Welcome to the Urban EDC Showcase! Each week, we feature one member of the EDC community and the gear they rely on every day. Want to be featured? Submit your gear photo.
From our nation’s capital, we talk to Brian (@yesterdays_carry) who works as a financial analyst. Brian's passion for knives and EDC was first piqued by his late grandfather’s pocket knives. Read on to find out all about how his interest evolved over time and how he arrived at his current state of carrying.
Featured Tools:
- Knife 01: Chris Reeve Small Sebenza 21 Insingo
This is the Small Sebenza 21 Insingo Folding Knife with S35VN stonewashed blade, titanium handles with black canvas micarta inlays. I'm most certainly a Chris Reeve fanboy. I own about 10 CRK's and love to rotate them and carry my different ones as much as possible.
This knife, however, is my go-to. It is one of the only CRK's that I carry without a sheath, and I love the fact that I don't have to baby this one unlike some of my others with nicer wood inlays, or engravings. The scratches and wear on the scales, pocket clip, and micarta handles are beautiful and the blade shape is my favorite of all Chris Reeve knives. This knife has come in handy so many times since purchasing it, and it will never leave my collection, and most times hardly leaves my pocket.
- Knife 02: Chris Reeve Small Sebenza 21
This comes with a custom engraving by Chris Reeve. Although I carry the CRK Insingo with micarta the most, this knife is by far my absolute favorite. This was the first Chris Reeve Knife I purchased, and I'll never forget taking it out of the box and opening it to hear that Chris Reeve snap lock for the first time.
After a few months of carrying, I decided to send it back to Chris Reeve for a quick tune up, and decided I would ask if they could do a special engraving with a font of my choice. It came out even better than I hoped and if I had to choose one CRK to rule them all, this would be it.
- Flashlight: Muyshondt Aeon
I have always been a fan of Enrique's torches, and this one is no exception. It is the perfect light to throw in your pocket or attach to your keys and completely forget about until you need it the most! It is very easy to use and can be turned on and off with just one hand which comes in handy when you are getting a task or job done. I have another Muyshondt light and a few larger ones (Sinner Custom and Okluma) but this one always finds its way into my pocket.
- SAK: Custom Compact Tinker
This is a custom Compact Tinker Swiss Army Knife made by Robert J Lessard. I would classify this tool as another "go-to". Since receiving this knife, there has not been a day that it is not in my pocket. Sometimes it is all I bring out, and sometimes it shares pocket space with a Chris Reeve Knife. There is something comforting about having 4 or 5 crucial tools with you at all times. This model has a blade, scissors, screwdriver, awl/reamer, and tweezers. It also has titanium scales, and a titanium liner. Robert also engraved my initials on the back so it has a special place in my heart.
- Watch: Apple Watch 42mm
I received this 42mm Apple Watch as a gift, and before owning it I always thought that the smartwatch was not for me. I was pleasantly surprised after wearing it for a week or two. I love the fact that it counts my step, calories, workouts, heart rate, etc, and it doesn't look half bad either!
I love the fact that you can swap out multiple band styles, and changing the face of the watch is as simple as swiping your finger to the right. The newer versions have a waterproof feature which I would definitely recommend if I was going to buy one today, that is the only downside of mine, no swimming or showering in this bad boy.
- Wallet: Voyej
The Vojey Caravel IV Americana is handcrafted from American natural vegetable tanned cowhide. I love this wallet because with each day of use it adds more character to the wallet. I have had this one for about 6 months or so and, it is beginning to patina very nicely.
- Hank: Fox Hanx
Mary Beth has been making great pieces for some time now, and I'm lucky to have grabbed some great designs over the year.
- Keychain: Various
I use a titanium key ring, and on it, there’s a Victorinox Classic SD, Mas Design Carabiner and a Billykirk bottle Opener. I like to have light keys with a minimal amount of bulk so my pockets don't feel too full or heavy, and the titanium features certainly help with that. I like having an SAK on my keys as well, just because you never know when you'll need some tiny scissors or a toothpick.
Background:
My name is Brian Gleason. I live in Washington, DC and I'm a Senior Lead Financial Analyst for a Government Contracting firm. In my free time, I love riding my bike, cooking, playing pickup basketball, beach volleyball and sailing or any other activity on the water.
I got into knives specifically about 4 years ago. My grandmother passed away and I went to go clean out her house with my father and found my late grandfather’s pocket knives. I remember being so interested and curious about who made them, how old were they, and were they valuable?
From then on, as I got older and started using more of social media and Instagram I came across some awesome EDC accounts like Urban EDC supply, and that really ignited my love for collection knives and gear!
Favorite EDC Tool:
I tried very hard to pick just one, but I couldn't do it. It is a tie between my Custom Chris Reeve Knife, and my Custom Swiss Army knife. With them both having my initials on them, and also Robert creating the SAK to my exact liking, I'd like to think that one day my grandchildren will stumble upon these two pieces and love them just as much as I do.
Next On Your Gear Radar:
I'm in a really good place with my gear. I have sold off most of my knives besides my Chris Reeve collection and also my Northwoods/Production slip joints, and have really tried to get rid of anything I don't use or carry. That being said, I'm falling in love with all of the custom slip joints I see each day on Instagram. Makers like J. Oeser, or Ricard Romano Bernardes so if anyone can help me acquire my dream slip joint please let me know!