Weight?

VorpelSword said:
"EDC gear"? Do you refer to a police officer's duty belt? Do you mean something like a "Go Bag"?

My EDC consists of a set of keys in my right pocket, wallet in my left rear pocket and a Leatherman Wave in a horizontal belt sheath behind the right hip. A large-ish cell phone often rides in an "Otterbox" belt clip on the left.

At times, this assemblage is tucked into a fanny pack designed for a mid sized pistol (no pistol) . . .usually when traveling by air.
Weighs less than my wife's purse and is distributed, so not uncomfortable.


I have been given a pretty big Spyderco folder. Can;t find a comfortable and handy way to walk around with it.

But again: What does "EDC Gear" mean to you?
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You're looking a bit too deep into it. Edc gear is just anything you edc. I used the term instead of "watches, knives, phones, wallets, multitools, keys, guns, coins, earbuds, lighters, pens, flashlights, etc".
 
Weight for me often affects appearance. During the workweek I’m usually in business casual at the office with lighter weight slacks in the Texas summer. There’s a weight, usually between 3-4 ounces depending on the knife, where a knife will begin to hang.

This creates a bit of a “is that a roll of Tums in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me” effect. It also looks a little obvious that there’s something in your pocket. Although I don’t work around easily frightened people, I’d rather not let the weight of a knife “print” in my pocket.

If I was climbing Everest I’m sure every ounce would matter, but most days I’m only climbing stairs.
 
DrRollinstein said:
Is the weight of your EDC gear a big consideration? I see people discussing it all the time, removing things from their EDC due to weight, etc, but i literally never notice anything in particular about any piece of my gear in regards to weight, even stuff like my Leatherman Surge or a firearm, and i carry quite a bit. Im starting to think that a lot of you need to invest in a quality full grain leather belt if weight is becoming an issue.
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Maybe you shouldn't judge other people so harshly. People have different reasons for carrying what they do. I generally don't wear a belt, so I keep weight in my pockets to a minimum. YMMV.
 
Wintertime, wearing an M65 type coat with liner that weighs a lot, I hardly notice the weight of most folders in my pockets.

Summertime, wearing shorts held up with a drawstring, anything bigger than a mini toothpick knife may feel too much.
 
I used to like carrying a heavier knife but not anymore. I also carry a cumbersome set of keys, a small flashlight, an over chunky wallet, a large cell phone and some times a sak, so I feel the weight of the heavier knife now more than in the past. I just do not see the advantage of the heavy folding knife anymore, the Jeep is full of tools and so is the house so what i need a knife in my pocket for, lighter is better
 
In the last month I’ve lost 20 lbs . I could carry a lot more now if my heart condition was better. Hopefully in a couple of months this clot will dissolve and they can get my heart rate to normal and I can do more.

Before I carried plenty of gear around at work and was used to it so a 7.5 oz Buck 110, 8.5 oz Leatherman Wave, 1.6 oz 303 cadet , pen, IPhone and a micro stream flashlight didn’t seem much at all. If I’m in shape a few pounds don’t matter as much as having it handy and streamlined not to snag stuff as I pass by. I don’t like stuff hanging out, flopping around or catching my gear.

When I’m home relaxing I like to shed the extra stuff and go light. I usually have a 4 oz vantage pro along with my cadet and micro stream in pocket. But today I have a 110 sport aluminum frame that weighs a mere 4.6 oz. I almost forgot it was there. Lol
 
Weight is always a conditional factor for carrying knives, especially as it relates to the size of the knife. The knife I take car camping is going to have none of the restriction I put on the knife that I carry all day on a pack. That goes for what I'm doing day to day, but it also is conditional for my setting. I'm unlikely to carry the same size fixed blade downtown as in my rural woodlot. What I'm wearing is also going to dictate the size and weight, as well as number of knives I can carry comfortably.
 
Hal said:
Being old sucks. Being old - and in poor health, sucks even more.
Being old and in poor health and not being able to carry a bunch of knives sucks the most.
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You've got that right buddy. Limp along with a cane and pain. It sucks.
I prefer folders in the 3-4 oz range. 2 oz. would be great - Oh! That's my SAK Tinker!
I'm thinking of adding a belt type sheath to my cane so I can carry heavier knives. I bet that would draw a few stares ;)
 
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I'm not concerned with weight on my EDC. I usually have a knife, MT, flashlight, wallet, and phone on me. I do carry a firearm when I can (I have my CPL). I can't tell the difference between a 4 or 7 oz knife tbh.

I'm 6'7" 290 lbs (slowly losing weight ...) so a few ounces isn't a big deal. Heck, I eat my lunch and gain 10 oz.

The only thing I downsized is the amount of items on my key ring. I had too much stuff on there at one time. It wasn't about weight. It was too much crap and when the key was in the ignition, my key ring would sway and slap my knee while I drove. Again, big tall person, not much room for knees in a lot of vehicles. Just my keys and Olight ie3 now.

The only time I would count ounces if I was going backpacking for several days.
 
Light and durable is what I like. I can really appreciate the looks and feel of heavier stuff but when it comes to practical use and carry why lug a big heavy clunker when you can have a leaner lighter, more durable knife with super steel that will outperform the clunker. in just about every task you perform without making your pants hang down or chaffing your thighs when jogging. It sounds like the heavy clunker is more likely to wind up put away than on you when you need it.
 
DrRollinstein said:
Is the weight of your EDC gear a big consideration? I see people discussing it all the time, removing things from their EDC due to weight, etc, but i literally never notice anything in particular about any piece of my gear in regards to weight, even stuff like my Leatherman Surge or a firearm, and i carry quite a bit. Im starting to think that a lot of you need to invest in a quality full grain leather belt if weight is becoming an issue.
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No and yes.
>>No, because weight does not really factor into my selection of a particular piece of gear. I want something which does exactly what I want it to do. Weight is not a factor in my selection.
>>Yes, because I limit the number of items I carry in my pockets so that my pants don't weigh more than I do. I do have a travel kit which usually goes places with me, and some items get carried there.
 
sgt1372 said:
Whether you think so or not, weight matters.

How much it matters depends on how much else you are carrying and how far/long you are carrying it.

I use to wear a duty belt that weighed about 20# which included the weight of the belt/holsters/holders for other gear, a loaded G17, 2 loaded 17 rd 9mm G17 mags, handcuffs, radio, collapsible baton, keys, respirator mask, a big can of pepper spray and a multi-tool.

FYI, one of the major causes of back problems among LEOs, resulting in permanent disability claims, is due to carrying so much weight on their duty belt.

While backpacking, I tried to limit the weight of the pack to 50# which was very hard to do, especially if I was planning long overnight treks.

Most of my packs usually ended up weighing about 70# -- at least for multi-day trips, despite my efforts to keep the weight down. I could really only do 50# on a single overnight trip.

For EDC use, when you are only carrying your keys, wallet or other such things, the weight of the knife shouldn't matter all that much but, if I can notice the "weight" in my pocket or on my belt, and I don't really "need" to carry a knife that heavy, then I won't carry it.
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Wow, 50# sounds brutal. I usually can get my pack weight for a single night down to about 28 lbs, assuming there are water sources en route so that I only carry about a liter or two of water at any time. Of course it depends how much you’re willing to spend for a lightweight tent (like some of the Big Agnes tents), air mattress, sleeping bag (down), clothing (avoiding heavy wool and fleece), freeze dried food (ok maybe one beer) etc. I usually just bring a lightweight Silky Gomtaro 300 saw and leave the heavy axes, knives (and guns, if I owned any) at home, although ymmv. (I do carry a Mora bushcraft survival knife with sharpener.) I find Outdoorgearlab.com is useful for finding the lightest/ best performing gear.
 
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I believe he is talking about edc not backpacking, hiking/ camping and such. Yes if you’re are backpacking weight does matter when you’re talking about 30- 60 lbs of gear for a few days outing as some do. But daily edc is different, no backpacking.

I guess it depends on a person’s abilities and preference as to how much they want or can carry daily but if a person is healthy and able bodied a pound isn’t much at all. For the past 43+ years I’ve intermittently carried necessary items of gear and tools in my job and on days off out fishing, hunting and chores around the house and ranch. My dad and grandpa routinely carried tools and gear around the farm and ranch. All of my jeans have 5 pockets and I use most of them. What good is empty pockets? 😆 and I prefer 2 pockets on my shirts. 😂
 
Lesknife said:
I believe he is talking about edc not backpacking, hiking/ camping and such. Yes if you’re are backpacking weight does matter when you’re talking about 30- 60 lbs of gear for a few days outing as some do. But daily edc is different, no backpacking.

I guess it depends on a person’s abilities and preference as to how much they want or can carry daily but if a person is healthy and able bodied a pound isn’t much at all. For the past 43+ years I’ve intermittently carried necessary items of gear and tools in my job and on days off out fishing, hunting and chores around the house and ranch. My dad and grandpa routinely carried tools and gear around the farm and ranch. All of my jeans have 5 pockets and I use most of them. What good is empty pockets? 😆 and I prefer 2 pockets on my shirts. 😂
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If you like pockets, you might enjoy the William goatskin suede vest from Overland company. Super comfortable and enough pockets to carry all the EDC you want
 
barleywino said:
If you like pockets, you might enjoy the William goatskin suede vest from Overland company. Super comfortable and enough pockets to carry all the EDC you want
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I’ll have to look for them, my winter ranch coat has 8 pockets 😆 they have been handy.
 
the weight douse not bother me, things like sebenzas or hinderer are fine with regular pants, but when I where shorts I like to go a little lighter! something like a Spyderco is grate with shorts .
 
To the extent that I can reduce the weight of individual items, I can carry more of them. I admit to being a gadget nut. The stuff that I carry everyday fits right in with back backing and cycle camping gear. My main knife (top right) weighs 55gm.View attachment 1922237
 
In every day life I switched to college pants after decades of jeans use (I still have jeans but for more for outgoing/adventurous use) so weight and space is something I care about these days. For winter it doesn't matter so much since you go with coat anyway.
 
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