The Essentials: Seven Items A Man Ought To Carry Everyday
Be like Bond and never leave home without a few key things.
Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Heads up, mind-warping axiom incoming: What you carry everyday carries you, too.
We’re talking your keys, your wallet, your glasses, that kind of thing.
And if you want to get all meta about it, the things we take with us on our jaunts are small in size, yet epic in their utility, for the convenience they pack goes a longer way than you ever will.
So go nowhere without these seven life-savers, all right?
1. A Good Keychain That Locks To Belt Loops
Like a rubber band wrapped ‘round your finger or a timed reminder from your favourite form of artificial intelligence (tip: British Siri sounds sexier), a tough key holder will save you many a headache.
Masterpiece’s are made in Japan from brushed metal, save for the clasp and key rings, both of which are crafted from brass.
Masterpiece Carabiner Key Holder, $68 (CA)
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2. A Static-Free Tortoiseshell Pocket Comb
There’s only one thing that’ll fix a fresh side part (or slick-back) once a gust of wind upends it and that’s a damn good pocket comb.
Our guy’s crafted from high-grade acetate, plus it’s static free so you can trust the thing when your hair’s dry. Take it everywhere and you’ll never be sorry.
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If smartphones make watches meaningless to you, fair enough.
But to those of us who melt at the sight of sublime craftsmanship, like the kind involved in the art of watch-making, a great timepiece won’t just tell you the time — it’ll tell everyone else you mean business.
So why a humble Timex over all those five-figure, precious stone-festooned beauties? For one, we’d rather show you the wide world of luxury watches in a future guide, and secondly, the Timex Marlin is a ‘60s icon brought back to life thanks to a welcomed reissue. Think the sort of watch Don Draper would’ve worn to the drive-in. With a slim leather strap and a quiet, yet classic stainless steel case, the Marlin’s neither fancy nor cut-rate, and it’ll go with any outfit you pull together.
You have to wind it up ‘till it feels tight, then you’re good.
Timex Marlin 2017 Hand Wound Reissue, $289 (CA)
4. A Sleek Card Case
Because no one uses Costanza wallets anymore, not even you.
And before you call out the fact that these cases have “wallet” in their names, just look past it. These are not wallets. Wallets are dead. Wallets are overstuffed sources of back pain.
Long live the cooler, way more convenient card case (or slim wallet, if you’d like).
Italy’s Il Bussetto makes gorgeous cases by hand whose patinas run the gamut, from purple to Tibetan red to fuchsia. And each piece ages better than a human being as the brand’s leather’s known to soften and scar over time.
Il Bussetto, $115
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5. A Pair of Fantastic Headphones
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Earbuds? Over-ears? Extra bass? Finding a good pair of cans can be the worst if you’re not an audiophile. Make life easy for yourself and go with a safe splurge, hence the Bose 700’s status as pound for pound best pair. They won’t fall off when you run around town, they’re wireless, they’ll fill your ears with sweet music the way a great pair of buds would and they’ll keep out noise.
And even if you are an audiophile, chances are you won’t hate these, so.
Bose 700 Noise Cancelling Headphones, $480 (CA)
6. A Lighter of Legend
Whether or not a man smokes, he should always pack fire when leaving home. What if that cute girl asks for a light? What if 2003 happens again and the Eastern seaboard blacks out, leaving you in the dark? What if you need to cauterize that knife wound on your arm? You know?
So vital is the element of fire that it can’t, under any circumstances, be lost or compromised. And since you’re a man of the world and anything could happen, grab a Titanium Lighter by Maratac (who makes all their metal goods in the USA). Zippo’s are fine, but they’re not waterproof, unlike one of these. Made of titanium, they’re cut flat at the bottom so they can double as candles when you camp.
Maratac Titanium Lighter, $35
7. A Pen That’s Neither Basic Nor Douchey
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You don’t have to give a shit about the cosmos to invest in a Fisher Bullet Space Pen. You just have to appreciate that it’s not some plastic disposable, far from. The chrome “bullet” was the brainchild of one Paul C. Fisher, an American inventor who perfected the ball point pen in the late ‘40s.
The “space” part comes from Fisher’s championing of the first pen used by astronauts aboard the first manned Apollo mission in ‘68 — the “AG7” — which used a pressurized ink cartridge. Why? Up ‘till that point, standard ball point pens wouldn’t write in zero gravity.
Today the Bullet lives in New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection where it’s admired as a beacon of American ingenuity and design.
Bullet Chrome Space Pen (with Clip), $47-$50