Showcase #339: Photographer from California, USA

Welcome to the Urban EDC Showcase! Each week, we feature one member from the EDC community and the gear they rely on every day. Want to be featured? Submit your gear photo.

For this week’s EDC showcase, we are thrilled to talk to Chris (@slickpockets) from Southern California. Chris works as a freelance commercial photographer and is a volunteer for the Sheriff Department’s Search & Rescue team. Read on for the full details of his battle-hardened everyday carry!

Featured Tools:

• Knife: Zero Tolerance 0566CF
  I love Zero Tolerance for a few reasons. Firstly because they are a lefty friendly company. Nearly every model they put screws on the scale side of their knives so lefties can carry them also. 
  
  Benchmade does this as well, but if you weren’t a lefty you’d be surprised how many companies produce most if not all right-hander only knives. It is so simple to drill and tap for lefties but most high-end knife makers don’t do it. 
  
  Secondly, their construction, fit, finish and feel are tank-like. Bombproof. They aren’t cheap, but they flip and lock better than most knives costing twice as much. A solid investment. I added a bronze hardwear kit from MXG Gear to make this one uniquely my own.

• Zippo: Customized Zippo 
  I love Zippos, so I put Jetline Z Torch dual flame inserts in them to light my cigars. And of course, the Steel Flame Zippos are works of art. I have a small Zippo collection but this is my crown jewel.

• Bracelet: Mr. Hide Leather Sundries
  Mr. Hide Double Wrap leather bracelet from Urban EDC Supply. It's hard to find comfortable, masculine bracelets, and this one is awesome.
  
  
• Spinner: ZeroFeud Compass Spinner (Engraved Brass)
  Fidgeting is one thing, keeping yourself occupied by spinning a tiny little work of art in between your fingers is another. Rick makes the most effective and the most attractive spinners on the market. The spinner was then custom engraved by Classy Raptor Tactical.
  
  
• Pen: Tactile Turn Copper Slider
  A few refinements are necessary to make this pen truly great, but the overall design and the fine horizontal grooved finish make this one hard to put down. Because it takes my favorite ink cartridge, the Schmidt 9000 Private Reserve, I had to try it. And I’m glad I did.
  
  
• Light: Sinner Customs Tri-EDC
  Last but not least, the Sinner Customs Tri-EDC flashlight. There is an awesome little niche in the flashlight world that most people refer to as “custom” flashlights. There are phenomenal lights in this category, but most of them aren’t true customs. “Boutique” maybe, custom no. 
  
  Sulman’s Sinners on the other hand, are true customs. When you place your order, you can let him know what LED’s you want, if you want bezel crenelations machined, tritium or no tritium, tritium color, even battery size if you prefer. That’s what custom truly means. 
  
  It takes a while to get your true custom light, but it’s worth it if you love truly custom items like myself. I added an optic drilled with green tritiums and a Torchlab pocket clip to this one to make it truly one-of-a-kind.

Background:

My name is Chris Miller and I live in the Southern California desert with my beautiful wife and 3 awesome kids. I am a freelance commercial photographer and a volunteer for my Sheriff Department’s Search & Rescue team. 

My kids are young, so all of my free time is spent with them at the moment. As soon as I’m not the center of their world, I will pick up fishing, shooting, golfing, and hiking again. Actually my oldest is 9, and he loves to fish and shoot with me, and I suppose the younger ones will as well soon enough.

My journey into EDC began with researching better flashlights for my Search & Rescue team. I’m the team’s unofficial gear/tech consultant. I advise the team on everything from flashlights to radios, GPS units, packs, boots, and so on. 

Also, as a photographer I was delighted when I discovered that not all LED flashlights had to be these weak, pencil thin blue beams of light that the early Maglite LEDs put out (and many current offerings). I befriended flashlight modders who built me lights with powerful, neutrally tinted smooth beams of light. 

I discovered I could use these custom flashlights in my photography business as well as for Search & Rescue purposes. And as my use of flashlights grew in terms of photography, so did my collection. And I might as well have a knife or three to go along with those lights. 

Beyond the utility of these lights and knives, I began to appreciate the artistic and custom variations of certain high end lights and knives. I have always liked tricking out my firearms, either with nickel finishes, or exotic calibers, anything to make them truly my own. It is a special feeling to have a beautiful, handmade tool in your pocket.

Favorite EDC Tool:

My current favorite item in this photo is the Zerofeud spinner, because my friend Rick made it just for me, and it is pretty much a one of a kind (don’t worry I’m sure he is going to make more). 

However my daily gear choices are defined by the day: Will I be working, will it be dangerous, will it be dark, will I be outside or inside, or will I just be bored? Am I dressed up or dressed down, with the family or solo? I have favorites for each situation, but just as no single piece of gear is ever optimal for every situation, it is impossible to pick a single favorite.