EDC for formal occasions

Tonight, I was attending a formal ball. While getting dressed, I realized that my "normal at home" EDC would not be appropriate.

I pulled the following together as EDC for this formal in-town event:

Small zippo lighter (with enough fluid for 1 night)
Money clip w/2" knife, 2" nail file, and very small scissors
White handkerchief
Cell phone w/all of it's bells & whistles

The hint of the day: Always get the suspenders for the tux so your pants won't slip downward.

So you couldnt carry an ALICE or duffel bag? just kidding

A small flashlight or two are a must in such a case, especially at night. At least there should be one with your keys.

I think a flashlight is the primairy tool you'd want to have with you on a event.

Perfect place for a nice gent's knife - say a William Henry Lancet, a Mnandi, or something like this (which was bought back when I EDW a suit)

kc2ixe, that's a fine-looking knife. What is it?

I thought guys wore suspenders so all the stuff in their pockets didn't pull their pants down....

Sue

Naw, we only wear suspenders after the six-pack becomes a keg. Belts don't work on a reversed inclined plane.

That's a Jeff Hall Gent's folder. Jeff does mainly tactical stuff ( www.nemesis-knives.com ) but used to do Gent's folders too. I happened to email him the other day (Mostly to wish him Happy New Year - as I had carried his knife the other day) - and he said he had found the parts to make up 4-5 of them, so if you give him an email, you MIGHT get lucky - Hint - the production knives (even the Mnandi) will cost you less

I wear a suit to work and knives aren't really allowed so this is all I carry (and it kills me!):

• Gerber EAB pocket folder as a money clip
• Ronson jet lighter or zippo
• Gerber Infinity Ultra
• Cotton bandanna
• Personal pocket kit in jacket pocket (It's in my winter coat if I'm just doing the shirt and tie thing without a jacket)

Plus the EDC stuff I keep in my winter coat:

• Lanyard (clipped to key clip inside pocket)
  • MEC accessory biner
  • Firesteel
  • Suunto compass/thermometer
  • Matches in waterproof case
  • Fox40 whistle
  • Gerber LST knife
  • Lanyard cord with clip (sinnet braided)
• Sunglasses
• Rite in the rain notepad
• Space pen
• 2 hand warmers
• Gloves, mits, toques, etc.

I'd include a small light, eg a Photon Freedom, and a whistle. Upgrade the handkerchief to a silk bandanna. If space is short I'd ditch the lighter.

With formal wear i'm surprised you didn't include a pen (formal situations would warrant something that looked nice - don't have to be expensive). For me, anything business or formal requires a pen. On that note, a small notepad doesn't hurt (trying to remember some body's name from the night before after 6 glasses of champagne isn't good ;-) ). I personally carry a small moleskine with me.

Also in formal events, having a nice supply of 5 and 10 dollar bills gets you great service, even at the open bar. Every time you get a drink, drop a 5 dollar bill down and when you come back they remember your drink and will skip over people to serve you. Little tips through out the night will make the evening go better and personally consider this a form of EDC. Besides, nice to have cash for a cab ride home ;-).

And I agree with Jim, a flashlight would be up there for me for EDC at any event. But don't have it on your car keys (possible valet situation), but have one in your pockets somewhere that you can have easy access to.

Hope you had a good time!

Kris

btw: nice knife kc2ixe!

My main shortcoming was the lack of a flashlight and I will remedy that quickly for any future events.

Another shortcoming was 2 needles threaded with black and white thread. For wardrobe malfunctions. I didn't have one except for the lack of suspenders but two people at the ball had zipper problems that I heard about. One of the small plastic ziplocks bags would be perfect.

Since I am dumb (stupid) enough to be a smoker, the lighter is NOT going to be dropped.

One gentleman was wearing a formal kilt and I really liked the dirk that he carried. I may go for the kilt in the future, if I can figure which clan's colors my ancestral family came under.

I carry a Levenger pocket briefcase. The personalized cards are good for handing out, and I get a lot of compliments on the whole unit.

http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/Product.asp?Params=Category=16-900|Level=2-3|PageID=2398|Link=Img

That is a good idea. But instead of carrying multiple types of thread, why not just some fishing line that would work with almost any colour. Just have to get the dull looking type (for lack of a better description and proper model names). Don't want the shiny stuff.

And probably to add to this would be replacement shoe laces (not paracord as it probably wouldn't fit the holes in a dress shoes - not to mention it would stand out and formal events are all about being visually conservative). I did this when I was living on the road for a few years as a contractor. Shoe laces (no matter what they are made out of) would fail at the wrong time.

I like that product!

Too large for me. I made one from a plastic CD binder and a stick-on business card pocket.

Holds the small memo pads, and about tennish business cards. Looks nice. Fits inside dress shirt front pocket alongside a pen and mechanical pencil, all side by side (no bulge).

I've actually thought about this before too. I like the idea of slim pocket knife with a single blade with a fine handle. Bone or wood or shiny metal. Slim, so it's inconspicuous in the pocket, but with a decent sized blade. Either of these two would make nice inexpensive choices:Swiss Army solo alox, Swiss Army bantam alox One of the photon type lights for illumination with the the clip removed (just a touch smaller in the pocket). A handkerchief or pocket square for all of its utility. The cellphone is a maybe, useful, but not something I necessarily want to carry in a formal setting. But a nice pen and pad are something I like to carry, and for professionals a few business cards are always a good idea. And the slim zippo is probably the best choice for fire.

I've brought my gerber tool to a wedding -- just in case...

I got married 20 years ago with a SAK Lumberjack in my pocket, I do not remember if it was to slit my wrists or just EDC?

I also gave my 2 Groomsmen thin Buck knives as a gift, we called them dress knives.

I now carry a SAK Farmer for the odd time I am in a suit.

Mike

but how would us ladies EDC stuff for a formal occasion?
those little dress purses are far too small

Would a Mission Wallet be too bulky for formal attire?



Mine has an SAK Pioneer, Peak 1xAAA LED, Leatherman Squirt, ID, cash and a small ferro rod.

For me the difference between formal attire and casual is whether I clip the Spyderco to my pants pocket like normal, or drop it all the way down inside the pocket.

Several of the items in my knife drawer have come to me as gifts for being a groomsman, and at least two of them have outlasted the marriages.

For me formal would mean putting a cummerbund over the knife clipped to my trouser waistline and carrying the Mission Wallet as is. Haven't had to do formal in years.

Don't forget a good "church gun". I prefer a PPK for formal occasions. It was good enough for Bond ;-)

Katarin, I've been told that that EDC is one of the purposes of the double-barrelled slingshot. A lady I used to work with had impressive cleavage and carried a wide variety of items daily.

However, if your gown doesn't allow for that, wear the nylons that don't have the panty attachment but are held up by the wide elastic band, and you can tuck a few things in there, carefully placed (driver's license, cash, ATM/credit card, credit card knife, etc). Put the bulkier stuff, like the derringer, compact and the lipstick in the little bag. Wrap a silk hankie around the derringer to avoid getting any oil on the bag lining.

A friend of mine says you CAN tuck the derringer in the top of the leg band, but you have to be careful about checking the bulk vs. the dress design. Also, it's not all that comfortable for an entire evening, it can work out during strenuous dancing, and can give a gentleman a surprise when dancing cheek to cheek.

Sue

I too have a few dress knives (again, small Buck knives) given to me for being a Groomsman - One of them I have a plan for - My Godson's Dad gave me one of them - and with his Dad's OK - I intend to "gift it back" as a dress knife when my Godson gets hitched...

yea but on fortunatly in the chest deparment i didn't get lucky.. oh well..yea the stocking idea could work. I will have to try it

Nice idea kc2ixe.

Mike

I found full formal kilt/accessories are rented out by an outfit in Utah for $165.00. This does not include the socks or hat. For $2.00 extra, a real dirk vs. a fake dirk is provided.

All in all, there is sufficient storage space provided for a significant EDC to be carried, including the dirk.

There is a wedding that I'll be attending in April, I'll let y'all know if the Groom, myself, and a nephew wear the appropriate colored kilts and if so, how it turns out in regard to the EDC.

Yes, I wear a kilt in the historically correct fashion!

Then you might want to EDC a wool sock in case it is cold that day.

or, of course, you could bring a purse.

get a sporan!

If it is for a wedding, I recommend an Ultralight .3 and a pair of EMT shears. With the shears, wipes, 2" gauze, band-aids, antibiotic ointment and a 1/2" roll of tape, I was able to deal with two scraped knees. I used one of the safety pins to deal with a wardrobe malfunction and the ibuprofen for when the maid of honor had a headache. It was a memorable event.

Jeanette Isabelle

Umm, what sort of wedding results in multiple scraped knees? On second thought, don't answer. This is a family-friendly forum.

What I'm wondering, is how did a thread that has been dead for 11-1/2 years get resurrected? How does one even search out a thread that old to reply to it? Holy Necropost, Batman! Inquiring minds want to know!

It is good that old questions are researched before asking them again. It is good that the old threads are still accessible. It is good that people are interested.

Many times I have seen questions or subjects get repeated without looking at what has been discussed before.

There is no rule against thread necromancy.

In some cases resurrecting old threads is done by spammers. Clearly, that's not what's going on here.



chaosmagnet

The answer is G Rated. It involves a crack in a concrete sidewalk and a person running. If you are sure you don't want me to answer, I won't.

Jeanette Isabelle

I don't think that Haertig is questioning on thread rules. But I do agree with him that 11.5 yr old threads being necro'd is a bit much - and specifically considering that 95% of the members from when the tread was new in 08, are no longer active on the forum.

Also AKSAR mentioned just yesterday about another thread being necro'd from 2008.

Really there is no need for this, Can't the Necro OP just start a a new thread with updated information?

Necro threads is why many forums auto close threads after xx days, weeks or months.

That's how I read Haertig's post as well. I have no problem with folks suggesting that new threads be created rather than resurrecting old ones. All I meant to do is explain why I'm not intervening.

I would not oppose an anti-necropost rule, but I don't make the rules.


chaosmagnet

well, the necro-post shows that they did search for information on the topic which is a good thing.

I agree. I believe it is better to resurrect an old thread than to ask the same question someone else already asked.

Jeanette Isabelle

The post that revived the thread after 11-1/2 years was:



I found that humorous. A good response, but maybe a decade+ late.