Items To Always Have On You

Note: As always with these guides, I’m open to suggestions. If you do have any suggestions, though, make sure you include an actual product and a link to find it.

Part of being suave is being ready for anything. What you carry with you every day will have a huge impact on that. And while it might not seem to make a lot of sense to carry a pen on your keychain now, you’ll find that one day it will come in handy, as long as you:

• Find a solution you’ll actually use, and…
• Find a solution that adds minimal bulk

You can’t tell what a suave man has in his pockets (because he doesn’t carry a version of the George Costanza wallet), but you know that there are indeed aces up his sleeve.

The Essentials

Car keys with keychain.

I mean, duh.

Phone.

More duh.

Cash enough to get home.

Keep with your wallet, or supplement with a True Utility cash capsule.

The Wallet

Should be slim, more of a “money clip” style than a folding wallet. Carry a credit card / debit card and ID. There really shouldn’t be any reason for more than 2-3 cards, so your wallet can stay slim - but even slim wallets are designed to at least hold something. Here are some options:

• Ezgo Ninja Black Slim - a good slim version of a conventional leather wallet, with an extra pocket for cash.
• Thumb Wallet - designed so you simply push out cards with your thumb, nice and slim.
• Secrid Slim wallet - more expensive, but this is the kind of thing you should be looking for.
• Americana 2.0 - A slim wallet for all the patriotic ‘Muricans out there

In your wallet, you’ll want to carry a minimum amount of baggage: credit card(s), debit, ID, relevant permits, etc. I don’t even keep my library card in my wallet because I don’t use it enough.

Keychain Assistance

Keeping portable objects on the keychain is the best way to ensure they become a part of your every-day carry list. Here are a few potential items to add:

• Pen. This telescoping pen is super thin and barely takes up any bulk.
• USB or portable USB charger. This Kero option is tiny and utilitarian. This ChargeKey is more expensive but even lighter.
• Pull-apart keychain. I like this because you can lend your car key out to a friend without giving up all of your other stuff.
• Tile is actually an app: find your phone with your keys and vice versa.

Business or Personal Cards

At some point, if you talk about what you do, or if you talk to enough people, they’re going to ask for your contact information. No businessperson should go without a card; it makes you look amateur no matter what you’re doing.

• Moo.com mini-cards are ideal. They come with a little holder package, but you don’t have to use it; you can pack a few in the wallet. Bonus points if you get the extra-thick “Luxe” option. You can get cheaper cards, but Moo is worth the extra money.

Optional Cool Stuff

I’m far too minimalistic to insist that you carry cool stuff like a True Utility lighter with you all the time, but if you must, you must:

• TrueUtility keyring lighter.
• Folding Ray-Bans: Wayfarers or Aviators. Expensive but high-quality; with any luck you won’t have to buy another pair of sunglasses again.
• Gerber Dime multi-utility tool. For those of you who like to be a Johnny on-the-spot.
• Music. iPod Nano is the smallest and most minimalistic.
• Light. A Nano Streamlight for your keychain is simple and effective.
• Listerine breath mints, Altoids, etc.

What does it all add up to? One of the big inspirations for this post, /u/minimumeffort over at /r/edc, posted this picture of his keychain and this of his wallet and other accessories.

Long story short: you can carry a whole heck of a lot more utility than George Costanza with far less bulk.

Further Reading

• /r/edc, or “Every Day Carry.”