Scroll through everyday-carry videos for long enough and you'd think that leaving the house requires four hundred dollars of anodized metal arranged on a slab of walnut. It doesn't. The point of everyday carry, or EDC, has always been simple: keep a few useful things close enough that you'll have them when you need them.
The best kit is the one that doesn't annoy you, because a kit that annoys you ends up on the dresser. So the rule here is to keep it light, keep it flat and buy only what solves a problem you've had.
With a budget of $100, you can cover the four most common small crises of ordinary life: it's dark, something needs fixing, your phone is dying and you need to carry all of this without a bulge in your pocket.
A small rechargeable flashlight: about $25
Yes, your phone has a light. It also has a battery you'd rather save and a shape that's awkward to hold in your teeth. A dedicated AA-size or smaller USB-C flashlight is good for finding keys, checking under a car or walking home during a power cut. You don't need a huge lumen number. A low mode you can use without blinding yourself matters more.
A compact multi-tool: about $40
This is the centerpiece, and where most of the budget should go. Get something with pliers, a couple of screwdriver bits and a small blade, and resist the models with thirty functions that weigh as much as a paperback. You will use the pliers and the screwdriver far more than the tiny saw.
One caveat worth repeating: knife and blade laws vary a lot by location, and airport security won't care how small yours is. If you travel often, buy a bladeless version so you never have to surrender it at a checkpoint.
A slim power bank: about $25
A 5,000 mAh power bank about the size of a credit card stack can bring most phones back from empty. It's the item you'll be most thankful for at the end of a long day. Pick one with USB-C and pack a short cable, because a long cable is the first thing that'll drive you up the wall.
A minimalist wallet: about $10
This is less about the wallet than what it forces you to do. A slim card holder has room for perhaps six cards, which is about the number you use. You get your pocket space back, which pays for the flashlight's share of it. Spending less on carrying money is a theme we like, as covered in the boring habits behind the luxury reels.
How to know if it's working
- You have forgotten that you're carrying it.
- You've used each item at least once in a month.
- You've helped someone else out of a jam without making a speech about it.
Anything that fails those tests can come out of the kit. If you want something to play with at your desk instead of your pocket, we've rounded up the satisfying gadgets that earn their spot. Your pockets, meanwhile, should stay boring. That's the entire idea.