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