Welcome to the Urban EDC Showcase! Each week, we feature a member of the EDC community and the gear they rely on every day. Want to be featured? Submit your gear photo.
A dedicated father of a 6-year-old twins, Casey (@yasec.edc) works as a Cardiac ICU nurse. From playing the crane game at the State Fair to win cheap knives to owning his current custom blade in the form of the Grimsmo Norseman, Casey’s love affair with blades and pocket tools runs deep. Read on to learn all about Casey’s carefully curated carry and his “pryblem” which involves about a dozen different pry bars.
What's in your carry?
What's your story?
I live in Springfield, Illinois. I work as a Cardiac ICU nurse. I’ve been working in Cardiac ICU for almost 5 years, and I’ve been an RN (registered nurse) for 10 years now.
I’m a 34-year-old father of 2! I have 6-year-old twins (a boy and a girl). They started kindergarten this year and it’s crazy how fast time has gone since they were born! I've been married 10 years this December to an amazing woman who lets me have my hobbies!
I got into EDC while looking for a smaller front pocket wallet. Boy, did I not realize what I had got myself into! I had always carried a pocket knife, but it was never anything fancy.
My first knives as a kid were SAKs/Leathermans and I was always playing a crane game at the state fair to pick up cheap knives. I carried a Buck Vantage early on, then started to get into Kershaws.
From there I got a Benchmade and got into Spyderco's. Spyderco would have to be my favorite production maker. I’ve really fallen for a couple of their sprints. The Rex45 and rosewood Shaman and the K390 PM2.
With that said, I don't collect knives. If they don’t get pocket time I move them on to get funds for something new! That mindset has let me try a lot of new things/products. My only custom knife currently is the Grimsmo Norseman, love that knife!
I’ve tried to move my gear purchases into small makers. I love UrbanCarvers magnetic quick releases for my keys. He’s a great dude and makes a great product! I used to use the Keysmart version, but his products are like a tank in comparison.
I used Crabby wallets and Trayvax before getting the DOMs. If I’m not carrying Mightyhanks I have several from Ace of Hanks and Atlas Creation. Both amazing makers and people.
I have two pens from TactileTurn, one in Ti and one in Copper. The copper pen is my work pen. All my beads come from smaller makers. Armstrong Metalworks and Zerofeud are my favorite!
I also have a bit of a "pryblem"! I have about a dozen different pry bars from small makers. From custom knife makers like freeman knives and Brian brown knives to the ones from LNW and CJG Designs, I love carrying pry bars!
The one thing that’s kept me in EDC is the community! It’s full of amazing people and creators. The Discord’s of Taylor Martin from Best Damn EDC and Nick Shabazz are amazing communities! And those two put out amazing content!
The IG community is awesome! And r/edc, r/knifeclub , and r/knife_swap on Reddit are a blast as well! The secondary market for EDC stuff is awesome!
My only other hobby is pretty new. I’ve gotten into hobby-grade RC cars. An equally expensive hobby! Between work and my kids I don’t have time for much else.
Favorite EDC Tool?
My favorite piece of gear in this pic is definitely my Grimsmo Saga pen! The level of attention to detail and build quality is off the charts! So fun to click too!
What's On Your Gear Radar?
My next piece of gear is hopefully either a Grimsmo Rask, a TRM Atom, or a WE made Shamwari! UrbanCarvers is making an updated magnetic quick release which I’ve preordered as well!
Comments will be approved before showing up.