Monday Morning EDC – In God’s Country

Monday mornings are best faced with caffeinated beverages and good friends. Preferably armed ones.

Different walks of life dictate different EDC (Every Day Carry) gear: The dress suit corporate guy is going to have both different equipment needs as well as differing levels of concealability afforded by his clothing and need for discretion than, say, a rancher or an outdoorsman. Since some of us are up in the Freedom States of the mountainous northwest, we reached out to some folks we knew would have interesting crap in their pockets. Let’s take a peek at some mountain-state friends who agreed to a pocket dump and explain the whats and whys behind their stashed ki — and of course their A.M.-giddyup beverages of choice.

Monday Morning EDC: Loadout 1 – Actively Retired

Representing the “active retiree” segment, this gent starts most days (enviably) with a little hiking. There’s no threat of dangerous animals in the area – except rattlesnakes. So, five .357 Magnum Blazer Shotshells wait patiently in the Smith & Wesson M&P340CT revolver. The wheelgun wears Crimson Trace built-in laser grips, and is stuffed in an International Handgun Leather (IHL) outside the waistband, offset belt slide holster. There’s not much need for concealment on the trails in the foothills – and while “open carry” isn’t the goal (a long t-shirt or an ARC’TERYX fleece loosely veils it from tender eyes), it’s 100% easily accessible while getting that morning cardio climb on.

A Hydro Flask 21 ounce thermos bottle in the always-fashionable Coyote Brown colorway holds more than enough go-juice. In this case, it’s an almond milk non-dairy mocha, kept steaming hot for breaks along the way. Breakfast accompanies it: a KIND Jalapeno nut bar for protein and a GU Energy Gel for the uphill-most parts of the trail.

Yes, we're aware if it wasn’t for the gun, we’d be veering suspiciously into hippie territory by now, but he's earned some forbearance.

Keeping it light – because who wants your shorts tugged down by pockets full of stuff? – A single valet key and some chapstick wait in a cargo pocket until they’re needed at the end of the trail. The lip balm was nabbed at a distance rifle match from the nice folks at Leupold Optics, and the keyring has its own understatedly underground cred.

A black MAGPUL Bump Case keeps the dents and dings away from an iPhone 5, and the Runkeeper iOS app keeps things honest with mileage and time, recording the hike’s progress via GPS.

Monday Morning EDC: Loadout 2, the Working Man

Some people gotta work.

This eclectic mix for the city dweller starts with an Emerson SARK knife. It features a hawkbill blade with a blunt tip in order to slide under seatbelts and cut free trapped victims without stabbing them in the process. The patented Wave opening feature purposefully snags the pocket upon draw, opening the knife on its way out. A small Surefire torch is a double duty choice: while normally carrying a flashlight with a weapons mount on it would be unnecessarily clumsy, this M300 Mini-Scout light with Picatinny rail mount is small enough to still fit in a coat pocket and bright – and quick – enough to pop onto the 5.56mm Short Barreled carbine stashed in the trunk of his SUV.

The Smith & Wesson M&P9C handgun is stuffed with Hornady 147 gr XTP rounds, and looks pretty refined in a black horsehide Milt Sparks 55BN. An extra full-sized magazine is there for backup.

The phablet-sized iPhone 6 Plus is kept not only free from scratches in its Lifeproof NÜÜD case, but is submersible to 6.6 feet/2 meters for 1 hour and protected from drops up to 6.6 feet. All while having access to the phone’s original glass screen without finicky overlay shields.
Andy's Leather provides a custom leather sap for… whatever the other gear didn’t take care of.

Lastly, the coffee and well-abused insulated cup came from the laser-loving lab techs at BE Meyers. (Note: keep an…eye out for their just-released MAWL carbine aimer/illuminator.)

Monday Morning EDC: Loadout 3 – Working Behind the Wheel

This man works out of a truck, in a ranching area, so naturally you’d expect a crusty old timer with a 1911 chambered in God’s Caliber. Most of that stereotype holds true, but this is an updated version. The STI Tactical SS goes about its daily chores half-concealed under a warm flannel shirt, riding in a nylon Yaqui-type open holster. A threaded barrel clues you in that there’s a Dead Air suppressor tucked in the glove box of his truck in case an impromptu varminting opportunity presents itself.

A Leatherman MUT tool is a chunky addition to the belt in its Cordura sheath, but provides the always-needed knife and screwdrivers, along with a host of other tools for rifles and pistols – and some burly pliers.

A utilitarian Polysteel 400 torch from COAST uses four easily replaceable AAA batteries to throw a 300 lumen beam. Lastly, an inexpensive Motorola Talkabout radio waits in a pocket if needed to communicate with others in the rural areas that don’t have cell service.

Green Tea is the choice of warm, throat-soothing morning beverage here (“I treat myself sometimes to some premium Kabusecha Sencha stuff: I don’t like burnt-tasting bitter tea,.” he tell us), served in a steel mug stolen from Granite Gear at some trade show.

We'll soon open this up to reader contributions, if you'd care to send us your pictures and an explanation. Meantime, let us know in the comments — what do you carry, and why?

More images here: http://tinyurl.com/RECOIL-EDC-Series

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