Showcase #376: Public Cloud Specialist from New Jersey

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 proud New Jersey native, we chat with Bill (@billdryzoc) about his passion for well-designed and well-made tools, and how he went down the EDC rabbit hole through Peter McKinnon (didn't we all?). Read on learn what's Bill's favorite EDC tool, and the full rig rundown of his thoughtfully curated carry where each piece tells a part of his story.

Featured Tools:

• Pouch: NotoriousEDC All Good pouch
  This is the All Good pouch in multicam. I've also attached the WKRMN ghost bead in white and orange. The pouch holds everything in the photo except the knife. It’s also great for displaying my various ranger eyes. 
  
  
• Ranger Eyes: Various
  Everything from NotoriousEDC Beer Bombs, LynchNW logo, Pete’s Pirate Life logo, One Eyed Ghost EDC logo, Pondium Arts Cart Sniper, Opifex New Knife Happy Life, JRW Gear Tough As Nails, Zero Feud I🧡EDC, and the Vero Engineering logo.
   
• Knife: Vero Engineering Lefty Axon
  This comes with a stonewashed M390 blade and black micarta scales. I mainly use my knife for food prep and cutting fruit for my son. It always comes in handy when opening the occasional package or doing a small project around the house.
  
  
• Pen - Big Idea Design Pocket Pro
  This is in brass with a Fisher Space Pen refill. I’m not an avid writer but I do the weekly shopping list and monthly bill list on paper. I also try to think of fun things to do in Disney and keep those in a small notebook. This pen came in super handy during Covid whenever I had to sign a receipt. The space pen refill allows me to write on almost any surface and at any angle.
  
  
• Pry Tool: Peña Knives Pocket Pry Tool
  This is made from M390 with a natural micarta inlay. My pry tools are mostly used to pop aluminum can tabs or bottle caps. I also get an occasional opportunity to pry something or tighten a screw.
  
  
• SAK: Victorinox Sportsman
  This is customised with OD green micarta scales by Barnescraft EDC and Koch Tools Koch Kan bead & Classic SD with natural micarta scales by Barnescraft EDC and Damned Design monsuta bead.
  
  I always like to keep a SAK on me for the multiple tool options. The toothpick and tweezers also come in handy from time to time. The scissors in the classic sd help out when a knife just won’t do it.
  
  
• Flashlight:Olight i3E EOS
  In bright orange with a Jack Skellington bead by Rad Knife Design. I mostly use the flashlight to look under furniture for rogue toys that my son threw during the day.
  
  
• Beer Bomb: NotoriousEDC
  My bronze anodized Beer Bomb titanium multi tool Urban EDC Supply Exclusive with an Ultem Phase bead by 4t5 Design, probably the best bottle opener in a multi tool I own and definitely the coolest looking one. Like the Peña pry I use this mainly for opening bottles and cans.
  
  
• Bullet Shell: The Lost Raven Chronicles
  Previously Rugged on the Rocks) “Fearless” shell. Picked this up from my buddy Ant awhile back as a symbol to take every day head on without letting fear dictate my actions.
  
  
• Brass Tag: Custom
  Brass tag with my IG handle by Norvic Studio. Pat set up a charity collection for a member of the community who was in need and made these custom brass tags for anyone who donated. Like the shell from Ant, I carry this every day.
  
  
• NJ Pocketstate: Rustic EDC NJ in brass
  I’m a proud New Jersey native and what better way to represent that than a pocket sized NJ that I can carry every day. I also have one in Ti and a matching coin that I mix in from time to time.
  
  
• Coin: Pete’s Pirate Life brass token
  PPL is well known for their high end gear but these spoke to me because they were on the lower end and meant to leave behind or share. I left one in Disney on my last trip outside Tortuga Tavern and I’m interested to see if anyone found it when I go back.
  
  
• Fidget piece: Curator Flex in OD green by JRW Gear
  I carry this as a worry stone/fidget piece. It looks and feels cool and is a great conversation piece.
  
  
• Worry stone: Palmer Worry Stone by MagicCity EDC
  This was a custom build by Brian using vintage Westinghouse micarta and OD micarta with an orange G10 strip in the middle and inlay. This worry stone is another great fidget item and has developed a nice patina over time.

What's your story:

I was born and raised in a central New Jersey shore town. I moved a little inland seven years ago to get more open space and start a family. I’m now married eight years this December and have a two and a half year old son. I work for a technology company as a public cloud specialist focusing on Azure, AWS and Google cloud.

Ever since high school I’ve always felt a need to be prepared outside my home. Bags and backpacks became an obsession especially in the warmer summer months when pocket space is a premium.

Wallet, keys, phone, chapstick and sometimes a pen we’re always at the ready. Around 2019 I watched a Peter McKinnon YouTube video about his EDC and that took me down the rabbit hole of the current EDC community.

I got more into knives, lights, multi tools, pouches and ranger eyes. I started posting my gear layouts on Instagram and fell in love the the EDC community.
I’m an early morning gym rat so that’s my main hobby.

Before EDC I was super into the bodybuilding and the fitness world. I even did a daily transformation vlog on YouTube for a couple months right before Covid hit. If you look back on my IG you can see a ton of posts about that.

Going on vacation to Disney with my family is the other passion. We are in the Disney vacation club and try to go at least once a year. I’m also into making music and videos so my last couple Disney vacations are up on my YouTube channel as daily vlogs.

Favorite EDC Tool:

It’s a toss up between the Axon and Beer Bomb. The Axon is my only true lefty knife and was my first big knife purchase. I carry it almost every Monday for Micarta Monday. The Beer Bomb was a huge score and my first Beer Bomb at the time. Tom’s designs are so amazing and he’s an awesome dude to chat with on IG.

What's On Your Gear Radar:

Im saving up for a Vero Engineering Lefty Synapse in natural micarta. I’m always on the lookout for true Lefty knives which are few and far between.