I have never EDC’d a light but want to give it a try. I have attached it to my keychain but it really adds a lot of dangly bulk. It just seems to add so much bulk when I pocket it in my jacket or pants. And the other thing is the clip is a little hard to remove (not a knock on the light, instead I find it very secure). So any ideas to help make it less bulky or otherwise hang from my keychain better? Is there a quick disconnect type device that I can add that will let me quickly remove the light from the chain when desired?
I use the last version of the i3 for my work edc. I removed the clip off and simply carry the little light in my pants pocket. Took me a couple days to get use to it there, but now I never notice it in ther at all. I just loosen it about 1/2 turn and its good to go. Nice little lights.
Around home or running around, I usually carry/pocket a D25C Ti. It’s a much more powerful light that comes in handy for going outside & etc., but it quite a bit bigger than the i3. But the i3 has plenty of power for its size and with me working inside a decently lit warehouse and office at work, it gets the job done while not adding too much bulk in my pocket.
I use the “nite-ize” S-biner clipped to flashlight ring and other end to key ring. size 0.5 rated for 3# come two in a pack. If you use these get the all metal ones as they come in plastic also. I gifted a bunch of Ti’s with the s-biner and everyone loved the idea so it can be easily removed.
You could loose the chain and clip and carry it in your watch pocket; assuming you wear pants that have that feature. You could ditch the chain and clip and add a very small split ring to the light so you could use a small McGizmo clip. You could put a Ranger band around all the dangly bits to lessen the chaos. You might even want to add a TEC 7 suspension clip to hang all that junk in your pocket so it doesn’t lay in a blob at the bottom of your pocket.
I run my Ti with just a small ring on my keychain, it tucks nicely next to my keyfob so I don’t feel like I’m carrying anything extra except for that bulky key.
I’ve got a largish flat metal key holder/chain so I just stick it in my pocket and let some of the keys hang out, no issues with retention and it’s convenient not to have all my keys floating around when I can help it.
I used a carabiner for a while but I didn’t like how it sat on the belt loops most of the time, either to close or to far for myself to get to, don’t want to be pick-pocketed ;). I do run carabiners out on the trails or when communing, it’s easier to know that they aren’t going anywhere.
I do occasionally stash a light in a pocket if I’m not carrying keys but it’s more convenient to keep them together in most cases. At some point I’ll have a 1xaa light to use solely for that purpose since I think 1xaaa is best kept as an occasional use light than one that is expected to see a more use.
Course I do want one of those olights for the reversible clip, would make a nice light hat light that would be good in up close uses when the use of both hands are beneficial. I’d probably just tuck it away with the clip in a small pocket if you have one on you, that chain does seem kind of bulky.
Great ideas guys…keep em coming :bigsmile: . I like those McGizmo clips and they might help shorten up the dangle issue.
Also reconsidering my plan of tethering to the keychain. I don’t always carry my keys…but I guess a quick-release clip would help. Hmmm…glad you guys are helping me think through the options.
Another thing I considered is keeping both an EDC light and knife clipped to something in my truck so I can easily select one or the other or both I want. I could easily toss them in my console but I keep a lot of junk in my console and cup holder so would need something else to clip them to…
I edc an 18650 and pocket knife, I tied a lanyard I liked from a combination of a stormdrain cross knot idea and a tying it all together spiral to finish and I use three bayou claws from intloutdoor.
I don’t like pocket clips, the claws are good for me for a couple of reasons, they are easy to clip on, less easy to clip off, with the antsy UK knife laws, its hard to argue its a weapon when its in the off hand pocket, clipped to a short lanyard and takes an effort to get off. I can swap/change my light/knife as I please by keeping a stock of the claws, I just add a couple onto any order I make, and as they are on a lanyard, I don’t worry about losing them.
My bulk set of keys stay in my van during work, and day to day there’s usually a pocket they can go in, if I’m out with the family I carry a daysack (two babies, nappies, wipes etc).
As I use my edc a lot at work, I prefer to have the output and capacity of an 18650, otherwise I’d be changing cells all the time, I also keep a c8 sized light and 26650 light in my electrical tool tote for longer under vehicle jobs, with the c8 sized light riding in a head strap for hands-free tasks.
It may be the redneck in me but I break my keys up into two sets. The inside the pocket (mail, home and spare truck key) and then my keychain light, truck key, two work keys, toolbox and another house key are on a caribeener I clip to my belt loop.
Sometimes a tritium keychain is on there if I’m going out on the town
I splurge on nice caribeeners at Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) the kind that are solid but don’t eat your jean loop.
This outside the pants thinking lets me put an Olight i3 on the inside set of keys, and a Nichia Hi cri L10 on my main keys
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