It’s official. Summer, that is; the solstice has come and gone, and the next few months should serve as a clear palette upon which you should slather plans for cookouts, hikes and trips to your local swimming hole. (Local is the operative word here because travel is still a dicey proposition.)
Whatever you do, do it with a mask. Think of it as the newest addition to your EDC — there are enough out there now that you’ll be able to find one to match your kit. To prove our point, we even included one in this roundup of the best and brightest new releases.
Recently, Drop teamed up with Quiet Carry, Field Notes released a heavy-duty notepad, Benchmade revealed a unique tool and more.
Benchmade Tengu Tool
Benchmade teamed up with designer Jared Oeser to produce his wildly unique Tengu Tool on a larger scale. The tiny multi-tool’s construction uses a friction pivot to deploy either a 1.14-inch tanto blade or a bottle opener/pry bar. Both are made of premium CPM-20CV steel while the handle is contoured G10.
Drop x Quiet Carry Collaboration
Drop is teaming up with Quiet Carry to produce a limited run of two of its popular items: the iQ folding knife and the Shorty key organizer. Both feature the same skilled use of titanium components that characterize so many of Quiet Carry’s tools but Drop added knurled scales that make for a more tactile experience. While Drop’s previous knife collaborations have been more robust items, the iQ and Shorty both fall squarely in the discreet EDC category.
The collaboration will be available at Drop on July 7. The iQ will cost $198 and the Shorty $75.
Field Notes Heavy Duty
Field Notes strayed from its typical notebook format in its most recent release. The Heavy Duty is a rugged, spiral-bound pad with 80 pages that are ruled on one side and graph on the other. At 3.5 by 5.5 inches, the new pads are still small enough to fit in a pocket and include a wide rubber band to keep it shut when not in use.
Ashley Watson Blakeney Knife
The Blakeney Knife calls back to the clasp knives used by the British military, which were made in Sheffield and featured a can opener and marlinspike along with a sheepsfoot blade. Ashley Watson’s design pares the tool down to just the knife blade, leaving the Blakeney slim and lightweight.
Gerber Asada
Gerber is staking a strong claim on the pocket cleaver category with the Asada, refining what the brand did previously with the Flatiron. The Asada’s blade is shorter at roughly three inches and features a large finger choil as well as a swooping front end that comes to enough of a point to be of use. The knife uses Gerber’s B.O.S.S. ball-bearing pivot system for a smooth opening and an anti-pinch plate to back its frame lock.
Outdoor Research Essential Face Mask Kit
We weren’t kidding, and while Outdoor Research’s Essential Face Mask Kit isn’t new for this month, it did get a recent restock. We’ve tested a handful of masks made by outdoor gear companies, and OR’s is the sleekest and most adjustable we’ve come across, which makes it perfect for your EDC.
