The Essential EDC Loadout

There are six items I never leave home without the first five are my handgun, knife, flashlight, pen, and phone. Most of the time I have at least two of each (except the phone). Everyone is different and has different needs. What works for one person may not work for another. For the most part, I leave phone and firearm selections alone. Maybe on the firearm or carry method, I’ll point out potential concerns if the handgun is not reliable or the holster is not safe, but in my gun reviews, I try to present the reader with the pros and cons and allow them to come to their own decisions.

I like to do the same with the other gear, so let’s take a specific look at a knife, flashlight, and even a pen. Then, when the EDC Tactical stuff has been outlined we’ll touch on #6, the last item that ought to be on everyone’s mind and within everyone’s reach: a medical kit of some kind.

Opinions may vary, but whatever your comfort is with violence a medical kit should absolutely be part of your minimalist EDC.

The Knife: Spyderco Ronin 2

The Ronin 2 is based on a custom knife design that Michael Janich had built by custom knifemaker Mickey Yurco. The blade shape is somewhere between a reverse tanto and a Wharncliffe with a concave section on top for thumb placement during CQB or simply just to choke up on the knife for fine detail work.

Handles are made from G10 fiberglass and you get a full tang for strength. There’s a lanyard hole, finger grooves and for a medium-sized fixed blade, it feels fairly light and well balanced.

The hollow ground blade is made from Carpenter CTS BD1N steel. This is an enhanced, nitrogen-enriched stainless steel that is highly corrosion resistant and retains a great edge. True to its Wharncliffe lineage, it can cut with full power all the way to the point while leaving its spine thick and strong.

To ensure maximum strength and a superb balance, the Ronin 2 has a skeletonized full tang with thin textured black G-10 scales for a positive grip while allowing the knife to be easily carried and concealed. At the junction of the handle and blade, the tapered, ergonomic profile of the handle flares to create a very effective integral guard that protects the user’s hand from sliding forward onto the edge.

Lastly, we get to the sheath. It looks a lot like Kydex but it is actually a custom-molded Boltaron sheath. Boltaron is a high-quality thermoplastic that excels as a knife sheath. A Spyderco G-Clip attachment that supports both belt carry and clip-style inside-the-waistband carry is included. The G-Clip is configurable for vertical, horizontal, or diagonally canted carry and can be attached to both faces of the symmetrical sheath. I like the G-Clip better than the Tek Lok for knife carry. It is secure, comfortable, and a lot less bulky.

I have used this knife for everything, from cutting food in a restaurant to slicing open boxes on a daily basis. Nothing seems to dull the edge. I touch it up on a leather strop every few months. I have hundreds of knives but this one is in constant rotation as one of my go-to blades.

Specifications:

Overall Length: 7.84" (199mm)

Blade Length: 4.08" (104mm)

Steel: CTS BD1N

Edge Length: 3.55" (90mm)

Weight: 3.9oz (111g)

Blade Thickness: 0.118" (3.0mm)

Handle: G-10

MSRP: $175

The Pen: Benchmade Shorthand

There are two basic schools of thought when it comes to pens. Some people rely on Bic ballpoint pens or whatever they can steal from a restaurant, bank, post office, grocery store, etc. There’s nothing really wrong with that. Writing longhand with a pen or pencil is a kind of lost art or ability in today’s world when you can type notes on your phone, sign a pad with your finger, and type emails on your laptop.

The other school of thought might be a little more old school where you might carry a pen that was given to you as a gift or even buy higher-end pens like Mont Blanc.

Whichever school of thought you follow, I still see a pen as an essential EDC item. If anything, it is airline or more specifically, TSA friendly, at least in most cases.

A pen can be used as an improvised weapon. Obviously, you don’t see SWAT officers clearing houses with them or bad guys mugging people with them, but when you’re separated from your firearms and knives and have a sturdy pen handy, it’s a little better than nothing.

The Benchmade Shorthand is a little on the small side, on the style of what I used to call a bullet pen. It is 3.49” long and 0.45” in diameter. It is MOLLE compatible and most importantly it is a bolt-action.

Bolt-action pens took off a few years ago thanks to ingenious makers like Brian Fellhoelter and artisans and craftsmen in Asia. The pen is worked like the bolt-action of a rifle. In Benchmade’s Shorthand, this is deployed similarly to their Axis lock design.

Small and unobtrusive, can clip it to my pocket or store it in a mission wallet. It makes a good alternative to my Fellhoelter or Mont Blanc pens when I need something on the smaller side.

Specifications:

Length: 3.49" (8.86cm)

Diameter: 0.45" (11.53mm)

Body Material: Aluminum, black anodized

MSRP: $150

The Flashlight: Fenix TK16 V2.0

At one point in time you could count the number of quality flashlight makers on the left hand of a really bad shop teacher. Now the arena is full. Lights and the components to make them have simply gotten better at an enormous rate. One of my favorite companies who were pioneers of the LED bulb is Fenix. I especially like the TK 16 V2.0.

The Fenix TK16 V2.0 is a tactical flashlight that throws a maximum 3100 lumens 1247 feet. There are six lighting modes controlled by the dual tactical tail switches. It’s durable and rugged with an IP68 dustproof and waterproof rating, plus the stainless steel strike bezel includes tungsten steel breaking tips. Powered by an included rechargeable 5000mAh li-ion battery makes this one of my favorite mid-sized personal lights.

I like this one for a number of reasons. The size keeps it small enough to make it easily portable and the materials offer the advantage of letting it become a very capable impact weapon if you need it to be. The settings allow you to go from very low for simple and basic lighting chores to what I can only describe as full flood light mode with 3100 lumens.

The strike bezel functions well as an impact or compliance tool and allows for covert use when you only need a small amount of light.

Specifications:

Overall Length: 5.63” (143mm)

Head: 1.34” (34mm)

Body: 1.0” (25.4mm)

Weight: 3.95 oz. (112g) excluding battery

Battery: 21700 rechargeable li-ion battery

MSRP: $99.95

Learn more about the TK 16 here. 

As an EDC loadout

I find this combination works well for most purposes, particularly if you are a fan of carrying a short fixed-blade knife. Local jurisdictions may vary on this, particularly with concealing a fixed blade, or a folder for that matter. In this case, it works well because the sheath is versatile enough for concealed carry or open carry. The Ronin2 slices, dices and is still quite stabby while also having potential as a rescue knife.

Some might find the Fenix TK16 a bit on the large side for pocket carry, but belt carry in a pouch or sheath is another option and the controls are compatible with all the different flashlight modes for using it in conjunction with a firearm. The rechargeable battery is a big savings in and of itself and provides plenty of light even when it is running down in power. That has always been the virtue of LEDs.

Lastly, the Benchmade Shorthand pen is a huge upgrade if you want a rugged and reliable writing implement that takes up considerably less space than most others on the market and the bolt-action Axis lock just brings a cool gadget factor with it. The 6061-T6 aluminum handle keeps the weight down on this one as well.

In today’s world with so many EDC and carry options, this makes for a great one. Maybe you have a trusty blade or light that you won’t part with but need a good pen. Maybe you just want to upgrade your knife or light. There are options and this is a solid one for most purposes.

About the Author:

Mike “the Mook” Searson is a veteran writer who began his career in firearms at the Camp Pendleton School for Destructive Boys at age 17. He has worked in the firearms industry his entire life and is both an experienced gunsmith and ballistician. Mike has been writing about guns and knives for numerous publications for years- over 3,000 articles worth, for a wide array of titles. He also consults with the film industry on the subject of weapons. You can learn more about him at MikeSearson.com or follow him on Twitter, @MikeSearson. He's also on Instagram @Mikespartansearson.