Stealthy EDC: 10 Blackout Everyday Carry Essentials

Let’s be honest, blackout EDC gear doesn’t need much of a sales pitch. It’s versatile, it’s understated, and it literally never goes out of style. There’s a reason the EDC community keeps gravitating toward it — and blackout EDC guides have always been some of our favorite to build out.

As always, this isn’t a prescribed kit, but rather a collection of well-designed blacked-out gear that fuses form and function nicely. Some use coatings and materials you might not be overly familiar with. Others come from brands doing really interesting things with both design and durability. But, all of them are worth a second look.

So without further ado, let’s get into some of the best all black everyday carry gear on the market right now.

Victorinox Evoke BS Alox

This week’s sponsor Victorinox has been making knives in Ibach, Switzerland since 1884, and while most people know them for those classic red-handled multi-tools, the Evoke BS Alox is a completely different animal. This is a single-blade folder that strips away that traditional Swiss Army Knife identity and goes full stealth mode with a blackout treatment that earned it a Red Dot Design Award back in 2023.

The 3.66″ drop-point blade uses Victorinox’s proprietary stainless steel and deploys one-handed with a thumb stud that’s actually removable and repositionable depending on whether you’re left or right-handed. Some folks pull the stud off entirely if they want to hold the knife inverted and use the spine for outdoor tasks like bark removal. There’s also some nice jimping along the spine for thumb control during precision cuts, and the blade locks with a liner lock that feels solid without being overly stiff.

We’ve always appreciated Alox series knives from Victorinox, and found the handle material to feel right at home with this outdoor blade. The aluminum oxide scales deliver a textured grip that feels good under load, and doesn’t slip when wet, and at 6.3oz with a 4.4″ closed length, it’s definitely a more sizable folder with some heft to it, but still rides easy in a front pocket. Admittedly, it is better suited for bushcraft and outdoor tasks than true EDC, but it’s still manageable as a daily workhouse.

The deep-carry pocket clip reverses or removes completely if you’d rather use the lanyard hole for paracord attachment. The knife is really well built for actual field work without the tactical overkill, and like everything from Victorinox, it ships with their lifetime warranty. 

Unimatic Modello Quattro U4-BLB

Milan-based Unimatic has been cranking out brutalist tool watches since 2015, and they’ve built a cult following (ourselves included) by keeping production runs short and design language minimal. The U4-BLB takes their popular Modello Quattro field watch and pushes it into full tactical territory with an all-black treatment.

The entire 40mm stainless steel case gets brushed black DLC coating, which runs harder and more scratch-resistant than standard PVD while also killing reflections. That brushed finish diffuses light instead of throwing it back at you, giving the case a subtle sheen without any glare. The treatment covers everything from the oversized 8mm screw-down crown and its protective guards to the drilled lugs and NATO strap hardware.

What makes this watch stand out is the sandwich dial construction. Rather than just painting lume onto markers, Unimatic builds a two-layer dial where the bottom is entirely coated in Super-LumiNova BG W9 and the top matte black layer has the hour markers cut out. It’s the same technique vintage military dive watches used, and it allows for way more luminous material than you’d get with painted applications. Those minimal phantom hands basically disappear into the dial during the day, but the lume takes over in low light.

Inside is the reliable Seiko NH35A automatic, and despite the fixed bezel you still get 300m of water resistance. At 13.7mm thick and 49mm lug-to-lug, it does wear on the slightly larger side – as seen here on our wearer’s 6.75” wrist. 

And while we love this watch, it is worth mentioning that it’s limited to 99 units, and sold out almost immediately from the Unimatic site. So,if you want one, you’re going to be doing some hunting on the secondary market.

UAG Metropolis Kevlar Wallet

MagSafe wallets are a dime a dozen, and Urban Armor Gear has been involved in the space since their inception. And while almost all of their gear is built to withstand extreme conditions, the Metropolis Kevlar Wallet felt like the perfect kind of overbuilt engineering, constructed with DuPont Kevlar inlay that brings actual ballistic-grade material to your everyday carry.

The wallet holds up to six cards plus folded bills, split between external and internal pockets. There’s RFID blocking built in to protect against wireless skimming, and the hinge mechanism locks cards in place so they’re not rattling around when the wallet’s attached to your phone.

That hinge also serves double duty as a kickstand, which almost feels like the barrier to entry these days for the category. The 2.5mm magnet holds firm to MagSafe-compatible cases without any sliding or shifting in your pocket.

The Kevlar weave definitely gives it a bit more tactical look but it’s still refined enough that it doesn’t scream “operator” while in a meeting at the office. The only thing it’s missing is Find My integration, but for 60 bucks with this level of functionality, that feels like a minor omission.

Corkcicle Cool Flask

Flasks have been around forever, but Corkcicle’s Cool Flask feels like a fresh, minimalist take on the classic form factor — a slim, angular 9-ounce stainless steel vessel with a matte black powder-coated finish. It feels less like, “I’m sneaking whiskey into this event,” and more like something you’d actually want to carry for its good looks.

The shape is what sets it apart. Instead of the traditional curved hip flask profile, the Cool Flask uses a squared-off, almost industrial form that measures 4.5″ tall by 3.5″ long and just 1.5″ wide. That slim profile disappears in a pocket or a jacket without creating a bulge. The knurled cap screws on tight and provides enough grip to open it with cold or wet hands, and adds some aesthetics to the mix.

At 7oz empty, it’s light enough that you’re not carrying around a chunk of metal all day, and it’s also dishwasher safe, which is a small detail that matters when you’re dealing with spirits that can leave residue.

Corkcicle also offers this in Matte Olive, but the all-black version keeps things appropriately stealthy for this guide.

Nestout Power Bank 5,000mAh

Portable power banks are literally everywhere at this point, but most of them aren’t designed to handle much beyond sitting in a backpack. Nestout’s 5,000mAh battery takes a different approach with a hard shell body, shock-absorbent inner cushion, and IP6X/IPX7 ratings for waterproof and dustproof protection. It meets military drop-test standards and can handle submersion up to 3.3ft for 30 minutes with the screw-on cap protecting the dual USB-A and USB-C ports at the top.

And while off that is enough to get our attention, what really sets this apart is the modular accessory system. The battery has a threaded tripod mount on the bottom, and Nestout makes lighting attachments that plug directly into the top port with no extra cables required. 

The Outdoor Gear Lamp offers 360-degree illumination with stepless dimming from 10 to 350 lumens and an IP44 rating for light rain and dust. The lamp includes a mini tripod that screws into the battery’s base, turning the whole setup into a freestanding light source for camping or extended use. It’s a clever system that transforms a basic power bank into something more versatile.

The charger measures in at 5.1″ long by 1.4″ wide and weighs 4.9oz, which make it compact enough to carry in your pocket, although we found it better suited for EDC bags. The 5,000mAh capacity will charge most smartphones once over, which is modest but reasonable for the size. It’ll also recharge itself in about two hours via USB-C.

Fujifilm X-E5

Fujifilm’s X-E line has always been the rangefinder-style alternative to their SLR-shaped cameras, and the X-E5 keeps that aesthetic while finally adding the Film Simulation dial that originally debuted on the X-T50. The all-black version pairs a machined aluminum top plate with pebbled leatherette, and the whole thing feels much more premium than the X-E4 it replaces — it just feels much more substantial in hand.

This is the first X-E body to get Fujifilm’s 40.2-megapixel sensor and five-axis stabilization, which is a big deal for a camera this compact. At one pound with battery and measuring 4.9″ wide, it’s smaller than the X-T50 but we wouldn’t say it feels cramped by any means. 

We spent the last few weeks with the camera shooting near our San Diego and Los Angeles studios with the XF23mm F2.8 R WR pancake lens. We absolutely loved the lens quality, but it also kept the whole package slim enough to actually carry daily without feeling like you’re lugging around a camera bag.

The Film Simulation dial is one of the features that makes this camera interesting. Six presets plus three custom slots let you dial in your own recipes on the fly. Fujifilm’s leaning hard into the idea that you can nail your look in-camera instead of spending time in Lightroom later. They also added a Classic Display Mode to the EVF that mimics vintage film cameras with red numerals and a needle-style exposure meter, which simplifies the viewfinder and keeps you focused on shooting instead of menu diving. 

The camera  shoots 6.2K/30p video and handles 8 fps mechanical or 20 fps electronic, but this really feels like a stills-first camera that happens to do video competently rather than the other way around. And as with most Fujis, it’s a great looking street-style shooter for everyday carry.

Okapa Fetische Noir Water Bottle

Hardy Steinmann spent a decade in luxury watch marketing at Hublot before deciding the water bottle market needed the same treatment Swiss brands gave to timepieces. The result is Okapa, which is essentially a $295 water bottle that took 10,000 prototypes, 70+ patents, and partnerships with IDEO and Apple’s former color designer Beatrice Santiccioli to create.

The Fetische Noir uses a German borosilicate 3.3 glass core suspended between silicone bumpers inside a perforated anodized aluminum shell. It’s the same zero-porosity glass used in medical labs, paired with a Swiss-made Grilamid TR-90 spout and surgical-grade Nitronic 60 stainless steel for every button, hinge, and locking mechanism. There’s seemingly no detail too small for this bottle’s construction.

The cap is very satisfying to use, opening one-handed with a spring-loaded titanium pin and it also stays back while you drink instead of hitting your face.

The entire thing disassembles into eight modular components for cleaning, with built-in aeration to keep the interior dry between uses. At 17oz capacity, it is on the smaller side, but the engineering here is absolutely obsessive, including metal injection molding for the buttons, a locking bar that actually works, and a handle that combines TR-90 strength with soft TPE coating.

Does it justify the price? Probably not for most people. But Steinmann’s bet is that hydration can become a status symbol the same way watches, bags, and sneakers did. The design is also polarizing to say the least — part laboratory equipment, part Swiss watch, part something else the internet will have plenty of opinions about. It’s absurd, deliberate, and honestly kind of fascinating as an exercise in luxury product creation.

Nomad Goods Tracking Card

We all love the AirTag, but that chunky disc shape turns most slim wallets into a lumpy mess. Nomad’s Tracking Card solves this by flattening Apple’s Find My network into a credit card form factor that’s just 1.7mm thick, which is about two standard credit cards stacked together for reference.

The polycarbonate body measures 3.39″ × 2.13″ and weighs just 0.42oz. It’s IPX7 rated for water and dust resistance, and the subtle circuit board pattern embossed on the surface gives it an interesting tech-forward aesthetic. There’s also small circular LED on the top right corner that indicates charging status.

Battery life sits at five months per charge, and it recharges wirelessly on any Qi or MagSafe charger — you can even use upright MagSafe stands. Once it’s in the Find My app, you get all the standard features: sound alerts when you’re within 150ft, left-behind notifications, lost mode with contact info, and the ability to share location with others so they don’t get stalking alerts.

The trade-off is it doesn’t support Precision Finding since Apple hasn’t opened up Ultra Wideband to third-party trackers. It also won’t play nice with RFID-blocking wallets since those use metal that interferes with Bluetooth. But, for less than $30, it’s a straightforward way to keep tabs on your wallet without adding too much bulk to the mix.

Belkin Magnetic Charging Camera Grip with Power Bank

Your iPhone shoots great photos and video, but at the end of the day, it’s still a glass slab that wasn’t designed to be held like a camera. Belkin’s Stage PowerGrip solves this by adding a DSLR-style grip that attaches via MagSafe magnets while also packing a 9,300mAh battery inside. 

So how does it work? The grip connects to your phone via Bluetooth for shutter control — just make sure to follow the instructions as it is a step-by-step process — but there’s no extra app required. A physical button on top activates the battery, which charges your iPhone at 7.5W over MagSafe. Look, that’s not blazing fast, but with this much capacity it can recharge most iPhones well over once. There’s also a USB-C port on top and a retractable 29.5-inch USB-C cable wound around the MagSafe housing, both delivering 20W. The whole setup can charge three devices simultaneously without needing to carry extra cables.

The grip doubles as a stand for video or StandBy mode, tilting back slightly for a decent viewing angle in both portrait and landscape. There’s also a standard tripod mount on the bottom and a lanyard attachment point on the corner. A small LCD screen shows battery percentage, and the front has a decorative ring that mimics a camera lens.

It is worth noting that it’s a bit heavier than competitors with smaller batteries, but we found that heft to be comfortable in hand, and it actually helps stabilize shots. And at $80, it undercuts the ShiftCam SnapGrip Pro while offering nearly double the battery capacity.

Evergoods Civic Access Sling 2L X-Pac

Evergoods founders Jack Barley and Kevin Dee met through their work at GORUCK and Patagonia respectively, and that pedigree continues to shine across all of their packs, the Civic Access Sling included. The Bozeman, Montana-based company has earned a reputation for taking user feedback seriously and actually implementing it — they were doing “build in public” before it became a trend, and the V2 updates to this sling prove it.

The X-Pac version seen here wraps the 2-liter sling in sailcloth-derived X42 fabric with a 420D face that’s both waterproof and lightweight, built around that signature “X” reinforcement pattern that we just can’t get enough of. At 10.9oz, it undercuts the standard ballistic nylon version while measuring 11″ wide by 5.5″ tall by 3″ deep. The X-Pac capsule adds PU-coated YKK zippers for weather resistance and a coyote brown 210D nylon lining that contrasts with the black exterior and makes gear easier to spot inside.

The V2 update moved the buckle off-center based on user feedback. Now it doesn’t dig into your chest when worn as a crossbody or press into your back when layered with a backpack. Inside are two compartments that share space. The front pocket is wide open with a black key leash and enough depth for over-ear headphones. The back compartment focuses on organization with a zippered mesh pocket divided into 3 zones, plus two liner pockets and an open compartment for larger items.

The strap is wide seatbelt webbing with two adjustment points — a quick-release buckle and a tri-glide for setting a fixed length. The back panel uses 3D spacer mesh for some nice breathability during daily wear, and the whole thing’s backed by Evergoods’ lifetime warranty.

Tested: The Best Hi-Vis Orange EDC Essentials

Blackout not your thing? If so, check out some brighter orange gear on our guide to our favorite hi-vis EDC essentials.