EDC Pocket Dump

I was inspired by Joel to write a post about the items I keep in my EDC backpack and in my pockets. I’m going to break up my posts so it isn’t just one massive list. This post is about what I carry on my person everyday, also called a pocket dump.

I like to follow the EDC community. For the uninitiated, EDC stands for “everyday carry” and is roughly split into two groups. One is old school preppers. People who like to be prepared for emergencies and catastrophes that can happen at any moment. The other are people who enjoy being prepared so they can perform efficiently and effectively anywhere in the world.

I fall in the first group, while also attempting to be effective at my job as a landscape contractor.

What’s in my pockets

1. Hip pack

Call it what you want: A hip pack, fanny pack, messenger bag, or whatever. This is a small back worn around the waist or across your chest. I use an affordable no-name bag from Amazon and wear it around my waist while I work. I don’t like to have things in my pockets as I spend a lot of time working while kneeling. I go through about one a year due to the harsh work of a contractor.

Most days this bag holds everything else listed below while I work.

2. Keys

Aside from my keys, I keep two tools on my key rings.

First is this small Everbrite Keychain Flashlight It uses a AAA battery and is made of metal, plus it works every time I need it.

Second is this Doohicky Keychain Tool. It is a very small and lightweight multi-tool that has a philips and flathead screwdriver, wrench, saw, nail puller, and scorer. I’ll often be walking a jobsite and have nothing on my but my keys. I use this tool to open boxes, adjust sprinklers, and tighten bolts and screws.

3. Multi-tool

In addition to the multi-tool on my keys, I carry a full-sized Leatherman on my belt and it gets a lot of use. Mine is a Leatherman Super Tool 200 I received as a gift from my wife many years ago.

This isn’t the only Leatherman I carry. The Super Tool 200 I wear on my belt on work days. When I’m not working I carry a Leatherman PST (personal survival tool). While researching this post I found out its kind of a collectors item. The version I have is the “small letter” with ruler from the early 90’s. I like it because it fits neatly in the fifth pocket of my jeans.

4. Headphones

Not going to surprise anyone that I use the absolute cheapest bluetooth ear buds I can find. I very hard-of-hearing, so sound quality doesn’t matter much to me. All they need to do is provide clear, flat sound so I can understand speech. I don’t listen to music. All I do is listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and make phone calls. That is why clear speech is the most important. Due to my hearing loss, having full sound is actually a hinderance and I need as flat sounding speech as possible.

My current headphones are these MSHTOO Q2 wireless earbuds and like my bag, I go through about a set a year.

5. Phone

Two years ago I purchased a used Samsung Galaxy S10e and I love this phone. It has everything: SD card slot, headphone jack, DisplayPort Alt Mode with Samsung Dex, plus it is smaller than most current midrange devices.

It is no longer getting updates from Samsung, but I don’t want to part with this device. It is everything I want in a phone and doesn’t have any A.I. features. It is not only my phone, but also my EDC laptop, which I have written about a lot on this blog.

See this post for all of the apps I have installed on my phone.

6. Wallet

For over 10 years I’ve been using a vegan leather, very basic wallet I also received as a gift from my wife. I hate large wallets and this one is just the right size.

Attached to the ouside of the wallet is a money clip that says “Dad” in the shape on a number one. My son got this for me as a Xmas gift while he was in elementary school. The school put together a small store and let kids purchase gifts. My son picked this out for me and I will cherish it forever.

7. Hearing aids

My hearing aids are long past due for an upgrade, which is something I hope to do early next year. My current hearing aids are rebranded Resound aids from Costco. I don’t use any of the bluetooth features or have them connected to my phone because the experience is awful. For example. if a website has auto-playing video, my phone thinks my hearing aids are headphones and just starts piping the sound straight into my brain.

I obviously can’t wear the hearing aids and earbuds at the same time, so I work most of the day with my hearing aids out. This is not just for my earbuds, but also because I get to sweaty to have them in. Plus, I work with sprinklers and I don’t want to get them wet.