Kyle Defoor recently made a Facebook post about his absolute minimum EDC. In that post, he mentioned the old school mantra of ‘always have a watch and a knife‘ that was coined by the Frogmen/UDT teams of WW2. During WW2, the UDT guys would do beach reconnaissance with only their dive knife and wristwatch. At the UDT/SEAL Museum down at Ft Pierce, Florida, they have several displays of the original frogmen and the equipment they used. One of those displays highlights the two most important pieces of gear that had on them during every mission. A watch and a knife.
Although the watch and knife worn by these elite teams may have changed from time to time, the principle of carrying them always remained. Going along with that mantra, I thought I would chime in with my absolute minimum EDC based on the above statement.
A Watch
I have a few key features I look for in an everyday watch. Out of the several watches I own, if I had to choose one to roll with, it would be the Resco Manus. In hindsight, it’s fitting for this article since Max Manus was considered a resistance fighter in WWII. With regards to the Resco Manus, there are a few key features that stand out from others. First off, all my Resco watches to include the Manus have the best lume in the industry. Well, in my personal opinion they do. I need to be able to easily read my watch in the middle of the night in the darkest of the dark. My second requirement is a date window. Anytime I’m filling out something that requires the date, I’m looking at my watch. Same goes if someone asks me what the date is. It’s just a feature that I use multiple times a day. My third requirement is a rotating bezel for timing. Most of the time, I’m using it to time my runs if I’m running a pre-set distance or course. I also use it to time my circuit workouts or when in the kitchen cooking. The Resco Manus meets and exceeds all three requirements. The Manus is also a great middle of the road sized watch. It doesn’t stand out as a big tactical watch, yet remains classy enough to wear on a night out. As far as ruggedness is concerned, well, it’s a Resco.
A Knife
Picking one knife for my bare minimum EDC was a tough choice. I’ve carried both folders and concealed fixed blades. Both have their pros and cons. Again out of my collection of both types of knives, If I had to pick one, it would be my Emerson CQC-7. The CQC-7 makes a great blade to run with. It clips to the waistband of my running shorts and I can effortlessly engage the wave if I need to deploy the knife quickly. The design and profile of the CQC-7 tanto blade make it a great overall blade for both EDC work and personal defense. Ergonomics are great too allowing you to use the knife for prolonged periods of time without hand fatigue.
A Flashlight
Other than my watch, probably the most used piece of EDC gear is my handheld flashlight. For a minimal low-vis option that is easily carried every day, I roll with the Streamlight Protac 1L-1AA. The 1L-1AA is a dual fuel light that runs off either a single CR123 or AA battery. You get a few more lumens out of the light if you use the CR123, but when traveling you can almost always find standard AA batteries both domestic and international.
