There’s a satisfying feeling when you’re prepared for anything. It’s nice to know, confidently, that you’ve got everything you need for the day ahead, and even if a problem occurs, you’ve got the essentials to sort it. You wouldn’t go into the jungle without the proper kit, so why go to work or about your daily activities without the appropriate items?

You’ve likely come across the concept of the ‘Everyday Carry’, or EDC for short. Well, consider the below the stylish man’s version. A curated selection of essentials for the commute, work and life in general.

Whether carrying on your person or stashing in your bag, these are the items no man should leave the house without.

Mechanical Pen

We’re serious about pens at Ape – dead serious. Writing is important to us, and the scratch, imbalance, or leaky ink of a lousy pen is equivalent to someone scraping nails down a chalkboard.

Trust us, you don’t want to be the person who either doesn’t have a pen or carries around a betting shop pencil, it takes away from your personal brand. Instead, invest in Wingback’s mechanical pen, a writing implement of precision, balance and quality.

Designed for over a decade of use, it’s a smooth twist rotation pen that writes cleanly, with the pen itself machine-turned from a solid piece of aerospace-grade metal. Remember to ask for it back if someone borrows it.

Buy now at Wingback

Notebook

You’ve invested in a proper pen. Now you need a proper notebook. Having a notebook to hand is underrated, not just for personal organisation and work meetings but also for journaling, which has many proven mental health benefits.

Wingback’s refillable notebook is a naturally tanned, full-grain Tuscan leather beauty with a patina on the made-to-order cover that will age beautifully. It also offers the option for inscription on both the front and inside for personalisation or motivation.

The A5 notebook comes with a choice of Moleskine Classic Hardcover Notebook or Karst Stone Stone Paper – the latter being an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional pulp paper.

Buy now at Wingback

Everyday Watch

A watch has long been an essential everyday piece, but you don’t want to spend thousands on something likely to take a beating daily – save the Rolex for special occasions.

If you’re looking for the perfect balance of affordability, design and mechanics, look no further than vintage-style watch specialist Dan Henry. The brand produces limited edition timepieces inspired by iconic models, giving you the classic look of, say, a Daytona or Submariner but without the huge markup.

Our pick of the range is the 1964 Gran Turismo Chronograph. Coming in two dial layout options and five colour variations, the ‘White Panda’ Tricompax shows this design in its best light, in our opinion.

The case is 38mm and it comes on a stylish ‘grain of rice’ bracelet. You also get a stitched leather strap in a complementary shade, which can be switched while on the move thanks to Dan Henry’s Easy Release system.

And you get all of this for just $280, meaning you don’t have to worry as it takes its daily lumps.

Buy now at Dan Henry

The best multitool for everyday carry is not necessarily the best multitool. The Leatherman Charge+ TTi, for instance, is a remarkable piece of kit and the sort of thing to be confidently dropped into the jungle with from a helicopter. Still, the subsequent weight and price make it slightly ridiculous to carry around every day.

Instead, we’d recommend the Skeletool CX: a stripped-back multitool that’s lighter, easily clipped to a belt loop or tucked into a pocket and still boasts impressive features.

An upgraded steel blade, needlenose and regular pliers, wirecutters, bottle opener and large bit driver all fold up into a handy package.

Buy now at Leatherman

Cardholder

Some men like wallets, some like cardholders. Wingback offers both, but in a world of Apple Pay, we’re leaning towards the brand’s cardholder, which comes in charcoal, chestnut and whisky colourways.

If you want to streamline your everyday carry while retaining the clean line of your trousers, this will do the trick. With room for five bankcards and several banknotes, the cardholder is handmade in London from full-grain vegetable-tanned Tuscan leather, which will develop a beautiful patina over time.

It’s also packed with clever little touches, like hidden stainless steel leaf springs to keep the contents secure, dual symmetrical pockets for one-handed access and the ability to customise the stitching colour and add an inscription.

Buy now at Wingback

Key Cache/Chain

Now, this is such a simple, smart and stylish idea. The key cache from Wingback is designed to enhance your everyday carry whilst adding a little functionality to your keyring.

This machined metal ‘stash’ acts as a keyring while providing a small, secure compartment for storing banknotes or an ‘if found’ note in case your keys go missing.

Available in brass, steel and titanium, it’s also a neat way of building a personal tipping regime for when you only have your credit cards to hand.

Buy now at Wingback

Pocket Knife

Another everyday carry option that sits happily on your keys. The Victorinox pocket knife boasts over a century of proven functionality and is a certified design classic.

Featuring a thin blade, nail file, screwdriver, scissors, toothpick, tweezers and keyring, it’s a compact addition to any keyring and weighs very little while providing a versatile toolkit.

Buy now at Amazon

Headphones

Everybody needs to hear music through a top-quality pair of cans once. For us, the Sony WH-1000XM series (we’re now onto the 5, but the 4 still holds up) is the best all-around music quality to sound cancellation pair of headphones on the market.

The foldable construction makes them great for travel, the sound is rich and comfortable, and they offer a decent 30-hour battery life. Intelligent features like play pause when you take them off and Sony’s DSEE extreme upscaling, which upgrades low-quality audio, combine for a great value package, making commuting much more bearable.

Buy now at Amazon

Sunglasses

Get yourself a pair of sunglasses to wear every day. That’s one of the great style commandments we wish more men would follow. 

Again, you don’t want to spend the earth on a daily item like this, which you can quickly misplace or damage. Step forward Meller, one of our favourite affordable eyewear brands.

The label’s Banna round frames are on-trend, great value and packed with protective features, including Category 4 UV400 protective lenses. Add anti-scratch and a hydrophobic layer to reduce misting, and you’ve got a pair of sunnies that will protect your eyesight and keep you looking cool.

Buy now at Meller

Portable Charger

For most of us, a phone is no longer just a way to keep in touch – it’s your bank card, camera, diary and personal computer.

So, being caught short on juice has never been more detrimental. Thus, a portable charger is essential.

There’s plenty out there, but we like Nimble’s Champ portable charger because it packs up to three days of power while offering fast multi-device charging. It’s also made from 90% recycled plastic, so you can purchase guilt-free.

Buy now at Nimble