decide to tote my laptop along. I use a MacBook Air 13-inch, which has the smallest footprint one can reasonably expect a bag to fit. But even so, there is a true limit to the number of slings that can carry a small laptop. So if that’s coming with me, I’m taking the Peak Design Travel Backpack 20L.
The 20L variant has easily become my favorite backpack to lug around if I’m going with a heavier loadout. It weighs very little, and it’s completely unassuming. If there needs to be more on my back, it can expand slightly beyond that small capacity. But otherwise, I’m able to carry my laptop and a few essentials without worry.
The main compartment is great for just throwing random items in. When I’m using this bag, stuff doesn’t need to be organized as it would in a dedicated camera bag. I’m generally going to bring my tech pouch along, too. But that’s almost overkill because the top pocket has all of the same inner pockets for those little things I want to tag along.
It has all of the little creature comforts you’d want. Magnetic strap keepers, a pass-through for luggage handles, and an internal water bottle holder, so a giant container of liquid isn’t sloshing around way off balance. Overall, it’s simple but incredibly effective at what it does.
The sidebag – Bellroy Lite Sling Mini
As for the sling, my rule states that I’ll swap to this if my laptop isn’t coming along. The Sling Lite Mini has the feel of an outdoor bag without so much of the look, so it flies under the radar more than a technical pack might. The outer material is strong and lightweight, but it doesn’t repel liquid as well as I’d hope it would. The internal pocket structure is simple, but efficient. The main pocket is plenty large enough for random items, and it’s complemented by a zipper pocket for thinner items. One of the gussets that let it expand is lined with a pocket I use to slip my Nomad titanium pen and handy USB ChargeKey. On the other side, I clip my knife and flashlight.
The best part about it being geared towards outdoor use is that it’s expandable. The gusseted construction keeps it compact, no matter how much you stuff in it. So even if it’s full, the shoulder strap pulls it tight so the overall profile is kept slim.
It’s tough and just easy to grab and go. I love this bag.
Neither is traditionally “cheap,” and Damien offers a great alternative with his TomToc sidebag. But at $79 for the sling and double that for the Travel Backpack, it’s a “buy it for life” sort of purchase.
The power – Baseus Qi2 25W
I generally don’t have the fear of running out of power with whatever phone I’m using. I wouldn’t say I’m an ultra-power user, but there are times when I just start to run out of steam on my Galaxy Fold 8 Ultra or Pixel 11. You can carry a slim charging brick, which I do anyway, or you can take a magnetic power bank.
I always carry the Baseus 10,000mAh Qi2.2 25W power bank with me. Because the Pixel has magnets on the back without the help of a case, I can always slap it on. If needed, I can plug the bank into something else via USB-C. Speeds aren’t really an issue, either, because it runs at 25W – right where the Pixel 10 Pro XL is rated, even if it doesn’t always charge that fast.
Baseus has slightly thinner options, but I prefer the charging speed I get with the 25W model. It just works when I need it, and it’s really not all that heavy.
The catalyst – Statik MagStak Pro USB-C cable
It’s kind of big, and it’s kind of bulky, but if I’m bringing a bag, I have little reason not to throw this in. Statik’s MagStack cable is a 100W magnetic cable that essentially coils itself back up every single time. It solves the issue of cables that are all over the place and are resistant to any coercion to get them back into shape.
I’ve been using the MagStack cable for the better part of a year, and it just refuses to lose it’s uniform appeal. I bring it with me whenever I can because it’s just easy to pack away, given you have the pocket space. Plus, I know it’s a high-speed cable, as opposed to all of my identical USB-C cables with varying levels of power delivery.
The wallet – Peak Design Mobile Slim
Yeah, maybe I am a Peak Design nerd. I can’t really help it. The design speaks to me on the photography side, as well as on the engineering side. I’ve been using the mobile slim wallet for what has to be three or four years. It’s almost time to replace it, because that once “Sun” yellow color has now darkened to a dijon.
It’s a standard slim pull-tab wallet. I hold a few cards in there, including a Google Find My Device tracker, unlike my European counterpart, who seems adamant that carrying a physical ID is no longer a normal part of society. Until Google Wallet can add my license without any potential governmental hiccups, I’m carrying a MagSafe wallet with me.
The flat light – Olight ArkPro Ultra
I don’t know what it is about flashlights, but they come in clutch way more than you’d think. The ArcPro Ultra is technically a “flat” light, but it’s still sort of beefy. That doesn’t stop me from throwing it in my pocket or bags whenever I go out, even if it’s in the middle of the day and there’s no conceivable need to carry a torch.
Still, I’ve used it too many times to start leaving it behind. The battery essentially never dies, and I can beam up to 1,700 lumens with a simple double-tap. Plus, the slider to switch between UV, spotlight, and floodlight acts as a fantastic fidget toy.
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