Best EDC – The Sixth Annual Carry Awards

by Carry HQ, June 4, 2018

1st Place

James Brand Elko

The James Brand takes a ‘less is more’ approach to EDC tools. An approach embodied by the Elko. An elegant, compact and minimal pocket knife designed to comfortably sit on your keychain, and aid in any open, pry, cut or slice challenge that might come your way.

Measuring up at only 4.33 inches (2.6 inches when closed.) it’s easily portable and offers multiple features including a reliable Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel blade and a pry bar that doubles as a bottle opener, screwdriver, and keyring. Grip the handle, and the aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum feels durable as all heck, whilst a clean and streamlined design allows for use with both left and right hands.

Beautiful in its minimalism, the Elko will be there when you need it and won’t weigh you down when you don’t.

We applaud you, James Brand!

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Highly Commended

These are the pieces that just missed out, and in most cases, by the smallest of margins. To them, we award a High Commendation. The below were of outstanding quality, displaying fine craftsmanship and design flair. With honor, we bow our heads in the utmost respect and kudos. If this were a dais, they’d be biting their teeth into silver medals, while their flags were hoisted into the horizon – a feat not to be overlooked. And we’re sure they’ll be back, to take it one notch higher, next year.

Okluma DC1

Okluma-DC1---Highly-Commended

When you talk about boutique flashlights, Okluma is always a name singled out. Handmade in Oklahoma in small batches (that soon evaporate) they’re the grail piece for many flashlight enthusiasts – and the DC1 is no different. Beautifully built by hand with only the best materials. A perfect surface finish. Lightweight. Compact. Durable. And backed by a lifetime warranty. It’s the upper echelon of flashlights.

Offering around 800 lumens of illumination and a variety of modes to adapt your lighting as required, it’s everything you need for daily use and more. So we salute the Okluma DC1 with a High Commendation.

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BOND Travel Gear Escapade Gear Pouch

Highly-Commended---BOND-Travel

In 2017 the BOND Travel Gear Escapade was in every second pack loadout we saw, and for good reason. Born from the mind of U.S. Army veteran, Chris Elfering, it marched into the industry with a simple offering: bomber black ‘drop in’ pouch organization at an affordable price – and it’s served BOND well, very well. The Escapade does everything you’d expect: it organizes your cords, pens and knives and larger objects, and wraps them in 1000D ballistic nylon (with a polyurethane backing for water resistance), zips closed with burly YKK zips and paracord pulls, and is then reinforced like tank, with extra muscle lumped at common stress points.

It’s no BS and effective. And we like that. Right on, BOND, you’ve earned a High Commendation!

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