AskMen Guy Gear Awards 2025 Best Everyday Carry Options

Every guy likes to think that, if stuff ever got real, he’d be ready to step up and prove himself. Up a creek without a paddle? No problem. A truly prepared man can handle whatever life throws his way. And one way to ensure that is by optimizing your everyday carry. Of course, there’s no such thing as one single ideal EDC list. Every guy’s will look different based on the challenges he can realistically expect to encounter in his day-to-day — and how much he wants to prepare for the unexpected. To help you develop your ideal EDC, though, we’ve put together a list of 25 seriously awesome digital and analog gadgets, plus the best bags to carry them around in. And now, please check out the winning everyday carry options from the 2025 AskMen Guy Gear Awards: Editor’s Note: Because it’s 2025 and AI slop is everywhere online, we wanted to let you know that generative AI and LLMs were not used in the production of the Guy Gear Awards. We were hands-on about it, and quotes directly from our testers are included throughout to give you a sense of how actual human guys feel about this stuff. Best EDC Pocket Items Best Pocket Knife Benchmade Custom Barrage Humans have been making knives for millennia, and probably wishing they could have something distinctly knife-life before that. They’re hyper useful tools for carving, cutting, sawing, scraping and more. But the market is absolutely flooded with sub-par or overpriced ones. Right now, we’re obsessed with the ultra-customizable Barrage from Benchmade, which features a comfortable and sturdy frame you can personalize in about a thousand different ways to make it truly your own. Check it out at Benchmade.com Best Multi-Tool Leatherman Signal Multi-Tool The multi-tool is sort of the knife’s inherent counterpart, designed to pack a dozen different uses into one small space, but with each one still being, you know, good at what it does. It’s an unbelievably hard task to pull off, which is why we recommend sticking with Leatherman, given their success in the space over the course of the past several decades. It boasts 19 tools in one pocket-sized object, including an emergency whistle, bottle opener, fire-starting rod and much more. Check it out at Leatherman.com Best Wallet Ghurka Classic Wallet It’s no secret that the kids these days (*shakes fist*) are paying for everything with their phones. And if you’re leaning in that direction, vaya con dios, my friend. But we happen to think there’s something to be said for carrying a good, old-fashioned wallet — not to mention not having all of your important items be, well, the same item. The classic-looking Classic from Ghurka is a practical and well-made standout. Check it out at Ghurka.com Best Slim Wallet LOJEL Iloj Slim Wallet If you want to split the difference and go with a more minimalistic wallet, we’re big fans of the Iloj from LOJEL, which may help you slim down your EDC somewhat. Our testers say: “This is the kind of wallet that makes you feel like you'll never need to get a new one. It's sturdy and compact, I love the magnetic closure, and it made me realize I was carrying around so much stuff that didn't need to be in my pocket! An easy upgrade if you're still carrying your old wallet from your early 20s, like I was.” Check it out at LOJEL.com Best Notebook Field Notes Expedition Edition Are you one of those guys who never journals? That’s crazy talk. You have all these thoughts every single day and you don’t put them down somewhere? Your future self won’t have anything to look back on and ponder, man! Right now we’re loving the slim, ultra-portable and tough Expedition ones from Field Notes, who are, well, leaders in the notebook field. Slim, both tear-proof and water-proof, and in a bold, eye-catching color that’ll remind you of its presence when you have something to note down.Check it out at Huckberry.com Best Carabiner Craighill Coachwhip Carabiner It’s a common misconception that you need to be a lesbian in order to own a carabiner. But while it’s true that our comrades in the fields of being tough and loving women do have a great relationship with carabiners, they look great on men, too… especially this bad boy from up-and-coming EDC pioneers Craighill, whose elegant S-shaped frame is specially designed for easy key access. Check it out at Craighill.co Best Water Bottle LifeStraw GO Series 1L Water Filter Bottle OK, sue us, we’re swapping in a somewhat less “everyday carry” bottle here because damn it, it’s cool — and handy. Whether you’re going camping, spending time in locales with less-than-trustworthy water or are just feeling safety-conscious, LifeStraw’s GO Series bottle incorporates a microfilter setup to protect you from bacteria, water-borne parasites and assorted nastiness. Our testers say: “Makes me feel way safer taking water from taps at campgrounds, for sure. And it feels durable as heck.” Check it out at LifeStraw.com Best Lighter Clean Torch Complete Set If there’s three things we can’t technically support, it’s smoking cigarettes (bad for you and others), smoking cannabis (illegal in many places) and arson (illegal everywhere). Still, we didn’t master fire for nothing, and sometimes it’s nice to have the power of instant flames in your pocket even if your name isn’t Prometheus. Our testers say: “Really fun to use, it works well and lights up things quickly. I used it to smoke, but also to light up candles for the house or for birthday cake. I love that it charges with a USB cable and not batteries. It definitely has that ‘fun factor’.” Check it out at CleanTorch.com Best Carry Options Best Backpack YETI Cayo 25L All-Weather Backpack If you’ve checked out any of our past Guy Gear Awards, you may have noticed that we’re big fans of pockets. A good backpack, we would have said, can never have too many pockets and compartments. So it came as a bit of a surprise when we tested out this one and fell in love with it — because it’s a classic in the old mold, where the inside is just one big empty space. A pleasing size and shape, highly water- and weather-resistant, strapped up for easy carrying, super comfortable. A really fun backpack that feels oh-so-Guy Gear. Check it out at Yeti.com Best Casual Backpack Peak Design Outdoor Backpack 18L Though Peak Design is hardly an outfit we’d characterize as “casual,” they’re so good at making bags that they even crush it when making a more laid-back pack, like this one on the smaller side. Our testers say: “I wore this for a week straight walking around; it kept surprising me with pockets or features that were useful without me even realizing I was looking for them. The straps are great, it's very comfy. It's durable (I threw it around a lot, and left it on the subway floor constantly) and seems pretty-stain resistant as well. Great bag.” Check it out at PeakDesign.com Best Travel Backpack Forclaz Travel 500 Organizer 40L Backpack Going on a trip most often requires a different class of backpack than just your everyday use. Thankfully, Forclaz have stepped up to the plate with just such a pack. With a spacious 40-liter capacity, suitcase-like internal compartments for dividing your clothes and other necessities, and a padlock-able setup, it’s going to be a new favorite for all the digital nomads (or analog nomads) out there. Check it out at Decathlon.com Best Modular Backpack Impetro Gear Backpack Bundle Can’t choose between which of the three aforementioned backpacks you wanna own? No sweat, says Impetro — you can grab our “modular backpack system” and feel like you’re owning four different kinds of bags all at the same time. Simply zip on the model you want (they’ve got options designed for hiking, skiing, biking and mountaineering) to their “base unit” and you’re good to go. Check it out at ImpetroGear.com Best Duffel Bag White Duck Outdoors Filios Canvas Duffel Bag Going out of town for the weekend? You might need a bit more space than one backpack’s worth. Thankfully, the trusty duffel bag has your back… or your side, maybe. Our testers say: “This thing is durable and very handy — I had this duffel bag in the back of my boyfriend's truck while it was raining and it got beat up a bunch as we were taking it around, it came out without a scratch! The closures and handles feel secure, and definitely make for some trusty transporting.” Check it out at WhiteDuckOutdoors.com Best Cross-Body Bag JanSport Move Sling For too long, men have felt like their only options for carrying things around are backpacks, briefcases, and pants pockets. No longer! The rise of the cross-body bag has been huge for us. If you need to carry around a water bottle, some assorted EDC knick-knacks and an item related to a daily quest, boom, it’s the cross-body bag’s time to shine. Our testers say: “This has become my bag for everyday. It's light, unobtrusive, and sleek. Perfect size. The storage compartments and keyring hook are also intuitive and take care of all my needs. If I met a man who made me feel the way this bag does, I’d marry him.” Check it out at JanSport.com Best Messenger Bag Cotopaxi Mente 15L Messenger Bag If you’re looking for something that’s a nice midway point between a smaller cross-body bag and a full backpack, the humble messenger bag is at your service. This one from Cotopaxi is an excellent example of the form — sturdy yet lightweight, just the right amount of compartments and pockets, easy to adjust and carry. We’re getting a lot of use out of this. No complaints, no notes, 10/10 bag. Check it out at Cotopaxi.com Best Portable Cooler Dometic Recon ZL Series Soft Sided Cooler OK, a cooler is probably not EDC for most people, unless you’re taking your lunch to work on the construction site. However, if moving around cool or temperate comestible goods is a frequent need of yours, look no further than this soft-sided cooler from Dometic. Our testers say: “Straight up, this thing rocks. I took it camping and we never had a warm beer all weekend. It looks good, it's easy to clean, all the components are well-built. The features, like detachable handle straps, are thoughtful and useful. Strong recommend, I can see this becoming part of my camping kit for years to come.” Check it out at Dometic.com Best EDC Tech Best In-Ear Headphones Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Can we be old for a second? Society got noticeably worse when phones stopped shipping with wired headphones. Now everyone plays their TikToks at full volume in public and we hate it. OK, now that that’s out of our system — don’t be that guy, get yourself a pair of great on-the-go earbuds, like these bad boys from Bose with CustomTune tech that calibrates your audio to your specific ear canal for the best-quality sound. Check it out at Bose.com Best Over-Ear Headphones Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 Smaller in-ear buds are great for being out and about, but let’s not overlook the sheer awesomeness of a great pair of cans. Comfortable, gorgeous-looking and boasting sound that’ll knock your existing headphones out of the water, this is a seriously dope pair that’s hard to beat. Check it out at BowersWilkins.com Best Bone-Conduction Headphones Shokz OpenSwim Pro Listening to music underwater isn’t just the domain of dreamy scenes in coming-of-age movies where the main character jumps (or is pushed) into a pool. Thanks to the unbelievably cool concept of bone-conduction technology, your headphones can now be closed enough to literally be waterproof while still delivering high-quality audio. Our testers say: “I’ve wanted to listen to music while swimming for literally years and years. So stoked about these. Sound quality is good, works even better under water, and there's enough storage for quite a few tunes.” Check it out at Shokz.com Best Charging Option Nestout 5000mAh Power Bank With phones becoming more and more important for day-to-day function, not to mention when one’s out and about or exploring new terrain, making sure your battery doesn’t die when you’re far from home becomes even more crucial than ever. Our testers say: “If your phone has an old battery, you're a phone addict, or you’re regularly out of the house for more than half the day, this is a great tool to have with you. You also need to bring your charging cable, but there were many times this product seriously saved my day.” Check it out at Nestout.com Best Portable Video Camera GoPro Hero12 Black Want to do something epic? Only a truly technology-averse person would hate the idea of having cool first-person footage of it. Surprising no one, GoPro remains the first, last, best and perhaps only name in this category. Their Hero12 Black model is a beast both in terms of its physical durability and its digital durability, able to withstand all kinds of weather and chaotic conditions while filming high-quality video for hours at a time. Check it out at GoPro.com Best Watches Best Analog Watch Huckberry x Citizen Promaster Tough Watch Was inventing the concept of time, with its irretrievable seconds, minutes and hours, a mistake? Perhaps. But damn if a nice watch doesn’t help it go down easier. On our wrists at the moment is this collaborative gem from watchmakers Citizen and male-coded apparel one-stop-shop Huckberry. Pleasing heft, glow-in-the-dark numbers, lovely hue — it’s a grown-man-ass watch that looks equally at home at the campsite, in the boardroom and at the bar.Check it out at Huckberry.com Best Digital Watch Suunto CORE If you like your watch a little more computery than a classic analog model, but not so computery as a smartwatch, that’s fine — we’ve got just what you need with the CORE from Suunto, which packs in some handy smartwatch-y features in without you having to carry the full weight of the internet on your forearm. Our testers say: “I used the compass to wander around town and found it easy to set up and use. The barometric sensor was accurate and the storm alarm was cool, it actually saved me from getting soaked once on a long hike.” Check it out at Suunto.com Best Smartwatch Apple Watch Ultra 2 OK, so they did technically release the Ultra 3 a few weeks ago, but sue us, we haven’t had a chance to test it out yet. So pending that (and in fairness sometimes a new product is worse than the one it’s replacing) we’re giving this award to the Ultra 2 again. If you’re ready for the responsibility of having the web on your wrist, we think there’s genuinely nothing better than this offering from Apple, which gives their regular smartwatch a little dose of extra ruggedness. Check it out at Amazon.com Best Cool Watch G-SHOCK GAV01-9A By gum, this watch exemplifies what we’re talking about when we talk about Guy Gear. It looks weird, it looks cool, it’ll have people commenting on your wrist, and it’s got some sweet features (even beyond the double pronged latch mechanism and the extra-durable design). Tough, badass, cool — the bright neon lemon-lime colorway of the 9A model is an absolute standout. Check it out at Casio.com You Might Also Dig: Check Out All 73 Winning Guy Gear Products Here 21 Seriously Sweet Products to Transform Your Space Into the Ultimate Man Cave 27 Cool Pieces of Clothing to Give Your Wardrobe the Turbo-Charging It Deserves