My 2023 EDC Micro Urban Essentials Kit (Everyday Carry)

Don’t leave home without this Urban Essentials EDC Kit, revised and updated for 2023. I always have this with me in my sling bag or work pack to help solve problems and reduce friction day-to-day.

This channel is here to give you ideas and inspiration when it comes to finding great Everyday Carry, Travel Gear and Gadgets, on the back of solid and detailed reviews alongside years of experience, which I hope will make life and travel just a little bit more frictionless and fun.

Here are links to the products featured. This can consist of Amazon affiliate links and supplier affiliate links and website links. See below for more on affiliate links.

Products Featured in the Video:

Maxpedition Volta Case

Glue Sticks

Mini Bic Lighter

Titanium Pill Tube
This might now be discontinued but here is an alternative for the US

Heat Shrink Tubing

Victorinox Midnite Manager (with light)
Victorinox Manager appears to be discontinued in some markets

TNTOR Flat Power Bank
(not all markets)

Rovyvon A8 Flashlight

Lumintop EDC01 Flashlight

InCharge X 6-in-1 cable
(First use should give 20% discount)

Plastic Card Sleeves

Amalgamating Tape

Gorilla Duct Tape

Micro Cord

Thin Optics Glasses

Magnet

Clinell Handwipes

My name is Jonathan, I have a passion for all things gadget, travel and EDC (Everyday Carry), which has filled both my personal and work life for many years.

Contents of this video to help you navigate:

00:00 - Urban Essentials Kit 2023
00:42 - Maxpedition Volta Pouch
02:17 - Glue Stick
03:22 - BIC lighter
05:19 - Heat Shrink Tubing
05:51 - Victorinox Manager
06:46 - Flat Power Bank
09:05 - Rovyvon A8 Flashlight
10:07 - Lumintop EDC01 Flashlight
10:53 - InCharge X
12:05 - Plasters or Band Aids
12:18 - Soft Sleeves
12:32 - Emergency Notes
13:07 - Needle Thread Zip-ties Amalgamating Tape
13:41 - Duct Tape
14:17 - Micro Cord and Safety Pins
14:36 - Thin Optics
15:06 - Fishing Magnet
15:26 - Anti-bac Wipe
15:43 - Elastic Bands
16:06 - Loading the Pouch
16:40 - Outro

Product Sourcing:

When it comes to sourcing a product for review, I will usually either  purchase and item personally or reach out to a supplier requesting a sample for review.  Many suppliers are supportive if they are confident in their product, appreciating the value of greater exposure.

I am sometimes sent a product by a supplier which I may include if the product fits planned content and I believe will be of interest to you, my audience. The product needs to be worthy of a review and I always make it clear to the supplier that they cannot influence or be involved in the content in any way. It is not in my interest to review inferior or poor quality products and therefore as you might expect many product offers are politely declined.

Any sponsored videos (paid for reviews) are clearly stated as such so there can be no misunderstanding.

Sometimes a supplier will provide a link to the product or the supplier which I am happy to include in the description.  Sometimes I will be provided with an affiliate link so I can earn a commission on sales and this helps to support channel costs but never at the expense of an honest review. There is no cost to you and in some cases discounts can be obtained via the link or via an included code.

If a product I have reviewed is available from Amazon I will often include an Amazon link in the description.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

Replying to Comments:

I really appreciate the feedback in the comments - I find it a source of knowledge and inspiration - so thank you to all of you who take the time to contribute, my aim is to read everything I can and reply when I can, after each video goes live for the first few hours at least, and beyond that when possible. I'll see how that works out 😊

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Thank you for supporting the channel.

JonGadget

[Robert-Hessen]

in my opinion this is one of the best EDC-Channel on YT. Best content. greetings from Germany 🤜 🤛

[CristiNeagu]

That power bank is just brilliant. I ordered it immediately after I saw it in your previous video. Already came in useful. And it's so, so easy to carry. Perfect.

[pgpagaia]

In my experience, eye drops and plasters are two items that will come in need very frequently. Their application is usually more acute than for example gear repairs. I had to buy a new box of eye drop ampoules because I used up my box of 20. Curiously, not a single one on myself but on other people that had problems in their eyes.

[nigelsutton]

Add a piece of bicycle inner tube. It will ignite even when wet and a couple of thin strips are enough to start any fire!

[TomReinerDE]

I am glad that you do not publish videos more often — they always turn out to be pretty expensive for me… 😊

[muazqamar]

If you could include the cost of everything in your kits (what you paid at the time of filming) in the videos or in the description, that would be immensely helpful.

I love your videos and watch all of them, and your wisdom and advice means a lot. Thank you for everything you do!

[AllenReinecke]

Another great video! You offer so many ideas for EDC. ❤

I use a plastic twist tie around my BIC lighter. It's more easily removed and reapplied.
I add a few wraps of waterproof, sticky bandage around the lighter for cuts. That stuffs sticks really well after applying a pad of paper towel over the cut.
I also make small vacuumed FoodSaver packets for vinyl gloves, pills, etc. Great for lesser used items, things that can be bulky if not squeezed down, and to waterproof items. You can make bags whatever size you like.
I've warmed up a length of glue stick and pressed it flatter.
I carry a micro Maxpedition in my front pocket and try to keep its thickness as low as possible. My Baton 4 is either below in my pocket for quick retrieval, or hung off the pouch loop. I have a Nextool Mini Sailor (scissor version for opening the sealed bags) in the pouch. The pouch is too bulky with the light in there as well, and too fiddly to get to the light when I need it in the dark.
I can use the magnet at the bottom of my Baton 4 light, hanging that via the pocket clip, while using small dia. cordage, which is squeezed down to a tight bundle with heat-shrink tubing.
I have a titanium pen and whistle similar to your pill container. The whistle hangs off the light's pocket clip, again for quick access. The dark can hide many potential dangers!

👹

[Summicron]

Great video with very practical information. To protect the "trigger" on my Bic lighter, I wind a rubber band around the neck where you put the zip tie. Comes off easier. I wind around one more rubber band on the body of the lighter.

[MrDonkov]

Impressive what you managed to combine into such a small pouch. You could also wrap some tape around the BIC lighter, so no need for the extra card.

[TestSpaceMonkey]

I still prefer its strength, ability to really flood small cracks/gaps as well as the ability to wet a strip of fabric for a quick "composite" tape patch where more strength is needed. My workaround for drying is to get the small "single use" size (as others have noted) but have 2 so one is always new and sealed. I also seal the lot in a cut down heavy gauge polythene bag to mitigate messes from bends/punctures (using a vacuum bag sealer or in a pinch with a lighter and some patience). Finally, when refilling kit consumables, I give it a little shake to listen for the contents still being liquid before putting the tube back in.

Thanks as always for the tips and insights into your evolving thinking.

[LuckyTown]

The safety pins double as carabiners and with micro cord, K2 is yours. Seriously...this is amazing.

[lymskiUK]

I’m always so impressed at your restraint. I find myself carrying quite a lot in my 2 separate kits, one is more urban and compromises of x2 maxpedition fatties that slot into my trusty and in great condition 12 year old North Face Surge back pack. It’s bordering on a get home bag plus my laptop, tools and other bits including first aid as I work away so much. My second kit is in a maxpedition gear slinger and is more set up for the great outdoors but weighs in at about 15 kilos 😅

I need to draw on your calm sense of what one realistically needs to carry!

[robertbauer]

Thank you for your videos. I have watched a whole bunch of EDC YouTubers and found you to have a real healthy balance of innovation and practicality without resorting to the most expensive kit. This video in particular had a few game changers for me especially the card protectors, self adhering tape, and the micro cord. Keep up the great content.

[Brandon-]

I keep my Rovyvons on a magnetic key clip which is like your magnet, with a like connector on the other side. I connect it with a Micro S-Biner to my belt loop so it can fall into my pocket to avoid dangle and avoid looking like I am kitted out. On that Mico S-biner I also keep the Nomadic refillable aluminum spray vial for a quick sprits of hand sanitizer on the go. It holds an event's worth of sanitizer for a small family. Great video Jon!

[notlt]

my favorite bid of the video is watching you stuff everything in the bag! very cool.

[lachainemanquante]

I would switch the zip tie to secure the bic lighter with a little rubber o-ring. Reusable and gives you other more options ...

[plaster]

excellent EDC information on this channel

[oliverpolden]

I’ve customised my manager with titanium scales to effectively become an Alox Rambler which sadly hasn’t been available for years but offers amazing utility for its size. I have an Aviator wallet with a thin tray and I put the tweezers and pen in that. I can still use the pen with the knife by nestling then end on it in the bottle opener of the combo tool. I have the Alpaka Zip Pouch pro and the Alpaka hub pouch which are both fantastic and offer a level of organisation. I would swap out the Bic lighter for a peanut lighter. For elastic bands, I cut pieces from old bicycle inner tubes and this allows you to choose the width you want. For super glue you can get multipacks of small 1.5g “one use” tubes but they do have a lid so are good for a few uses once opened and just replace when they do go hard.

[michael-msho]

Agreed on the super glue it always seems to dry up or clog… I can’t believe how much you fit in that little kit lol nice job learned a couple of new tricks from this thanks

[StewartPaton]

New to this channel, but loving the content. I find that EDCs vary because people vary, and the environments in which they choose to operate vary.
In that spirit, I find that a generous stash of gaffer tape and a few cable ties solves my type of problem, removing the need for glues and such.

Keep up the good work! I've learned much from you already!