As the season turns to fall where I am, I’ve been doing more hiking and enjoying the foliage and cooler weather. This post lists some of the random hiking, camping, and EDC gear I like to carry with me.
Flashlights
Mini Maglite
I really like the Mini-Maglite LED flashlights. They’re small, bright, and have a good battery life with standard AA batteries. I keep one of these in my nightstand, and the larger C battery version in my car
Nilight MT2A Pro
I keep a Nitecore MT2A Pro in my backpack. This light is a lot brighter and has a USB-C rechargeable battery.
It also is able to run off AA batteries, by sacrificing some brightness.
Olight Arkfeld Pro
I also picked up one of these Olight Arkfeld PRO lights. It is rechargeable, has a bright flashlight, laser pointer, and UV light. Depending on what you need, it’s a good all-in-one light if you find yourself needing a UV light or laser pointer.
Pocket Knives
If they’re legal in where you are, a good pocket knife is a must-have.
Swiss Army
I have a Mini Swiss Army Knife on my keychain. They are good in a pinch, and this model is a good hybrid between their smaller models and the more full-featured ones. It has a phillips/flathead screwdriver, scissors, a tiny laser-etched ruler, and of course, a knife.
Benchmade Bugout
I’ve been using the Benchmade Bugout for a little while, and it’s been a great knife. It’s light enough you don’t notice it in your pocket, but is well made.
These are pretty expensive, but are made in USA, have a good warranty, and (in my opinion) they’re worth it. They aren’t “automatic” but they still can be opened with one hand pretty easily, so check your local laws on legality.
If these aren’t in your budget, plenty of other knives that are much cheaper can still do the job
Multi-tools
For multi-tools, I have an older version of the Gerber MP600, and a Leatherman Wave+.
Secondary Keychain
I keep a second keychain in my bag with a few useful items. This key ring comes with me hiking, camping, etc.
- Swiss Army Knife
- OLight iMini 2 Light
- Uncle Bill’s Sliver Gripper (Tweezers)
- Fox40 Whistle
- Ferro Rod and Striker
- Mini Tape Measure
- Paracord Bracelet (There’s tons of options to either make your own or buy one)
- Nail Clippers (literally any brand, something with a hole for a keychain)
- P-38 Can Opener
I use these steel key cable loops for this, and allows for much more room and ease of removal if needed.
Other Things
- A tiny roll of Duck tape / Gorilla tape - Even though I printed one, printing this isn’t actually needed, and you can likely find a piece of plastic or wood that’ll work well. The principle here is to have something to wrap a few feet of tape around that can fit in your pocket or bag.
Future Additions
I’ll try and keep this post updated with new gear I find and like. I’m always looking for new gear to try out, so if you have any recommendations, let me know!