Building the Perfect EDC Keyring
Building the Perfect EDC Keyring
When you’re running through your EDC checklist in your head — “phone, keys, wallet” and giving your jacket a quick pat down before heading out the door, it’s nice to know you’re also grabbing a mini supply kit full of useful everyday carry tools for both day-to-day tasks and even emergency situations, all without adding any unnecessary bulk or weight.
For the past few years, I’ve been trying out new everyday carry tools and streamlining my EDC until I landed on this set up — a lightweight but comprehensive EDC kit that covers all of your bases (light, fire, rescue, cutting) without making it look like you’re carrying around a baseball in your front pocket.
This EDC keyring kit will provide you with the loudest (and lightest) emergency whistle on the market, a super bright multi-setting flashlight, the world’s smallest lighter, a folding pocket knife, and of course, (maybe most importantly) a tool for cracking open a beer — all contained on an easy to adjust FreeKey system that’s secured by a Handgrey Carabiner.
The flexible design of this set up also makes it easily TSA-compliant — just remove the Deejo Pocket Knife and Maratac Peanut Lighter and you’re cleared for takeoff.
Nitecore NWS10 TC4 Titanium Outdoor Emergency Whistle
The Nitecore NWS10 TC4 Titanium Whistle is the loudest emergency whistle on the market — the single chambered design emits a high pitched frequency that allows you to effortlessly produce 120 decibel sound.
It’s made of a durable and corrosion-resistant lightweight Tc4 titanium alloy that packs a serious punch while weighing in at only 17 oz.
This is the Holy Grail of EDC emergency whistles.
Leatherman Brewzer Tool
The Leatherman Brewzer is designed to crack open a beer in one fell swoop.
The multi-purpose flat tip works well as a box cutter for ripping through the tape on packaging, and also acts as a mini pry tool.
It’s made from high-grade, heat-treated stainless steel, and the Leatherman Brewzer fits perfectly on your keychain through the beer-bottle-shaped cutout.
ThruNite Ti3 EDC Cree XP-G2 R5
AAA LED Torch Flashlight
The ThruNite Ti3 V2 AAA Torch is a powerful and compact 120 Lumens LED flashlight that can throw a beam as far as 50 meters, and the whole thing is encased in rugged Type III Aluminum that can withstand falls and submersion underwater up to 2 meters.
It features 3 increasingly brighter light modes, plus an extra strobe setting for self defense, SOS, or even attaching to your bike handlebars as a headlight in a pinch.
The removable clip allows you to attach it to a hat brim, the flat back end means it can easily stand upright on its own, and the twist-action design makes for easy one-handed operation.
After trying dozens of other models, we’re convinced the ThruNite Ti3 is the most reliable everyday carry LED flashlight around.
EXOTAC FreeKey System
The EXOTAC FreeKey System is designed to help you group your keys and EDC tools for easier access should you need to detach them or grab hold of them in a hurry.
The smaller rings are perfect for removing the Maratac Lighter and Deejo Pocket Knife before a flight to make your keyring TSA-compliant, and they also help organize and separate your house and bike lock key from your EDC tools —making sure you can always find what you need when you need it.
The FreeKey system includes three small group rings for you to easily customize and organize your EDC.
Maratac Peanut Lighter
The Maratac Peanut Lighter is the world’s smallest lighter — making it perfect for this lightweight EDC keyring setup.
The water-tight o-ring design keeps the Zippo lighter fluid from leaking out, and ensures that you’ll always have a backup firestarter ready in an emergency.
It features a lanyard hole so it can be tied off with paracord or attached directly to your keychain, and the design is flat on one end so it can be used as an emergency candle as well.
The Maratac Peanut Lighter burns up to 15 minutes continuously, and the removable lighter insert allows it to be used as a waterproof capsule (for storing cash, water purification tablets, etc.) once the lighter fluid is used up.
Handgrey Bauhaus C50 Titanium Carabiner
Handgrey believes that there should be no distinction between form and function. The C50 was designed with a traditional carabiner silhouette, but has been upgraded with a strong TI6A-4V squared titanium unibody construction, so there are no hinges or springs to break the opening gate, relying instead on a curved built-in spring utilizing the inherent strength of the metal.
The carabiner is extremely lightweight, and has an effortlessly easy opening action. This is the best everyday carry carabiner that money can buy — and well worth its weight in titanium.
Deejo 15G Folding Pocket Knife
This is Deejo’s famous “naked” ultra-light blade in its purest form. It’s as sharp as the rest of their collection, but this compact version weighs just 15G. The unique design allows it to safely clip together while keeping the blade securely covered.
When it comes to everyday carry pocket knives — there are few so compact that they can actually fit on your keychain.