Shit Talking Your "Every Day Carry"

Recently I’m kind of addicted to YouTube videos where creators break down their Everyday Carry, now (for at least two years to my horror) being abbreviated “EDC” which I thought referred to Electric Daisy Carnival, someplace I’d rather die than go to. Pretty much they talk about every item they carry around every day.. supposedly.

The reason I like watching these videos is because I love to buy, consume, and be sold to. The (mostly) dudes who make this content are all gadget and gizmo-maxxing, they are all the same and yet exist in fierce competition to one another while also crazily jerking each other’s meats big time. How is it that everyone who has things that they carry every day is a film camera enthusiast, audiophile, stationery/pen/pencil expert, winner of the most minimalist wallet competition, needs an imported luxury pocket knife, etc etc etc???

Wait I’m confused why the field of carrying stuff is so male-dominated, if it can’t fit in your pockets leave it at home fellas. Leave item cartage to the rest of us, y’all just go without, respectfully.

Ok and where the hell are y’all going that you need all this bullshit? As someone who shares a lot of interests with the performative males but in a genuine and beautiful way, I also love collecting cameras. Obviously I like to see content where people talk about the cameras they love, but maybe I’m also specifically drawn to camera content in these EDC videos because its aspirational. Like imagine living a life where I need to carry a camera every day. Actually first I need to imagine a life where I need to carry anything or go anywhere. I don’t go anywhere and I don’t do anything. Ok I’m figuring out why I like the fantasy of these videos. I work from home, I go to the gym and sometimes the grocery store. Ok but even if I had normal daily commute, I’d need to carry a camera, to.. take a picture out of my car window on the same drive I do over and over again? I’m not convinced these camera carriers are needing to document anything where a phone camera would not suffice.

I like watching these videos because these jerg-offs like mostly expensive fancy niche indie high grade consumerist fodder and a lot of it is very a e s t h e t i c. Beautifully designed fancy little tech bobbles that are so unnecessary. Have you made the switch to IEMs? Oh.. you know.. In Ear Monitors?.. still don’t know what I’m talking about? WIRED EAR BUDS MAMA, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WIRED EAR BUDS. “No, baka! IEMs are different and they’re in another class of audio defintion!!” hissed the professional object haver. The other day I saw an EDC where this guy was using his wired IEMs plugged into a bluetooth receiver that clips on to his shirt SO THAT HE CAN USE HIS WIRED EARBUDS WIRELESSLY WHILE ALSO BEING WIRED IN BROTHER PLEASEE IM DEAD JUST GET AIRPODS U FREAK. however all this freaky bougie enigmatic tech bloat kindaaaa funnnn i kinda like ittttttt maybe?

There’s also often an element of like ‘here’s the 17 electronic devices I carry every day to get me OFF of my screen!’ and there’s never any acknowledgement of the irony or laughter at that. Like I need everyone to put the mp3 players down. NOW! I am so fucking suspicious of using an mp3 player in 2026 and I think it has to be purely for the performance of it. Where the hell are you even getting the mp3s?? are you buying them?? individually? You’re hooking your shit up to a computer and dragging and dropping files to your 2009 ipod touch while also paying $13 per month for Spotify? I’M NOT BUYING IT.

Another device that keeps popping up that I can’t deal with emotionally is a mini e-reader called the “xteink” and I stg if you look it up and buy it bc of this do NOT tell me I’m trying to DEINFLUENCE right now. Basically it is a phone sized e-reader that so many youtubers are talking about because of its low price, portability, and I guess.. it keeps them from using their phones? I write this with a look of disgust and disbelief on my face. First of all, phone-size is a horrible size for an e reader. Who the hell wants to read a whole book like that? half a paragraph per page turn, no thanks. Second, if that’s the size you like then JUST READ ON YOUR PHONE. If you can’t pick up your phone without scrolling tiktok (I can’t) that is a spiritual affliction that can’t be cured by a 19th device in your EDC. Lastly, because I’m not done, everyone who buys this dumb little thing talks about how the native software is terrible and unusable and then they talk about how they are reformatting/reinstalling/homebrewing/IDK IM NOT A HACKER but pretty much they are all doing computer wizardry to even use this inconvenient overhyped thing. Um.. they do all make it look very aesthetic and cute to use in the videos ok but have back bone do not get this you will not use it.

The pocket knives? Y’all ain’t cutting anything. The notebooks? Y’all ain’t writing anything. The wrist watches? Y’all ain’t on a schedule. Ok the fancy watches is a real ick for me it is such masturbatory try hard str8 dude obsessed with what ppl think of him shit do not tell me about your watch, be it $16 or $16,000.

Ok darlings. Here’s the James N Watts EDC! <3 <3 <3

First of all I really don’t get out much I’m not kidding. But when I do go somewhere this is what I take:

• A medium baggu tote bag

• a knitting project in a tie up bento bag

• an unruled notebook (unlike those posers I got important shit to write AND draw)

• A very cheap ugly vinyl pencil case that is my ultimate form factor and I’m desperate to replace it with a beautiful leather version should I ever find it but let me get to the point that it is only big enough to hold 3 pencils/pens and that is pushing it. A fourth would be impossible. My perfect pencil case for my EDC babes

• a deck of cards and I would like to acknowledge I’d bully any dude who said this and I’ll also acknowledge I almost never use them.

• several loose disposable glasses lens wipes and jewelry business cards floating around the bag

• a chapstick

• My JBL wireless earbuds that I picked because they were purple and under $100

• If I’m travelling I usually have my nintendo with me as well which I don’t usually end up playing but I do like to have it. Also usually only when I’m travelling or when I’m very deeply into a book, I’ll have my kindle or the physical book.

If anything I said bothered you, It’s because I’m actually really jealous. I’m a bully and a huge hater and I’ll never be as good at having things as you and certainly not as good at carrying them daily. Anyway, time to turn my favorite show on (“the $60 mini e-reader that totally TRANSFORMED my daily reading habit—August 2026 EDC update”)

ok bye xoxo