Uncommon Carry: 11 Unusual EDC Essentials

From the Benchmade Bugout to the Fisher Space Pen to the GORUCK GR2 to the classic Zippo lighter, certain pieces of gear have become staples and mainstays in the larger everyday carry space, being carried by legions of EDC enthusiasts day in and day out. And while these tried and true items are what we tend to focus on when penning best gear roundups, for our latest piece, we’ve opted to change things up and embrace the unconventional and unorthodox with a curated selection of idiosyncratic and unusual takes on standard pieces of EDC kit. So, without further adieu, join us as we get weird and lean into the unusual with this curated guide to the best uncommon EDC essentials.

What Exactly Is Uncommon EDC Gear?

For the sake of this article, we’re defining uncommon EDC gear as either unusual, unorthodox takes on standard pieces of gear (such as everyday carry knives, wallets, flashlights, etc) or unexpected items that aren’t normally considered to be of the everyday carry variety. Having said that, every item on this list has to offer some basic utility or functionality and can’t merely be a novelty or toy.

Selection & Testing

To put together this unconventional list of everyday carry gear, we first started by making a list of the main categories that the larger EDC space is comprised of (such as cardholders or wallets, knives, flashlights, watches, and so on). From there, we looked high and low, scouring each space for unusual options that distinguishing themselves from more run-of-the-mil items on the market via their unique appearance, idiosyncratic mechanism or operation, or plain weird-factor. Viewing the EDC space through this lens, we selected anywhere from two to four unusual picks from each category. Next, we supplemented these initial picks by casting an even wider net, looking at the tech and gear spaces for unusual items that could make for fun and unique additions to a standard, more traditional daily carry loadout.

With our list complete, we then proceeded to get our hands on each item we uncovered in order to put them to the test — a review process carried out by simply carrying each item as our EDC for several weeks. After carrying and using these items daily for more than a fortnight, we then took our hands-on findings and used them to narrow our initial selections down to a final list of what we found to be the best uncommon, unusual, unorthodox, and unconventional EDC gear currently out there.

Shomer-Tec Covert Escape Compass

Best Unusual Compass: During the Second World War, Allied airmen and commandos were issued evasion and survival kits designed to keep them alive and help them safely make it back from behind enemy lines. The Shomer-Tec Covert Escape Compass takes ample inspiration from the types of items often found in these WW2-era kits, as a compass that’s been designed to look like an ordinary Nickel — though the thing is also sold in a Euro coin version. 

Though it looks like an ordinary Nickel, beneath this Shomer-Tec product has a hidden trick up its sleeve that makes it surprisingly utilitarian — as well as a clear choice for unorthodox EDC. The outer edge of the coin features a slightly-recessed groove that allows a piece of string — or threading from your clothes — to be wrapped around it and suspended. When dangling from a piece of thread or string, the side with Thomas Jefferson’s head will always point to magnetic north. Not requiring any batteries or power source — above and beyond the earth’s magnetic field — this compass-in-a-Nickel is also a pretty cool party trick in our opinion. 

The James Brand The Palmer Clear

Best Unusual Utility Knife: A followup to TJB’s original boxcutter that first debuted in October of 2022, The James Brand’s The Palmer Clear is a vibrant piece of everyday carry kit that replaces the original utility knife’s aluminum shell with a transparent ‘90s-esque PCTG (polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate) construction derived from recycled materials. Measuring 3.50” by 1.50”, clocking in at just 0.40” thick, and tipping the scales at 1.98oz, The Palmer Clear makes for a playful addition to any EDC loadout while bringing more than its fair share of utility to the table. Sold with an included pack of high carbon steel utility blades, The Palmer Clear also features an alloy-collared lanyard hole that comes fitted with an accent lanyard. 

Fitting perfectly inside a coin pocket, The Palmer Clear has several major selling points. Like the original aluminum model, the new PCTG variants — which are offered in five different color options — The Palmer Clear utilizes TJB’s patented locking mechanism — a spring-loaded thumb-slider system that allows for effortless tool-free blade-changes. In addition to its deployment and blade change mechanism, The Clear-spec’s PCTG construction not only adds a dose of retro-inspired flavor to the tool — taking inspiration from throwback tech like the Game Boy Color and iMac G3 — but it also puts the aforementioned proprietary mechanism on full display. 

Barebones Mini Flashlight

cBest Unusual Flashlight: The Barebones Mini Flashlight is a vintage-inspired alternative to more contemporary EDC torch designs that  doesn’t skimp on features or performance — or old-school character. Measuring 3.88” in length and 1.10” in diameter, this antique-inspired light is constructed around a brass body with a vertically-milled grip pattern, aluminum accents, and a glass half-dome lens. The bottom of the torch has also been fitted with a faux leather strap and loop that adds some extra old-school flavor while also allowing the thing to easily be tethered to a keychain — though it’s admittedly on the larger side for keychain carrying. 

Despite its unmistakable retro-style appearance, Barebones’ Mini Flashlight is a fairly modern piece of kit. Its brass body houses a USB-C-rechargeable Li-ion battery, its tail is magnetic, and it even packs two different lighting modes; a low 35-lumen mode; and a high 150-lumen setting. At just $50, this light also offers some pretty outstanding bang-for-your-buck — an area only furthered by its veracity considering it’s just as conducive to daily-carrying as it is to outdoor applications or serving as a statement piece on a desk or side table. 

Tokyo Pipe Co Douglass Field S+ Lighter

Best Unusual Lighter: The “Douglass” American oil lighter was first introduced in the 1920s and was produced for several decades before the plug was pulled on production. In 1993, the Tokyo Pipe Company revived this design, but brought it to life using more contemporary materials and manufacturing techniques — giving way to the Tokyo Pipe Co Douglass Field S+ Lighter. The lighter features a cylindrical body with a flip-up top that’s secured via a vertical screw-down ring. As this top flips open, its motion automatically creates a spark — thereby igniting the fuel that’s released through a valve that’s also opened as the top flips up. The bottom of the lighter features a screw-down mechanism that opens to reveal an insert housing the fuel, flint, and wick — plus it boasts a small watertight area for housing extra flints and wicks. 

While its design is equal parts handsome and unique and its flip-up striking mechanism is incredibly satisfying to use, what really makes the Douglass Field S+ Lighter so special is the manner in which it’s constructed. Its design consists of 45 components in total and is brought to life in Japan, being hand-machined from solid duralumin stock, using tolerances calculated to within a 1/100 millimeter — a metric normally served for Swiss watch-making. From there, the body is wrapped in a genuine carbon fiber veneer, giving the old-school design a more contemporary feel. Above and beyond its next-level build quality, this lighter is also largely windproof. It also makes for an absolutely stellar modern-day family heirloom. 

CW&T Pen Type-A

Best Unusual Pen: Headquartered out of Brooklyn, New York, Charlie Whiskey Tango — better known simply and CW&T — is a collective of artists and designers responsible for a slew of elevated takes on ordinary objects. CW&T’s Pen Type-A may at first look like your average desk pen, though it’s got a lot more going on than first meets the eye.  Spanning 4.92” overall, the Pen Type-A is milled from a combination of 300 and 400 Series stainless steel and is comprised of a round ballpoint pen housed in a square-shaped sleeve that doubles as a ruler (or a metric architect’s scale, or an imperial architect’s scale. Made in America, the pen ships with a Black Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm ink cartridge. 

A monumental part of what makes the Pen Type-A so special is its ultra-meticulous craftsmanship. The pen is precision-machined to within tolerances that are just a fraction of a human hair. These insane tolerances allow the pen to perfectly fit into its sleeve, slowing sliding into the housing similar to how a piston moves through a cylinder. There’s also a magnet at the very bottom of the sleeve to further secure the pen. It’s also far more than a display piece, as the Pen Type-A also affords a remarkably smooth and well-balanced writing experience. Sure, it doesn’t come cheap, though precision engineering like this never does. 

TROVA GO

Best Unusual EDC Case: Like a mini Fort Knox for your most valuable EDC, the TROVA GO is a portable biometric stash vault offering secure, GPS-tracked storage in an unassuming-looking package. Measuring 6.1” X 3.0” X 1.60”, the TROVA GO features a body crafted from rugged aluminum and paired with a matching aluminum lid. The entire thing functions similarly to a safe, though with a few key differences. IFor starters, it boasts bluetooth and wifi connectivity, enabling it to connect to a dedicated smartphone app that can be used to remotely monitor the safe and whether it’s open or closed. It also has GPS tracking and a Find My feature, plus the app is used as the mini safe’s key.

Also great for at-home and office use, the TROVA GO is designed to have an inconspicuous and nondescript appearance that makes it look more like a power bank or external hard drive than it does a mobile biometric safe. Thanks to a Silicone overmold, the GO’s lid creates an airtight seal that keeps smells from permeating the mini safe — making it perfect for housing dry flower and herb. It’s also perfectly sized to house a wrist watch — making it the perfect vessel for stashing a valuable timepiece in when at the gym or on the court. 

AVIATOR Fusion Silver Metal Frame Transparent Slide Wallet

Best Unusual Wallet: For the last decade or so, rigid minimalistic front pockets have become incredibly popular amongst everyday carry aficionados, and while there are plenty of great options out there — from the classic Ridge wallet to any number of Dango’s tactically-inspired takes on the segment — few if any are as unique or elevated as AVIATOR’s Fusion Silver Metal Frame Transparent Slide Wallet. Measuring  3.37” x 2.12” x 0.41”, the wallet is constructed around a silver-anodized aluminum frame that’s been sandwiched between two pieces of acrylic glass and mated together using visible stainless steel hardware. 

Offering RFID protection, the wallet also boasts a self-adjusting elastic cash strap that enables it to accommodate up to 20 cards. It also has a small stash area for housing coins, folded paper bills, or other small objects like medications or SD cards. AVIATOR also gives buyers of optioning the wallet with an available aluminum AirTag holder. In addition to making for a great card and cash carrier, this wallet also massively benefits from a super premium build quality that’s carried out entirely in Germany  — plus the entire thing comes backed by a lifetime warranty. 

Formawerx OpenSpec Ultem Superleggera Key

Best Unusual Key: As outfits like Singer, Gunther Werx, Ring Bros, and Speedkore have thoroughly demonstrated, pretty much every inch of a car can be customized. And with gearhead’s proclivity for customization and sweating the details, it’s a little surprising that the actual key to the vehicle is often an afterthought. Enter Formawerx — a Southern California-based design house specializing in delivering bespoke car cars like the OpenSpec Superleggera Key. Taking inspiration from European sports cars from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, this key is precision machined in America from top-shelf Perpetua stainless steel using Swiss watch tolerances. 

While any of Formawerx’s keys make for a stellar — and decidedly classy — addition to pretty much any EDC loadout, this particular version is even more conducive to being paired with a daily-carry loadout thanks to its grip section being crafted from Ultem — an ultra-tough semi-transparent thermoplastic that’s become wildly popular in EDC circles over the last year or two. What’s more, unlike some of  Formawerx’s model-specific keys — which are only compatible with the Porsche 911 or Land Rover Defender — the OpenSpec Ultem Superleggera key works with all models that left the factory prior to the turn-of-the-millennium.

Punkt. MP02

Best Unusual Phone: The Punkt. MP02 is a modern-day “dumb phone” that offers fully-encrypted calling and texting with none of the distractions that come with operating a normal smartphone — meaning there’s no apps, no tracking, no social media, no camera, nothing, just the bare essentials. Fitted with a 2.0-inch monochrome display, the MP02 essentially runs a heavily stripped-down version of Android 8.1 that uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 chipset and BlackBerry-spec security extensions. IP52-rated, the phone, this super minimalistic 4G phone that takes a charming, back-to-basics approach to mobile telephonic devices.

Constructed around a fiber-glass-reinforced body with a textured finish and a hardwearing abrasion-resistant coating, the phone looks more like turn-of-the-millennium era calculator than it does a contemporary phone. Once booted up, its main screen is extremely spartan, allowing you to choose from a calendar, a clock, notes, and settings, plus it obviously has calling and texting — including its own downloadable privacy Signal protocol that allows for free, encrypted Internet-based calls and texts worldwide using either Wi Fi or mobile data. The icing on the cake here is that the MP02’s 4G LTE connection can also be shared with a tablet or laptop. 

Winter Blade Company Factor B3

Best Unusual EDC Knife: The Winter Blade Company is arguably one of the best-kept secrets in the EDC knife space, being responsible for an ever-growing slew of legitimately envelop-pushing, cutting-edge blades of all kinds. Representing Winter Blade Co’s third-generation flagship knife, the Factor B3 is an ultra-top-shelf everyday carry folder that’s constructed around a handle that’s been precision-machined from titanium before being paired with a 3.0-inch sheepsfoot blade composed of Böhler M390 “Super Steel.” Tipping the scales at a little under 4oz, the entire knife spans a tad over 7.0” in length. Equipped with an AXIS-like M-Lock mechanism with a G-10 slider insert, the knife can be deployed using a thumb-hole opening, or by pressing on its carbon fiber flip lever.

There’s a myriad of characteristics that make the Factor B3 so special — to the point where it’s hard even knowing where to begin — though the most obvious is its detent and deployment system. In place of a standard ball bearing detent and an Omega spring, the Factor B3 features four neodymium magnets that assist in the blade’s opening and act as a detent to keep the thing closed. It doesn’t end, there, however, as this knife is also brimming with high-end features that are sure to resonate with any hardcore EDC nerds like ourselves. This particular version of the knife comes adorned in a purple anodized finish, plus sports a custom pivot collar with a G-10 inlay, and a Timascus pocket clip. What’s more, its build quality is top-notch (thanks to manufacturing carried out by Bestech) and it not only offers one of the smoothest, most fidget-friendly, and most flickable blade deployments I’ve ever experienced, but it also opens with a ridiculously satisfying “ting” sound. 

BOTTA Design UNO 24 Automatic

Best Unusual Watch: There’s no shortage of unorthodox watches currently out there — and that’s without even considering all the ultra-premium high-complication timepieces on the market — though for our choice of unorthodox EDC watch we’ve selected BOTTA Design’s UNO 24 Automatic, aka the original 24 hour single hand watch. This unconventional timepiece is constructed around a fully-screwed 40mm case that’s crafted from three different titanium alloys — with each used to make different parts of the watch. Clocking in at just 8.5mm thick, this “Tri-Titanium” case construction houses a ETA 2893-2 elaboré (or Sellita SW-330) automatic movement. Individually adjusted by hand at BOTTA’s factory in Germany, this Swiss-made movement can also be viewed through the watch’s exhibition case back. 

What makes the UNO 24 Auto stand our from the rest of the horological crowd is its ultra-unique dial layout. Offered in several different monochrome and colored options, the dial sports an ultra-idiosyncratic 24-hour layout paired with a single hand that does the time-telling. Fortified beneath an AR-coated double domed sapphire crystal, the dial takes inspiration from automotive instrumentation and boasts a layout that’s divided into four quadrants — with the 0 hour is located at where 6 o’clock would normally be — all broken up by 10-minute markers. It does take a bit of getting used to, but it becomes super easy to read with just a quick glance at your wrist after wearing it for only a day or two. On top of crafting more-affordable quartz-powered version of the UNO 24, BOTTA Design also offers this watch with a slew of bracelet and band options as well. 

The Best Mini EDC Gear for Discreet Carry

Want to check out another selection of somewhat unorthodox EDC kit? Then be sure to head over to our guide to the best mini everyday carry gear for a curated selection of diminutive EDC options.