2024 has been a pretty good year so far! The supply is beginning to keep up with the demand and that is a very nice change. But with all that’s happening, the costs of all this stuff is getting higher, and it is getting pretty darn expensive to live. The main areas that I feel it is gas and food prices and when you deduct that money from your mortgage there is not a lot left over for our fun stuff. But most people find a way to keep our hobbies, standard of living or way of life maintained. So let’s grit our teeth and march on to this change in our economy.
Guns And Ammo Have Freed Up
I don’t know if you have been keeping up on the availability of guns and ammunition? Ever since COVID, there has been a shortage of both guns and ammunition and it has not been until 2024 that things have been becoming available. That’s the good part, the bad part is prices have gone through the roof. That being said, let’s talk about the fun stuff. I have been in the market for a 
Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag 4″ barrel (picture at the upper right) ever since about 2019 and then you could find them for about $900, if you looked around. Now they are $1200 to $1300, and that is more then I can justify. This revolver is a real beauty and has some nice style about it. A .44 Mag is one heck of a cartridge, its a great trail gun but can also work for self defense. One nice thing about .44 Mag is you can also shoot .44 Special and that is much easier to shoot. There is something about a revolver that always looks pretty cool, but that being said it is not worth $1300.00 in my book. As much as I like this handgun, it will not have a place in my gun cabinet.
But I was able to find a good deal on a Glock 20 (10 mm) 
(picture lower right), Its not as pretty of a weapon as the Ruger but it is fancy enough for me. I am a “Glock Guy” and I really like these handguns, they fit my hand really well and are the most reliable guns that I own. So I am not too disappointed that this will be my trail gun instead of that fancy Redhawk .44 magnum. A 10 mm is also a great cartridge and works very well for a trail gun. Is it as powerful as the .44 Mag – Absolutely not but it also has 15 rounds available instead of only 6 in the revolver so that’s some firepower. Instead of spending all that money on a tricked-out handgun I will just be satisfied with adding the Glock handgun to my collection and keep my expenses down in this tough year.
A Really Great Sling Pack
Last May I wrote an article about a Maxpedition “Sitka” Gearslinger Sling Pack
and how much I liked this pack. Well I am still using it on a daily basis and it will not be replaced any time soon. For me it is the perfect size and holds the right amount of gear. I tend to carry too much gear because my pack will hold it, this pack limits what I can carry and that works best for me. There are many pockets to organize your gear and that is what I am looking for. I really like the fact that it holds a water bottle, it saves me clipping one on a strap somewhere. There are a lot of packs these days that do not hold a water bottle and that seems to frustrate me. The other thing that is a necessity for me is it has a concealed carry pocket. As much as I like to carry my handgun in a belt holster, my job will not allow me to carry concealed at work so I can keep a handgun in this pack and both of us are satisfied. If you are looking for a great little pack you might check this out.
A Really Nice Pocket Knife
A while back I mis-placed my folding knife, it was a CRKT Hi Jinx Z EDC 
folder, a really sweet knife. But being out on the farm, I probably cut some baling twine and left it stuck in a hay bale somewhere. Well I always need a knife but I did not want to spend a bunch of money so I went to Amazon and looked for something reasonable. That’s when I saw the Eafengrow EF911 Folding Knife
, for the money it is a really great knife. It is not as smooth as the CRKT but it does work well. The price was $24.99 and works great for an EDC folding knife. The blade shape is not traditional but it turns out to be very functional. It was very sharp right out of the box and with a touch-up on my ceramic knife stone it was extremely sharp. The belt clip works very well, it holds this knife right where I want it in my pocket. I also wrote a review on this knife too back in December 2023 and that got my attention about this folding knife in early 2024.
The Best Gun Cleaning System
For those of you that take care of your gear like I do, have realized through the years that if you take care of your gear, it will take care of you for many years. This little play on words is very true, if you have firearms then you understand the need to clean your guns! This process is not always fun and depending on the method you use, it can take a while. Earlier this year I discovered the OTIS Tactical Gun Cleaning System
and it has revolutionized the way I clean my guns. I wrote a review on OTIS Tactical Gun Cleaning System, 1/15/2024, and then a article, Cleaning Your Guns Using A Rod Or A Cable, 2/2/2024. If this subject matter interests you you might check them out.
This gun cleaning system is quick, easy and compact and it really does a great job on either rifles or handguns. Is it a change from traditional gun cleaning methods – Absolutely! Is it better than the normal methods – Not Necessarily! It all depends what you like to use to clean your guns. I like the fact that it is compact, but it contains about everything that you need to keep your guns clean. If you are not too stuck on your traditional gun cleaning methods, give this a try, I bet you will not be disappointed.
Final Comments
Well those are the changes that I made in my EDC gear for 2024, is it everything – No, but they are the highlights of what I think is most important. Each of these items are excellent for your EDC gear. Do I use them all every day? No, not all of them. But they are great choices to add to your EDC gear. My favorite change was the Maxpedition Sitka Gearslinger Pack, I use it every single day, it is the best pack that I have ever owned. It carries just enough gear for me to be comfortable and that’s what I like in a pack.
The Glock 20, 10mm Auto is a great handgun if you are looking for a large caliber weapon. I normally carry a Glock 30, .45 Auto or a Glock 19, 9mm for everyday carry. The Glock 20 is my trail gun, one that I use for protection against the four-footed variety of predictors. That’s not to say you cannot use the 10mm for self defense from the human-kind. But it is a bit more powerful of a round and some may feel it “kick’s” too much for EDC.
The Eafengrow EF911 Folding Knife is a great medium-size folding knife that works well for an EDC knife. It is very sharp and the action is also smooth and exact, the pocket clip holds the knife right in your pocket and does not move around like some other knives. I really like this knife.
Lastly was the OTIS Tactical Gun Cleaning System, it is very compact, yet very complete. Even though it is in a very small package, it does everything that it says it will. If you are looking for a different way to clean your guns that really works well, try this gun cleaning system for yourself.
Well that about sums up my changes to my EDC for 2024. I am not the type of guy that tries every new thing that comes on the market, so my changes are minimal for the year. Good or bad that that may be. But let’s everyone finish out this year strong and positive. Most of all let’s keep a very positive attitude as we go through the motions each day. We are responsible for our own actions, so don’t let politics, our jobs or issues that come our way change our attitude into a negative one. We will talk soon!
If you have any questions about this post or anything related to Everyday Carry (EDC)/Concealed Carry, feel free to leave a comment below and I will be happy to get back to you.
All the best,
Larry
Founder of Everyday Carry Essentials
. I have used it for many years and it is the handgun I am most comfortable with. Since it is considered a sub compact handgun, it has a 10-round, doubled stacked magazine that feeds the .45 ACP bullets very reliably. Compared to other concealed handguns it is a bit thick and heavier but I still like it.
, it is a smaller package and prints less with hot-weather clothing. So let me describe my warm-weather clothing, it is a pair of jeans and a tucked-in tee shirt with an untucked short-sleeved shirt as a cover garment. While the Glock 26 is small it still needs something to cover my IWB holster. It too has a 10-round, double stacked magazine for the 9mm bullets and that helps its concealability. But ever since I picked up the Glock 15 I am beginning the reconsider if it is the best handgun to use.
and while it is smaller than the Glock 30 it has a 15-round magazines which works out great is an adequate amount of firepower for a concealed carry firearm.. As I am getting older, smaller handguns feel better in my IWB holsters so this Glock 19 is beginning to seem like a better option for me these days. I replaced the stock plastic sights with XS Sights F8 night sights and they are really nice. They installed very easy and are very accurate. The Glock 19 holds 5 more rounds then the G26 and has a slightly longer barrel, that being said this makes the G19 a bit more accurate and has more firepower. This handgun still conceals very well so that is making me reconsider my gun of choice.
and is new to me, I do not carry it very much right now. I have a few more rounds to shoot through it until it is completely broken-in, but so far it’s working great. But I love the gun and it carries very well in my IWB holster. I ordered a leather OWB holster from Hunter and I am waiting for that to get here. Now because these handguns are single action, they need to be carried “cocked and locked” and that brings up a whole bunch of other safety concerns. Will I address them in this article, probably not! Will I address them in another article, possibly! But if I cut to the chase right now and say when I have this pistol broke-in and I feel it is reliable, I will carry it “cocked and locked”!
and is a pocket pistol, this is also my warm weather concealed carry handgun. So the question comes up, if I have a Glock 26 that I just said was for warm weather then why would I want another one? Well in Colorado we have some fairly hot weather in the Summer and those days I cannot tolerate a cover garment as I sweat very badly. Therefore, thats why I have the MAX. With the right kinds of pants this little gun can be placed in a pocket holster and slipped in your pocket completely un-noticed. Some people might just not carry a pistol on those days when it is uncomfortable. But I would rather have a smaller handgun that can be carried during uncomfortable times and therefore be armed all the time. If you are interested in Pocket Pistols, look for my next article, “My Little Pocket Pistol”, It will have more details about these small guns.
Product Dimensions Diagram
horizontal slip pocket
CCW
webbing
mesh pocket
slip pocket
, while it is a great self-defense caliber and greater diameter bullet, it is fairly slow-moving and does not have enough energy to cause great damage to a predator if you need to use it. With the correct ammunition, a 10mm having a 180 gr bullet would go 1350 fps and have 728 ft. lbs. compared to a 230 gr 45 ACP bullet would have 830 fps with 455 ft. lbs of energy. If you were in a situation where you needed protection from a predator the 10mm would give you better odds.
being very active or wearing a backpack there is only one type of holster, in my opinion, that I see working in these situations, it’s the chest holster. The chest holster is a holster that is mounted on your chest, held there by a harness system that secures your handgun very well. There are many different manufacturers of a chest holster but there are two that I would stand by, Gunfighters, INC, and Diamond D Leather. Gunfighters.INC makes a Kydex chest holster named Kenai Chest Holster (upper picture) and Diamond D Leather
makes a leather chest holster named the Guides Choice Holster (bottom picture). They both are fantastic! I was told once that if you had a polymer handgun go with Kydex and if you had a stainless steel handgun, go with leather. I am partial to Kydex and therefore the Kenai Chest Holster gets my vote. They are a bit pricy but well worth it. They fit your handgun perfectly and are extremely secure. They are an all-weather holster that works over the top of your jacket or just under an outer shell. They have an extra magazine holder on the harness strap which is easy to get to. These holsters are ideal if you wear a backpack while in the outdoors. Just put on the holster and then put on your backpack and off you go. When it is time to rest you can remove your backpack and keep your handgun on your body. If you need your firearm they a very fast to get to and so very comfortable as your shoulders take all the weight of your handgun.