Scoured: The Best Budget EDC Gear on Amazon

Over the last decade or so, Amazon has gone from one of several large online retailers to the undisputed leader in web-based commerce. Not only does the retail giant boast an unbeatable selection of products, but it also sells many of those products at unbeatable prices. And this is true whether you’re shopping for auto parts, outdoor kit, or everyday carry gear. To demonstrate this point, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite affordable EDC gear on the site in order to deliver this guide to and hand-on review of the best everyday carry gear on Amazon. 

Selection & Testing

When we first set out to make a list of the best budget EDC on Amazon — before verifying those picks by putting that gear through a hands-on testing process — we had to start by first defining what exactly “budget” means, as the word can be pretty subjective. We wanted to pick a number that was accessible, but would still unlock a decent selection of legitimately quality EDC kit — and not some super-cheap gear that would be sold at a gas station or smoke shop. As a result, we ending up landing on $40 as our cutoff. What’s more, there are certain types of items like flashlights, fixed-blades, power banks, and multi-tools, that can very seldom be picked up for under $20, making the $40 limit seem all the more sensible. 

Because there are literally thousands of EDC items on Amazon alone, we had to first narrow down our search by dividing this list up into different sub-categories — such as best folding knife, best wallet, best flashlight, best carabiner, best EDC pouch, and so on — before making a few selections for each sub-group. From there, we carried out a largely unstructured hands-on testing phase where each piece of gear was carried on a daily basis for the better part of a week. We also performed individual performance tests for many of the sub-groups, such as a paper-cutting test for the knives and a darkroom test for the flashlights. 

Once we’d spent a few weeks testing, we then turned to our notes, leaning on our hands-on findings to then narrow down our original shortlist to our final picks for what our testing revealed to be the best budget — yet rock solid — everyday carry gear available on Amazon. 

What To Consider When Shopping

While there’s a huge number of factors you could consider when shopping, the truth is there are really only s a handful of key areas that you need to focus on. Below, we’ll briefly break down each of these pivotal elements. 

Materials: Whether it’s wallets, bags, knives, or keychains, the materials used to make a piece of EDC gear arguably play the most important role in determining their overall quality. As such, you want to closely review this area when shopping for any piece of gear. Additionally, this includes an item’s primary construction, as well as any secondary materials, and/or hardware or trim elements. 

Functionality: The entire purpose of carrying everyday carry gear is to be armed with general preparedness and utility for facing day-to-day tasks, from tightening hardware to cutting open boxes to illuminating dark areas. Whenever looking at a piece of EDC gear, you’ll want to consider the functionality and utility it offers, as well as its performance relative to functionality and utility. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for pieces of gear that can serve multiple purposes or offer multi-functionality as this ultimately allows you to carry fewer pieces of kit without sacrificing on preparedness or utility. 

Size & Pocketability: On top of offering general preparedness and utility, it’s also essential for pieces of EDC gear to be small and compact enough to easily be carried on your person on the daily. We recommend not only considering how large an item is, but also the other items you already carry (or plan on carrying) as you only have so much real estate in your pockets — though this changes if you plan on carrying a crossbody sling, an EDC organizer, or stashing your everyday carry kit in some other carry solution.  

Price & Value: Because everything on this guide can be picked up for $40 or less, pretty much every entry on this list already offers pretty solid value, though there are a few items that offer even greater bang-for-your-buck. When reviewing this area, we also recommend looking out for items that serve multiple purposes, as they not only allow you to carry less gear, but they can also save you from having to make multiple purchases. 

Field Notes National Parks Series

Best EDC Notebooks: We’re starting this list with a limited edition version of an outstanding EDC notebook — and one that can be snagged in 3 packs on Amazon for under a $20. In total, you get a trio of 3.5” × 5.5” notes each containing 48 pages of graph paper, all sandwiched between limited edition national parks covers. There are a total of half-a-dozen different series in Field Notes’ national parks edition. There’s also a blank passport section on the inside of these notebooks sleeves that you can have stamped off as you check off visiting different national parks scattered across America.

Thanks to their dimensions and having around 50 pages in each notebook, each one is small enough to easily be carried in a pant, jacket, or backpack pocket, plus is large enough to actually provide real utility, whether you’re jotting down notes or sketching out designs. They’re also decently tough and in my experience have always gotten filled up with writing and replaced with a fresh notebook before breaking down or ripping. While I did notice the covers were a bit flimsier than the sleeves on some of the other items I tested in this sub-group, I nonetheless stand by my opinion that Field Notes unequivocally makes what I consider to be the best everyday carry notebooks out there right now. They’re also not the cheapest EDC notebooks, but at $5 a pop, they’re pretty affordable.

Magpul DAKA Essential Slim Wallet

Best Wallet: Magpul is unquestionably best-known for its magazines and firearms accessories. Unlike other gear or sporting goods, Magpul’s kit is used by soldiers and operators that have to trust it with their lives, and have to put it to use in some of the most hostile locales and conditions on the planet. As such, t goes without saying that its equipment is highly functional and insanely durable and over-built. And while it isn’t a firearm accessory, the company has nonetheless taken its usual approach and MO and applied to to the creation of one of our all-time favorite minimalist EDC wallets — and one that just happens to be available on Amazon for less than $20.

Offering excellent bang-for-your-buck, the wallet is cut from an ultra-tough polymer fabric that’s pieced together using permanent RF-welded seams, the DAKA Essentials Slim Wallet lives up to its name (specifically the “Slim” part) as the thing measures just 0.11-inches-thick. Sporting rounded corners that make card-entry and exiting super easy despite it tight, low-profile nature, the entire wallet can carry up to seven cards, allowing you to just bring your essentials (driver’s license, credit card(s), key card, etc), which is more than sufficient for 95% of carrier’s EDC needs. Sure, it’s lacking RFID protection, but aside from that it’s a near-perfect package in my opinion.

NEBO Torchy

Best Flashlight: The NEBO Torch is something of the ultimate budget EDC torch — and in a lot of ways is like a more affordable alternative to the Olight Baton 3 (or newer Baton 4) as both lights feature very similar shapes, designs, dimensions, lumen outputs, and complete and total conduciveness to everyday carry. Spanning just 2.64” in length, the Torchy is crafted from anodized aircraft-grade aluminum and features a magnetic tail that not only allows it to work with its magnetic-coupling tail charger, but it also enables to to being magnetically stuck onto metallic surfaces to illuminate areas you’re working in or need to see. The thing is also pretty tough, as I performed a 4-foot drop test onto concrete multiple times and the light still works as if nothing ever happened. The company doesn’t cite an IP rating, but if I had to guess the thing achieves at least an IP67, if not an IPX8.

What really makes it special in my eyes, however, is its size, and the fact that it packs a whopping 1,000 lumens on tap, giving it the potency of lights several times its size — and several times its price. It’s also just a perfect EDC torch, having more than enough power and light to handle any and al everyday carry or “everynight carry”) tasks while still being exceedingly compact and pocketable, plus it’s battery life is pretty impressive too, only needing to be charged once every few weeks in my experience. Sure, it does have some downsides compared to its Olight-made counterparts, but its ultra-accessible price very much makes up for these shortcomings. It also gets pretty hot pretty fast, though that has a lot more to due with its high lumen-count so it’s hard to fault NEBO for that.

Stanley Quick-Flip GO Bottle

Best Water Bottle: Regardless of your hobbies, interests, or lifestyle, we all need to keep hydrated, which can be tricky when living a busy and hectic modern life on-the-go — that is unless you’ve got a proper bottle in your EDC rotation. The Stanley Quick-Flip GO Bottle is an excellent choice, as it offers most of the benefits of your average premium double-walled vacuum-insulated bottle, but comes in a much more affordable package — without skimping on quality or materials. This BPA-free bottle features a cap that flips open at the push of a button, providing access to the 24 ounces (or 36 ounces for the larger model) of liquid that it stores.

Sporting a leak-proof design, the Quick-Flip GO Bottle is made from 18/8 stainless steel and the main bottle and all accompanying components are dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze. I also really appreciate that this bottle is not only sold in two sizes, but it can be purchased in 14 different color options. Thanks to its cap’s design and double-walled setup, the water bottle is able to keep hot liquids hot for up to eight hours and cold beverages cold for up to 12 hours. This is solid thermal retention and should be sufficient for most commuter’s EDC needs, but it’s still a bit down from the “12 hours hot/24 hours cold” thermal retention that most other premium bottles offer. And, thanks to it being available on Amazon, you won’t even have to fight someone in the aisle of a Target for it. 

Kershaw Misdirect

Best Folding Knife: The Kershaw Misdirect’s $42 MSRP makes it one of the most value-laden budget-friendly EDC knives on that market, so when you consider the fact you can snag one on Amazon for under $30, it makes it an outright steal. For that price, you get a roughly-seven-inch steel-handled folder with a 2.9-inch 4Cr14 reverse tanto blade and an ultra-sturdy framelock mechanism. The knife’s flipper tab-deployed blade also kicks out with incredible force thanks to being backed by Kershaw’s spring-assisted deployment mechanism. Not only is it just thick enough to be able to stand up to most workhorse tasks, but this value-laden folder also offers both fantastic piercing and cutting abilities thanks to its reverse tanto profile. Its blade steel doesn’t do the best job of holding an edge, though it’s fairly tough, and at least is super easy to sharpen. 

The way Kershaw is able to deliver such a capable EDC knife at such a low price is by utilizing overseas manufacturing, producing the knife on a mass scale, and, more importantly, making it from tough, built-to-last materials that happen to also be cheap, easy-to-produce, and/or readily-available, such as stainless steel. While its ergonomics leave a little to be desired, the handle largely makes up for this with its “good-enough” grip and sleek design. Its factory edge was also a lot sharper than I was expecting for a knife at this price point, and was easily comparable to $100 knives I’ve tested. Lastly, I don’t love that this knife features a spring-assisted blade — as I believe a decent pivot acton negates the need for this and that’s what knife-makers should be aiming for (even budget ones) — but I also realize this is just my personal preference. 

Exotac nanoSPARK

Best Lighter: Made in America and backed by a lifetime warranty, the Exotac nanoSPARK is an affordable yet extremely rugged piece of kit that allows you to carry the ability to easily build a fire just about anywhere. Spanning around 2.60”, the nanoSPARK is milled from aircraft-grade aluminum that’s fortified via an anodized finished and bestowed with an almost-frag-style grip pattern that hugely enhances traction, even in the wet. The top of the nanoSPARK is a small steel wheel that can be spun, creating sparks as it strikes the item’s replaceable nanoSPARK flints. 

The inside of the handle cleverly houses ultra-flammable custom-made quickLIGHT tinder (also replaceable through Exotac) that can be lit using the spark wheel and a few good blows. What makes it such a unique piece of kit is the fact the nanoSPARK was designed to make building a fire as easy as possible, even with no skills or experience. Obviously using this item is a lot more involved and difficult than just striking a Bic or Zippo, but it’s still an extremely worthwhile piece of kit, and it’s a great jumping off point for anyone looking to learn how to build a fire. 

Honorable Mention: Zippo Lighter

What Timex is to watches, Zippo is to lighters. That is to say; they’re super affordable yet are tough enough to easily offer a lifetime of use — plus they can be picked up on Amazon for under $20, making them one of the most value-laden EDC essentials of all time. Consequently, you can’t talk about the best sub-$40 EDC gear on Amazon without at least giving a nod to the legendary Zippo.

Leatherman EDC Tool Pouch

Best EDC Pouch: 
There are more than a dozen EDC essentials that are beyond-easy to justify carrying including a notebook, a lighter, a keychain, a carabiner, a wallet, a smartphone, earbuds, a flashlight, a multi-tool, and a pry tool, just to name a few. Unless your maxing out the storage capacity of some cargo pants, there’s gonna be some point where you’ll need to introduce an EDC pouch into your loadout in order to accommodate and organize all your daily carry kit. And considering you can snag one for under $35, it’s hard to go wrong with Leatherman’s unexpected yet thoroughly appreciated entry to the EDC organizer space. 

Born out of collaboration between the multi-tool-maker and PACSAFE, the Leatherman EDC Tool Pouch features a shell that’s cut from a 200-denier ripstop nylon made from recycled plastic. The pouch features a weather-resistant, coated AquaGuard-style zipper track that opens to reveal an interior with over half-a-dozen slips and pockets for housing and laying out your EDC essentials. While it still offers great value, I do wish Leatherman and PACSAFE had opted to construct this EDC organizer from a slightly more hardwearing material like ballistic nylon, CORDURA, Dyneema, or some X-Pac construction.

RovyVon U4 Pro+

Best Keychain: The RovyVon U4 Pro+ is a top-shelf “everyday-carry-biner” that’s made from rugged yet lightweight titanium. This dual-compartment model boasts an ultra-sturdy gate, along with a massive 110-pound strength rating. Built into the titanium construction are multiple onboard tools that are made from even harder S2 tool steel that clocks in at 60 HRC for hardness on the Rockwell scale — a figure that’s on par with top-shelf power metallurgy blade steels.

There are several noteworthy things this carabiner has going for it. For starters, it’s crafted from top-shelf titanium. Second, it features an ultra-secure dual-gated design that provides two layers of security for your keychain, plus offers separate gates/compartments for the keychain and the belt loop or bag that you clip it to. Lastly, it doesn’t just function as a carabiner and instead comes loaded with half-a-dozen onboard tools and functions in total, providing a handful of common EDC essentials (such as a bit driver, ruler, and utility knife) in an item you’re already conveniently carrying on your hip. It also does all this while spanning around 2.5” in length, too.

Gerber Suspension-NXT

Best Multi-tool: Leatherman has long set the standard when it comes to multi-tools, though the brand’s butterfly-opening models are far from cheap. One seriously worthwhile alternative that comes at an accessible price is Gerber’s Suspension-NXT multi-tool. Backed by a lifetime warranty, this tool is made from stainless steel and spans just 4.25” when closed, allowing it to easily fit in your pocket. Despite its compact size, it features a suite of 15 tools and functions, including spring-loaded needle nose pliers, wire strippers, multiple flathead driver sizes, a pair of Phillips head drivers, an awl, a nail file, scissors, can and bottle openers, a lanyard attachment point, and a 2.25-inch partially serrated blade.

Above and beyond providing exceptional bang-for-your-buck, another monumental part of what makes the Suspension-NXT so special — and so deserving of a spot on this list — is the fact that its suite of tools happens to allow it to perfectly lend itself to everyday carry. With features like Phillips and flathead drivers, a partially-serrated knife, pliers, scissors, and a bottle opener, you’ll actually use the functions on this tool on a daily basis – unlike tools that come loaded with amenities like tent-stake-pullers, cutting hooks, Ferro rods, and disassembly punches. At over 6.5oz, it is admittedly on the heavier side, but no so much that it’s a pain to carry, and I don’t love that opening or closing its tools requires to hands, though everything else this EDC-friendly multi-tool has going for it more than makes up for these shortcomings. I also really appreciate that every tool on this multi-tool is fully locking.

CRKT Minimalist Drop Point

Best Fixed Blade Knife: Designed by Alan Folts, the CRKT Minimalist is an outstanding choice for an EDC fixed blade, being compact, pocketable, and easy to conceal, while still offering more than its fair share of utility. Spanning just 5.25” tip-to-tip, the Minimalist Drop Point features a 0.110-inch-thick full-tang construction that’s brought to life in 5Cr15MoV. Sandwiched between a set of G-10 handles, the full-tang construction culminates in a utilitarian drop point profile spanning 2.125”. The blade’s black stonewashed finish also helps to hide the types of scuffs and scratches that blades tend to collect when facing daily use. The knife comes with an included Zytel hard sheath as well as an attached lanyard that makes it easier to draw when pocket-carrying.

This fixed blade’s proverbial secret sauce lies in its handle. Though it looks a little unusual, the handle is designed to offer near-perfect ergonomics for your first three fingers, and provide a space for your pinky and ring finger to squeeze, thereby nearly affording the leverage and grip of a full-size four-finger-handle design — albeit in a much shorter and more compact package that makes this fixed blade knife wildly conducive to EDC. Additionally, between its build quality, its rugged materials, its decently-thick blade, and its beyond-stelar ergonomics, this diminutive rigid knife has no problem taking on hard-use workhorse tasks. Also, while it’s hard to think of a better silhouette for EDC than a drop point profile, it’s still worth noting that CRKT produces this Alan Folts design in a massive number of blade shapes and even a few different blade steels, handle materials, and color options.

Bastion Bolt Action Pen

Best Pen: The Bastion Bolt Action Pen is an ultra-beefy take on a regular bolt-action EDC writing instrument. Spanning 5.25”, this pen is precision-machined from stainless steel and features a steel pocket clip and a spring-loaded deployment bolt in a J-pattern track. Because this pen clocks in at close to half-an-inch in diameter, it nestles perfectly into the palm and can serve as a particularly effective striking weapon for in self-defense and CQC scenarios, plus can double as an emergency tool or glass-breaker in a pinch.

I’ve used and owned dozens of bolt-action EDC pens, and I’ve got to say that Bastion’s model almost certainly has the most powerful spring of any one I’ve ever used. It’s not so strong that it’s difficult to use, but it does snap back into place when pushed with some pretty extreme force. And, while pretty much all bolt action pens are already incredibly fidget-friendly, this particular pen’s super-strong spring makes it all the more satisfying to fidget with — though it also makes it a bit louder which means it isn’t ideal for playing with during company meetings. Also, for its beefy size, I was pretty surprised by just how well-balanced this pen was, as well as how smoothly it wrote, as the cartridge — which can be replaced with standard G2 refills — really does effortlessly glide across the page.

Timex Weekender 40mm

Best Watch: Anytime you’re looking for a stylish, reliable watch on a tight budget, the Timex catalog is always well-worth a look — even if you’ve only got $40 to work with, as evidenced by the Timex Weekender 40mm. The watch is constructed around a 40-mm circular silver-tone brass that comes mated to a handsome leather strap with contrasting accent stitching. The watch’s dial is encompassed via a fixed bezel and features Arabic numerals and a basic three-hand setup. The dial is also offered in a multitude of different color options — not to mention the Weekender 40mm is also available in a sub-dial and pusher-equipped chronograph variant.

There’s a litany of factors that make this watch so special, including the fact it’s as stylish today as it was when it was first introduced — and will almost certainly be just as fashion forward several decades from now. It offers stupendous bang-for-your-buck, and ironically its super-affordable battery-powered quartz movement actually offers far better precision than the mechanical movements found in luxury watches. There’s also something I enjoy about the worry-free experience of wearing a sub-$50 watch. If I break it, am robbed, or otherwise lose it, it’s not a big deal — unlike losing a thousand-dollar watch which is a very different experience.

HOTO Electric Precision 25-in-1 Screwdriver Set

Best Screwdriver Set: Between the hardware keeping your knife held together to the screws securing the housing of your daily-carry gadgets, there’s more than enough hardware being carried by most of us daily to justify carrying a dedicated bit driver. And while you could carry a normal iFixit-style set, one markedly nicer alternative — that can still be picked up on Amazon for under $40 — is the HOTO Electric Precision 25-in-1 Screwdriver Set. Despite the driver being electric and featuring a built-in motor, it’s no larger than a normal screwdriver. It also comes paired with a whopping 25 different bits, all crafted from top-shelf S2 tool steel.

Also magnetic, the entire set comes housed in an aluminum carrying case and the bit driver itself features a USC-C-rechargeable battery affording around 2 hours of use per cycle. At 7.16” x 2.80” x 1.02”, this electric bit driver set’s carrying case is technically small enough to be stored in a pant pocket, though it’s still large enough that I would only recommend adding it to your everyday carry rotation if you plan on carrying a backpack or bag that you can store it in, otherwise I’d say you’re better off with a multi-tool or smaller EDC bit driver set. My other minor gripe with this item is the fact its driver doesn’t feature the most powerful motor, but considering its size and price it’s hard to complain — plus it’s not meant to do the job of an impact wrench.

NEWDERY Portable 10,000-mAh Power Bank

Best Gadget: n today’s modern day and age, our mobile gadgets and devices have become increasingly integral parts of our day-to-day lives. As such, whether it’s for your job or for personal use, keeping your gadgets, devices, accessories, and peripherals charged up and ready to go at all times is an absolute must. In those times when you’re mobile, on-the-run, or simply can’t reach an outlet, having a dedicated backup power bank is always a worthwhile addition to your EDC loadout. And while there are plenty of options on the market, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option on Amazon for below the $40 mark — especially for users of the Apple device ecosystem.

Sporting an eye-catching transparent design that puts its internal components, circuit boards, and wiring on full display, the NEWDERY Portable 10,000-mAh Power Bank is an ultra-potent on-the-go charger that features everything needed to juice up your devices — eliminating the need to carry cables, as this model has a pair of USB-C cords built right in, as well as an onboard Apple Watch charger. Able to charge at speeds of up to 22.5 watts, this power bank also boasts an LED display and an ultra-potent 10,000-mAh cell that allows it to fully replenish the battery of the latest iPhone 16 Pro Max several times over.

Tested: The 20 Best Budget EDC Essentials (All Under $20)

On a tight budget but still want to get your hands on some quality kit? Then be sure to check out the products that comprise our list to the best budget EDC essentials for under $20.