Altoids EDC Kit: 10 Everyday Carry Essentials

Though most Altoids kits are focused on survival and outdoor items, we’ve opted to mix things up and build out a highly compact yet thoroughly functional everyday carry loadout that all fits neatly in a standard Altoids tin. So, whether you’re short on pocket space or just don’t feel like carrying pockets full of gear, this diminutive loadout has got you covered, saving you space without skimping on utility. So, without further adieu, let’s dive into our picks for the best Altoids EDC essentials. 

Selection & Testing

When we set out to build out an Altoids EDC kit, we started by first taking measurements of a standard Altoids tin. From there, we made a list of what we considered to be daily-carry must haves — such as a flashlight, multi-tool, carabiner, etc. We then made a list of small EDC essentials, closely considering each item’s dimensions to ensure that it would not only fit in the tin, but also fit in the tin with the rest of the diminutive gear. This lead to us sourcing around 2-3 products from each of the nine main categories we landed on, making these picks on the strength of their design, performance, materials, and functionality relative to size. 

Next, we got our hands on each item in order to actually use them and see how they function in practice. This was done by simply carrying them and using them in place of our normal, full-sized EDC gear. After several weeks of carrying and testing the Altoids EDC gear, we then narrowed our original shortlist down to a final selection of picks — all of which needed to fit in an Altoids tin, together, with the tin’s lid fully shut. 

Based on the personal experience of HICONSUMPTION’s staff, we also built out this kit assuming that you, like us, already carry a dedicated pocket knife and wallet. For this reason, we omitted a wallet and knife from this kit — though our multi-tool pick has a blade, and the tin itself could function as a wallet in a pinch as it can fit a credit card and folded bills. It’s also worth mentioning that while this entire loadout is comprised of tiny pieces of gear, none of them are straight up novelty items, and they’re all completely functional. In some cases, surprisingly so. 

What To Consider When Shopping

Because an Altoids EDC loadout includes items ranging from pens to flashlights to USB sticks, it can be a little tricky trying to explain what factors to consider when shopping. And though these items can greatly differ in a lot of ways, there are still key elements that can be considered across the board in most cases — the most crucial of which we’ll be breaking down directly below. 

Performance: How an item actually performs is of major importance — whether this be a flashlight’s lumen output, or the level of grip offered by a knife, pry bar, or multi-tool. As such, this is an area you’ll always want to consider, no matter what type of gear you’re looking at. 

Materials: The materials used to craft an item is also of extreme importance, as this one area plays a massive role in a piece of gear’s overall quality and durability — making it another essential area to take into account when shopping. 

Size-To-Utility Ratio: While the items in our Altoids EDC loadout are all pretty small, some manage to punch well above their weight in terms of utility. As a result, we’d recommend spending some time thinking about the level of functionality offered relative to the size of the item affording it. 

Price & Value: One added benefit of buying such small pieces of EDC gear is that most of these items come at a pretty accessible price point. Consequently, bang-for-your-buck is another area we’d recommend considering. 

Versatility: We’d also recommend considering if an item can be carried as part of a normal EDC loadout as this can increase its versatility — which in turn also bolsters an item’s value. 

CountyComm Industrial Strength Survival Food Grade Tins Gen 2

Best EDC Tin: Rather than utilizing a standard Altoids tin, we’ve opted for an upgraded pick with dimensions that are nearly identical to Altoids’ standard tins at 3.70″ x 2.32″ x 0.82”. Crafted from a higher-quality, food-grade steel, the CountyComm Industrial Strength Survival Food Grade Tins Gen 2 weighs less than 2oz and offers around 7 cubic inches of storage space while boasting thicker walls than a standard Altoids vessel. What’s more, its top’s slip lock latch assembly closes more smoothly and is markedly more secure — meaning if you drop it your gear won’t go spill out everywhere. 

With this tin being slightly deeper, it can fit in a bit more gear, which allowed us to fully latch the thing shut when loaded up with our gear — something we couldn’t do when using a normal Altoids tin. Above and beyond being a bit more over-engineered than a normal tin, CountyComm’s item comes decorated in a topo pattern that gives it a bit more visual flavor. The company also sells a larger version of this tin that offers nearly twice the internal storage volume at roughly 13 cubic inches — plus the company sells custom KYDEX holsters for both sizes of the tin. One minor downside to this item is that, unlike Altoids tins, this one doesn’t come filled with delicious mints. 

Gerber Dime

Best Multi-Tool: Spanning only  2.75” closed, the Gerber Dime is a bonafide pocketable powerhouse of a butterfly-opening multi-tool. Despite its compact size, this item comes armed with 10 tools and functions including spring-loaded pliers, needs nose pliers, a wire cutter, a sheepsfoot blade, a retail package, SAK-style scissors, small and medium flatbread drivers, a bottle opener, removable tweezers, and a metal file. Best of all, these tools and functions actually lend themselves to everyday use — rather than being made up of more specialty tools. 

The handle is also just big enough to actually provide a solid grip, and its stainless steel construction makes for a rugged mini multi-tool that can still be sold at a very reasonable price point. I’ve long personally carried a Gerber Dime as part of my EDC, which frankly speaks volumes about its overall quality and performance — as I have access to a wealth of other multi-tools thanks to this job. With a sub-$30 MSRP, the Dime also offers some pretty terrific bang-for-your-buck — and that’s before even considering the fact it comes backed by a lifetime warranty. 

TEC Accessories Python Clip

Best Mini Carabiner: Offered in a polished bare metal version of a blacked-out variant with a chromium carbide ceramic compound coating, the TEC Accessories Python Clip is essentially a teeny tiny carabiner that spans just 1.1” in total. Crafted from 303 stainless steel and fitted with a matching 303 gate, the Python Clip is a fraction of the size of a normal carabiner though performs the same basic function and provides the same level of security for your keys.

The tiny size of this carabiner does make it harder to use than full-sized everyday carry-biners, but not to a ridiculous extent. I found this clip is best when used as a de-coupling item — such as for attaching a car key fob to a larger keyring — or when paired with a keyring run through a belt-loop (as it’s much easier to clip it to a keyring than around a belt loop). Though TEC Accessories doesn’t cite a weight capacity, I had no problem lifting my backpack off the ground using this clip — proving it has at least a 15-to-20-pound capacity, if not double that. 

Rolling Square inCharge 6 

Best Charger/Adapter: It’s often not until venturing out into the world without it that we realize just how naked we feel when we don’t have our smartphone on us — or if its battery is dead. For this reason, we pretty much always include a charger and adapter in our daily-carry loadout. For our Altoids tin essentials, we’ve gone with the Rolling Square inCharge 6, which features a USB-C connection on one end and a regular USB on the other — the former of which pivots and slides forward to reveal a Lightning connection while the latter sits over a second USB-C plug.

MFi certified, this item also offers charging speeds of up to 18 watts plus data transfer speeds of up to 480MBS. With all that said, it’s not just the size of this adapter and charger or its design that make it so special, as another major highlight offered by the inCharge 6 is its material selection. Its housings are made from a zinc-aluminum alloy and feature TPU cable guards and a braided cable. There’s also embedded N52 neodymium magnets that can couple together when the item isn’t in use. What’s more, these magnets also allow you to place a keyring or carabiner in between the two heads and then magnetically couple them, allowing the thing to serve as a keychain — if not being housed in an Altoids tin of course. 

Rite in the Rain On-The-Go Notebooks

Best Mini Notebooks: Though the written word has increasingly fallen by the wayside, there’s still an argument to be made for carrying a pen and notebook as part of your everyday carry loadout. Because of the limited size offered by an Altoids tin, we’ve opted for Rite in the Rain’s On-The-Go Notebooks. Measuring just 3.375″ x 2.0”, these notebooks each contain 24 pages of RitR’s coated #20 all-weather paper, all sandwiched between a cover made from the brand’s proprietary weatherproof FieldFlex construction. Sold in packs of six, this notebooks are also pieced together using a rust-resistant stapled binding.

At 3.375″ x 2.0”, these notebooks are also roughly the same size as your average credit card, meaning the on-the-go books can just as easily be slipped into the cardslot of a wallet if not be carried in an Altoids tin. Sure, the tiny dimensions of these notebooks means you have limited writing space, but as long as you aren’t trying to write your memoirs or dissertation on them, you should be fine. The pages also feature perforations for easy tear-outs. 

Flytanium Titanium Mini Bolt-Action Pen

Best Mini Pen: There’s not much point in carrying a notebook if you don’t also have a proper pen to go with it, and when it comes to diminutive EDC writing instrument options, it doesn’t get much better than Flytanium’s Titanium Mini Bolt-Action Pen. Weighing only 0.13oz, this pen is crafted from top-shelf TC4 titanium and capped off with a keyring loop for easy keychain-carrying. With a length of 3.25” overall, this pen is just long enough to actually afford a decent grip, while still being plenty compact and pocketable — and being far more than a mere novelty item.

This pen also comes equipped with a Mini D1 ballpoint ink cartridge that’s deployed via a fidget-friendly spring-loaded bolt-action mechanism. The thing also ships with a host of spares in the form of an included titanium keyring, several spare o-rings, and a trio of ink refills. For its size, this pen is also surprisingly well balanced, and fairly comfortable to use even for extended periods. At under $20, it also affords some pretty terrific bang-for-your-buck. 

Dango Capsule

Best Stash Container: Standing at only 0.5” tall and measuring just 0.85” in diameter, the Dango Capsule is a diminutive stash container that’s as rugged as it is secure. Made in America, the thing is precision-machined from aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum before being fortified via an anodized finish. The top of the Capsule pairs with a Quad Loop Secure Cap that’s decorated in a milled-in Dango logo. This cap also allows the Capsule to be submerged down to 1,000 feet without letting in a single drop of water. 

On top of selling this product in multiple anodized finish options — and a top-shelf titanium construction version — Dango also offers the Capsule with an optional Cobra weave 95 double loop lanyard that makes it much easier to fish out of a pocket. The only real issue I had with this item is the fact that it can only fit two large pills, though the fact it had to fit inside an Altoids tin with the rest of the gear on this list obviously meant we could only include a smaller capsule like this model from Dango. 

SSK 1TB USB Drive

Best Flash Drive: Another bonafide pocketable powerhouse, the SSK 1TB USB Drive is a compact yet potent second-generation solid state drive. In addition to sporting dual connections — with a USB plug on one side and a USB-C on the other — this thumb drive also boasts some wildly impressive charging speeds. The USB end delivers speeds of 200MBS, while the USB-C end fires off five-times-that at 1,000MBS — i.e. a gig per second, which is a whopping ten-times faster than a traditional USB 3.0 flash drive. 

Sporting a flip-up cover for its USB and USB-C connections, this drive features a zinc alloy shell that makes it highly durable, while still weighing only 1.75oz. This item also ships with an included snap-secured leather carrying sleeve with an attached keyring. This SSD model is also sold in various sizes, though in our opinion the 1TB variant is the way to go. 

Maratac Split Pea Gen 2

Best Mini Lighter: You might not expect to be able to fit a titanium field lighter into an Altoids tin, yet that’s nonetheless exactly what we’ve got here with the Maratac Split Pea Gen 2. This second-generation pint-sized soft flame lighter is milled from grade 5 titanium and contains a Zippo-style insert with flint, a wick, and fuel housing. With a screw-down cap, the thing boasts a water-tight seal as well. The bottom of this lighter also comes decorated in a a laser-etched trident logo. 

Sourcing refills for this lighter is also a breeze. And, while it’s great for EDC, it lends itself just as well to outdoor and survival use. At the end of the day, the only issue I really had with this is that it’s tiny size greatly limits its fuel capacity. As such, if you’re the type that lights a cigarette (or left-handed cigarette) every hour or two, this might not be the lighter for you — though it’s also worth mentioning that Maratac actually makes two larger sizes of this same titanium lighter. 

Olight imini Tiny 2

Best Mini Flashlight: Olight’s imini tiny 2 isn’t just a great mini flashlight, it’s a great flashlight in general. Constructed around a rugged aerospace-grade aluminum housing with a knurled grip pattern and an IPX6 rating, this flashlight boasts a 50-lumen output and a beam distance of nearly 70’. It also boasts a 1.5-meter drop test rating. Whether stashed in a tin or carried in a pocket or on a keychain, it’s just a stellar little light. It’s also offered in multiple anodization color options. 

The big aspects that really make the thing special in my eyes is two-fold. For one, unlike the oriingal iMini which was powered by three LR41 button cells, the tail of the second-generation version comes outfitted with an integrated USB plug that allows it to plug directly into a standard USB port. This port juices up an onboard 80-mAh Lithium Battery that affords a full hour of burn time. Next is the light’s operation. Instead of using a switch or twist-head design, the imini tiny 2 features a main body that magnetically couples to a keyring-equipped tail cap. By simply removing the body from the tail cap, the light automatically activates. This makes for one of the most effortless flashlight experiences out there. 

The Best Mini EDC Gear for Discreet Carry

Want to check out some additional tiny EDC gear? Then be sure to head over to our guide to the best mini EDC gear for discreet carry for another curated selection of extremely pocketable kit.