Showcase #49: Environmental Field Technician from Bakersfield, California

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

For this week's feature, we're delighted to have Grayson (@g.r.parker) from Bakersfield, California. Grayson is a field technician for an environmental consulting firm, and has just finished his M.A. in History. In addition, he's also a writer at BladeReviews. Read on to find out how Grayson first got into EDC, as well as the full details of his outstanding daily carry!

Featured Tools:

• Knife: Victorinox Pioneer X
  My carry rotates pretty frequently, but if i’m ever in a hurry, this inevitably finds its way into my pocket. The combination of tools has handled everything I’ve thrown at it with ease.
   
• Light: Muyshondt Aeon Mk. III
  Way back in the day, the Aeon Mk.I was a grail light for me, but at the time I never had the funds to pick one up. I wanted to get in on the Mk.II, but it was still out of my price range. With a little help from my friends, I was able to pick up an Aeon Mk.III, and it’s been hellishly difficult to kick out of my pockets.

• Pen: Tactile Turn Shaker (Titanium)
  It writes well, handles all the abuse I throw at it, and is constructed to tolerances that my OCD brain can’t find a fault with. I have other pens, but this is the one that I took into my Master’s exams, and also the huge dust storms at work.

• Wallet: Bellroy Note Sleeve
  I drive all the time, and don’t want to constantly realign my spine. Thus, a slim wallet. It’s held up great.

• Watch: Bertucci A2-T
  This was a gift from my folks, and while the battery seems to need a replacement, it has held up to conditions that make me wonder if it’s made of recycled Nokia phones. I also love the field watch aesthetic.

• Carabiner: Vox/Bond HALO (Marine Steel)
  This used to be a regular carabiner. Since making the switch, I’ve used it more times than I can count, though I do feel worse about dropping my keys now.
  

• Hank: Cranky Hanky Co. Dark Paisley Handkerchief
  I feel bad for admitting this, but I use these lovely hanks the way they were intended: to manage my crippling seasonal allergies. I have 7 or 8, so if you see me on the street, don’t worry, there’s a fresh one in my pocket. 

Background:

My name is Grayson Parker, and I currently live in Bakersfield, California. It’s my hometown, and where I recently finished my M.A. in History.There are few jobs suited to my degree here, so I’m looking anywhere that’s hiring. Until that time, I’ll hold onto to my current job: field technician for an environmental consulting firm.

Most of my time on the clock is spent driving, and when I’m not driving I’m hoofing it around industrial facilities and the mega-orchards of the San Joaquin Valley. I’m also a writer for Dan at BladeReviews, which means my carry rotates fairly frequently.

Off the clock, I enjoy books, video games, tabletop games, and other forms of geekery. Those hobbies involve a lot of time sitting on my ass, so I also spend a fair amount of time (unsuccessfully) trying to get in shape with judo, weightlifting, and fencing.

I never really paid attention to my EDC until college, but it was my time in the Scouts that really hammered preparedness into me. Forgetting to bring that one key thing along could ruin your trip, but overpacking would ruin it just as fast. Eventually I learned about this community and all the ways I could cram some utility in my pockets, and I’ve been geeking out ever since.

Favorite EDC Tool:

The competition is tough. The Aeon MK. III is a grail of mine, but it's the Tactile Turn Ti Shaker that has really proven to be indispensable. I can wear this pen in a suit or my FR jumpsuit (and I have done both). My fountain pens are better writers, but this is a bombproof, foolproof writing tool.