My every day carry or EDC has evolved over the last year or so. I’ve tweaked some of the items that I carry not only for meeting my daily needs but to add some style as well. As we go through this, you’ll see a trend. Let’s see if you can spot what it is. Let’s start with the phone that I carry on a daily basis:
My current phone is the iPhone 12 Pro. It covers my needs for a fast phone with great cameras, lots of storage, and an amazing screen. I always keep my phones in a case, and the case that I use on a daily basis is the Spigen Tough Armor which has a kickstand for watching media hands free. But more importantly promises twice the military standard for drop protection. Something that I’ve unintentionally tested on a few occasions. To add to that protection, I have added a FloLab NanoArmour Anti-Microbial Screen Protector screen protector on it so that scratches on the screen are a non-issue and it gives the screen some extra resilience. The anti-microbial features are really just a bonus. You’ll also note that on the back I have a carbon fibre skin done by dBrand which is most evident around the camera and Apple logo.
The Apple Watch Series 6 with cellular is my smart watch of choice as its a great way to stay in touch without carrying my phone if I choose to do that as I can stay in touch minus my phone as this is the cellular model. It also keeps track of all my health metrics as that’s important to me these days. While you see that I have a Nike sports band on it at the moment, I have a variety of bands to choose from.
My keys are the next things that I grab. My keys are in a KeyPort Pivot 2.0 key holder which on the outside includes a flashlight along with a Lightning to USB cable which can allow me to charge my phone if I need to in a pinch. On the inside I have a 64GB USB stick, a multi-tool that in a pinch can open an Amazon box, a SIM card ejector tool, and a pen. Oh yeah. It also has my keys as well. One thing that I appreciate about this setup is that keys don’t dig into my thighs and they don’t jingle. Besides having actual keys and a key fob for my condo along with a hook to allow me to hook onto things like door handles that look sketchy, I also have the Apple AirTag on them to find them when I misplace them. Since you can’t directly mount an AirTag to anything, I use the Belkin Secure Holder with the AirTag as it’s secure and cheap relative to the cost of what Apple wants you to pay for their products.
My car keys also live in my pocket and they have an Apple AirTag which is being held in a Belkin Secure Holder so that I can find them when I misplace them.
A new addition to my every day carry is this Ekster Carbon Fibre Cardholder which is made of 3K carbon fibre. All the cards and ID that I need are in this slim and light package that I barely notice in my pocket. It does have RFID blocking capabilities which is a good thing. It also is a statement piece when I whip it out to pay for something. Or as the kids would say, it’s a flex.
I have this Chipolo CARD Spot tracking card in my cardholder so that I can use Apple’s Find My app to find it should I misplace it. While it hasn’t got the same sort of precision finding functionality of an AirTag, it does allow you to play “Marco/Polo” to find it if you lose it. One bummer is that it has non-replaceable batteries. That means that I will have to spring for a new one in a couple of years time. Hopefully by then there will be other options in this form factor that have replacement batteries.
I’ve been carrying this Victorinox CyberTool M for years. And if you look at the picture, it shows as you can see that it does have some light scratches on it. Despite that it still looks great and works just fine. That’s a testament to the quality that Victorinox builds into I use it to do everything from open up computers and to open up Amazon boxes as it has 32 different tools on it that are useful for almost any situation that I have found myself in. I have a pouch for it that has a loop that allows me to put it on my belt. It is beaten up. But that’s not a surprise as the CyberTool M and the pouch are well over a decade old.
Let’s say that I can’t carry my Swiss Army knife because I’m getting on a plane. Or I choose not to carry it. I have two other options for multi-tools to choose from. The first is the Axiom FLAT PACK TO 8 multi-tool. Originally designed for cyclists who might need to fix something on the road, I’ve found that it is useful for opening up computers as it has Allen keys as part of the deal. It doesn’t take up a whole lot of space in my pocket and it’s durable.
My second option is the Swiss+Tech Transformer 11-In-1 multi-tool. While it is on the heavy side, it does have a full array of screwdrivers and a flashlight among other things in a package that fits in my pocket. I’ve only ever had to replace the batteries for the flashlight. Beyond that, it’s survived the test of time as I have had this since the late 2000’s.
If I want to listen to music while I am on the go, my Apple AirPods Pro is my go to as they allow you use active noise cancelling to shut out the outside world, or use transparency mode to stay aware of what’s going on around you. I put them in a Spigen Rugged Armour AirPods Pro case which protects them from scratches and provides some drop protection. The case came with a carabiner that recently broke. Thus I replaced it with a more heavy duty carabiner that has a screw lock along with a matte black ring. One other thing that I have done is replace the silicone ear tips with the Comply Foam Tips which not only make the AirPods Pro feel more comfortable in my ears, but they allow the AirPods stay in my ears better.
If I am going to be out for while and I need to ensure that I have enough power to keep my phone online, I drop this Jackery Mini power bank in my pocket. It’s a 3200 mAh power bank that allows me to get about a 70% charge on my iPhone 12 Pro should I need it. It will also give my AirPods Pro a full charge as well. It doesn’t take up a lot of real estate in my pocket which is a good thing. In terms of a cable, that’s when the Lightning cable that’s on my key holder comes in handy as both my AirPods Pro and iPhone 12 Pro can use that to get a charge.
In a rare photo of yours truly, you can see the Rudy Project Deewhy sunglasses with Polar3FX HDR Grey lenses. Rudy Project doesn’t make these anymore, but that doesn’t matter to me as they work extremely well for me. The lenses are polarized lenses that filter harmful UV rays and eliminates glare by selectively filtering non harmful wavelengths through the lens. It’s designed to filter glare from car headlights, sun rays and the refracted light on wet or shiny surfaces like water and snow. All of which means that my eyes don’t take a beating when I drive. I also use them when I am walking around town. You can also see the Devon+Lange 3 layer face mask that is made from silver infused premium modal, and it has a filter pocket to hold the included PM2.5 filters. There’s also a removable and replaceable nose piece to ensure that they fit properly. These masks are comfortable to wear, I can breathe in them and I can wear them for long periods of time without an issue.
When I can’t be bothered to take a trip down to the car to get my Rudy Project Deewhy sunglasses as that’s where those sunglasses normally live, I often grab these Rudy Project Agon sunglasses which live at my desk. They have the “Laser Black” lenses which allows for about 12% light transmission. But I also notice that they enhance contrast and I can wear them while driving, or taking a walk in the woods or just walking around. The fact that they enhance contrast means that you can pick up small details that would have gone unnoticed even by the naked eye. Such has cracks in the road while driving or uneven terrain while hiking. That makes them a great general purpose pair of sunglasses for me.
From the mundane item department comes this tube of Blistex. I often have dry chapped lips. So to mitigate that I always have some lip balm on me. In this case it’s Blistex, but I have also been known to carry ChapStick as well.
That’s my EDC or every day carry. What do you think? What do you think I should add to it or change? And were you able to spot the theme? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts.
Review: Rudy Project Tralyx XL Sunglasses
Posted in Commentary, Products with tags Rudy Project on September 12, 2018 by itnerdI’ll say this up front. Of all of the Rudy Project kit that my wife and I have received, the Rudy Project Tralyx XL sunglasses are simply outstanding. But before I get to why I feel that way, let me show you what they look like.
The Tralyx sunglasses come in three sizes. The Tralyx Slim which is on the smaller side, the Tralyx XL which is on the larger side and is what you see pictured above, and the Tralyx which is between the two in terms of size. That’s important to point out because depending on your face size and shape, you may need to try on all three until you get the coverage for you eyes that you’re looking for. In my case, that was the Tralyx XL. The lens that you see above is the photochromic lens that goes from clear (about 74% light transmission) to black (about 9% light transmission) depending on the lighting conditions. In other words, the brighter the sunlight, the darker the lens gets. That’s handy for me as I usually am out on my bike doing a training after 5PM on the weekdays. Which means that I am usually returning home when the sun starts to set as it will ensure that I can still see while protecting my eyes. You’ll also notice a blue lens inside the case. That’s the multi laser blue lens that I will use when I am cross country skiing this winter as it is designed to enhance contrast which is extremely handy on a cross country ski trail.
One big plus to the Tralyx XL is ventilation:
Ventilation ports abound on the frame and on the lenses. This will ensure that the sunglasses will never fog up regardless of weather conditions of how hard you are working. Another big plus is the adjustability. The nose piece is extremely adjustable, and the arms are made of a flexible rubber that not only grips but adjusts accordingly to your head. That means that you can make the Tralyx XL fit you perfectly with or without a bike helmet. Which is something that I could not get with my now Craiglisted Oakley Radarlock Path Sunglasses.
While I did do a couple of training rides with these sunglasses, they were battle tested so to speak in the Epic Tour ride in Milton Ontario by riding the 80K event (which was actually 85K). They performed extremely well as the weather changed from completely overcast to having sunny breaks, and it was extremely windy as well. Not that the wind was an issue as the Tralyx XL protected my eyes from the wind and debris that was around late in the ride. That isn’t a surprise as these sunglasses have been battle tested by professional cycling teams such as Bahrain Merida, Lotto Soudal, and Trek-Segafredo. In the case of the latter, Trek-Segafredo rider John Degenkolb pulled off an emotional win on stage 9 of the Tour De France which was run over very dusty, rough and dangerous cobblestones of Northern France. If the Tralyx XL are good enough for him in that harsh environment, as well as for some of the best bike racers in the world, they’re good enough for you.
The Tralyx XL start at $249.99 USD. Other Tralyx variants start at $224.99 USD. They come in a variety of lens colors to suit your use case, and frame colors to suit your fashion needs. While you can get them on Rudy Project’s website, I do suggest that you go to a local Rudy Project dealer and try them on for yourself and see what works for you. I think you’ll find that these sunglasses are outstanding and you’ll be taking home a pair.
Leave a comment »