Michael Hoskins, who works “protective services” in New Albany, Indiana, sends his EDC today.  Via Everyday Carry.

He doesn’t carry much.  In fact, I wonder what sort of protective services guy doesn’t carry a flashlight.  But, his mileage might vary.

He does carry an FNS9 without including his carry rig.  Oh well, maybe he thinks holsters are for sissies.

I do know that I followed the link on the Trayvax Element wallet.  To make a long story short, it’s a steel and leather holster.  I’m not sure if my skinny butt would value a steel-framed wallet.  Especially one that only holds up to five bills.

Also in his pockets:  A Gerber multi-tool and a Boker Mini-Kalishnikov folder.

An interesting post almost as much for what’s not included in the picture as what is photographed.

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31 COMMENTS

  1. As I recall, the USSS is also issued the ubiquitous 2.75-ounce of Omaha Steaks “Beef Jerky”, for Field Agents to nosh on, when meals aren’t readily available…

  2. How do people carry these wallets that practically hold nothing? Just payment plastic I have 8 cards that I carry on a regular basis. This doesn’t include medical cards, CCW permit, or three forms of ID that is always in my wallet. All of that and there’s still probably half as much more having only named the most important things. There’s no way I can fit everything in my wallet into one of these.

  3. About wallets. Decades ago, maybe four and a half or so, there was a run of pickpockets going around where I lived enough to make the evening news. The news had an interview with a police detective who made an interesting point. The hardest pocket to pick was a front pants pocket, the easiest was a back pants pocket. His advice was to keep your wallet in a front pocket, and pick a wallet that was as flat as possible.

    Leaping to the end of the tale, these days I carry this wallet in my left front pants pocket:
    https://www.all-ett.com/collections/mens-wallets/products/leather-original-wallet.

    There’s ten assorted cards in there including driver license and CWP. Couple hundred dollars, never bigger than $20 bills.

    On the pocket dump of this topic, no spare magazine? For someone in a “protective services” job? What the hell? Didn’t he ever see “Die Hard” or “Lethal Weapon”? Why, Martin Riggs and John McClane must have toted around a dozen or more magazines in their pockets.

    I’m no professional pointy end of the spear Josey Wales pistolero, but even I know to carry a reload for my Death Dealer hot metal spitt’n hand cannon just like Selene does.

    And if that ain’t enough dated fantasy check your brain at the door sit down and enjoy the ride fantasy movie references for you, you really need to get out of the house more.

    Just say’n . . . . . . . 🙂

    • “The hardest pocket to pick was a front pants pocket, the easiest was a back pants pocket. His advice was to keep your wallet in a front pocket,…”

      Learned the exact same lesson at the exact same time, the 70s.

      Wallet in the front left pocket with ‘mugging money’ in it, the big bills at the bottom of the pocket…

    • I have the same wallet. Carry 7 cards and about $120 on me. The wallet expands to hold more cards. Also the FNS9…I own one as well is a 17+1. Not sure who would need more than 3 shots in a protective situation.

  4. Maybe “protective services” means he picks up protection money for the mob.

    And he dont need no holster cause it’s in his hand in his trench coat pocket.

    And he can use a wafer thin wallet cause he dont carry no ID in case he gets pinched.

    The pliers and pry tool are for extracting difficult payments.

    But I’m just guessing. Fuhgeddaboutit!

  5. I work in the executive protection field and I utilize a holster, plus a flashlight and a good folding knife. Not to mention 2 spare mags!
    I greatly question this individuals EDC posting.

    • Same here. Always need a flashlight (or two) and spare mags when doing executive protection. Also carry minimalist IFAK with tourniquet, gloves and a CPR breathing shield. I also carry less-lethal OC spray.

  6. I work in the executive protection field and I utilize a holster, plus a flashlight and a good folding knife. Not to mention 2 spare mags!
    I greatly question this individuals EDC posting.

  8. To be honest, if I were in the Protective Service! I’d show you the Bare Minimum of what I would carry, not what I actually would be carrying. I’ve notice to total lack of absence of any type and kind of Protective Gear (i.e. Body Vest) Personal Communications Gear and possibly a Body Cam to record any event that could be used in evidence or for training purposes…

  9. I carry 2 spare 12 rounders for my P365, not because 12+1 isn’t enough, but because I’m a firm believer in Murphy’s Law, “What can go wrong will, and at the worst possible moment.” If you take into consideration that Murphy was an Optimist, carrying a spare magazine is a no brainer. Most of our carry guns are great, dependable weapons, but if a FTF or any other functional failure does occur, it will in all probability be due to a magazine issue. In any situation, an error may require ejecting the mag and inserting a fresh one. Fumbling around with the mag that may have failed can get you shot. That’s Col. Jeff’s #101.

  10. I lived in NYC for 40 years. At the candy store, buy the cheapest wallet they have. Keep only the inside soft, plastic pages. Throw the rest away. Buy a bunch of broccoli. Eat the broccoli. Keep the nice big blue rubber band. Put your credit cards, etc. in the soft, plastic pages, formerly in the cheap wallet, fold your bills and hold it all together with the nice, big rubber band. Been doing this for 30 years.

    • I do that bit with the wallet inserts (see below for my EDC method.)

      I’d do the rubber band bit, but they wear out and snap too often. I suppose I could use a Ranger band or something similar.

      • I use a “Hem Clip” to secure my Paper Dollars! It’s ruled on one side to about 5-inches as a handy ruler when needed. Costs about a Buck and can be gotten at virtually any Dollar Store (i.e. Modern “Five and Dime”) for those to young to remember them…

  11. 8 cards, 3 IDs , plus ccw ,med card etc . Just shows your age, most young folks have most of that on their phones , and carry one or two cards and their DL .
    Myself ,one CC, one debt, work Id, dL , my NYS pistol permit is paper and takes next to no room .

    Between Venmo, apple pay and the like , I know guys who never carry a wallet .

    • “Just shows your age”

      It’s funny that you would say this while not very long ago I get this in the comments section of another article on TTAG.

      “BTW, I find it hard to believe you’re a grown man with older children. You sure don’t write like one. I would’ve pegged you for mid-20s at most. And a gamer.’

      I’m absolutely not in my mid-20’s (quite a bit older in reality) and I am not a gamer.

  12. Actually I retired in my 50’s , yep not good with grammar and English , pretty good investor , our kids are a CPA at KPMG , and a RN, they are starting out very well in investing also ,older is buying her first home ,single still in her twenty’s . She can’t write for shit either …..

    Now after a 30 second google search the EDC guy works for the Bureau of census, and owns a security consulting firm .

    • I’m in my 40’s and am retired. My wife works part-time because she likes what she does and gets her away from me from time to time so she doesn’t kill me. Still have one of my kids at home. The other, a stepchild is grown and married with a kid of his own.

      The really interesting thing is neither of us would have known these things about each had we not divulged the information.

  13. This is how I carry cards and money currently.

    In the left pocket is one of those wallet plastic slot refills you can buy on Amazon. That holds my cards, some writing paper, and some other stuff. Due to the stuff in it, it’s rigid enough that the cards are protected from folded, bent or mutilated.

    SET of 2 – 6 Page Plastic Wallet Insert for Bifold Billfold SIDE LOAD
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QJH3RY/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_C

    Also in the left pocket is one of those small multi-pocket coin purses. That holds my mini-Bic lighter (I don’t smoke, it’s there for starting fires if needed – never used it for years – Bic still lights fine), a Leatherman Squirt multitool, a small Fenix E01 flashlight, a small Swiss Army knife, and both P-38 and P-51 can openers. My keys dangle off the end key ring which also holds a small Photon keychain flashlight.

    In the right pocket I have a slightly larger coin purse. The main compartment holds my cash folded up so it fits. One of the side compartments holds an eyeglass repair kit and a larger Swiss Army knife and a button compass. The lower side compartment holds another pair of P-38 and P-51 can openers (you never know when you might run into food!) and some old bus tokens (just in case the Muni card fails and I have no cash.)

    The one thing about using these coin purses is the cheap zippers. These ain’t YKK, guys. You try whipping them open like the ones on your expensive backpack and you’ll rip them right off the purse or jam them enough to make it useless. So I handle them delicately. Been using these purses for several years with no problems so far.

    The ones I have are similar to this, but I think I bought locally from a luggage store:

    Women’s Genuine Leather Coin Purse Mini Pouch Change Wallet with Key Ring
    https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Genuine-Leather-Change-Wallet/dp/B01IDHX6DY/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_309_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FKJWQHT8J07115W7ZQF6

    I also have one of those nurse’s pocket carriers intended to hold shears, pens, etc. I use it to hold a couple pens, plus my tactical pen. I don’t really like it. It’s slightly bulky paired with the coin purse even though I removed the back belt clip since in pocket carry I didn’t need it. I’m thinking of switching to a regular plastic shirt protector pen carry, but inside the pocket.

    Nurse- Medical Belt Clip Pocket Pal Organizer-Black
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039KWYHA/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_C

    I like things to be in containers inside pockets. I’ve never lost anything falling out of my pockets and I intend to keep it that way. Plus carrying things inside containers reduces wear and tear on the things carried. No bouncing around in the pocket – and tearing holes in the pockets which used to be an issue; plus if you do get a hold, nothing falls out until the hole is bigger than the container which is gonna take a while.

    The other issue is that carrying this much hardware in coin purses in dress pant pockets does produce a certain bulging. But then unless I’m out in a rural area, I don’t like wearing cargo pockets – and they bulge, too, unless they’re the “covert” kind. In downtown San Francisco, I prefer wearing dress slacks so I don’t look like every other homeless person on the street – which even people with jobs look like these days. I don’t want cops eying me as a potential suspect in whatever went down the next street over, right?

    I’m still making adjustments in my EDC, but currently this works reasonably well for me.

    • “In downtown San Francisco, I prefer wearing dress slacks so I don’t look like every other homeless person on the street…”

      Just to be clear, I’m retired, not homeless. But I’ve been there in the past.

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