EDITOR'S NOTE: A while back a reader sent me an email pointing out a few different things about a review. This is nothing new. The Cryo review generated more email than I ever thought possible. But this reader's comments were particularly insightful. The reader basically pointed out that gear reviews and mine in particular have certain assumptions built in that made them harder for this reader to use. The funny thing is that these assumptions, while 100% pervasive, have a huge impact on about 50% of the potential gear carrying world and I, for one, never even stopped to consider them. I asked this reader for some insights and here they are.

What were these assumptions? That the person carrying the gear is a man.

Here is Jenna's quick look at how to EDC stuff if your a woman:

When it comes to EDC everyone has their own tastes and needs, but for women a little more thought goes into what is carried due to the size of women overall as well as the impractical trends of women's fashions.

Choosing to carry a knife or EDC gear often means the style of clothing has to be well thought out. Women's clothing can be exceptionally limiting, especially when it comes to dresses. Additionally, pocket carry is often difficult for most types of women's pants. From skinny jeans to dress slacks, there generally just isn’t space for a large knife or flashlight.

Carrying anything for EDC must take into consideration [often impractical] clothing that women wear. For me, what works best is carrying any EDC item at home first. I do this to determine if a knife is too big for my jean pockets or if a flashlight is too bulky. This also to help me adjust to how I can carry an item best for my daily routine. In this “at home" phase, I realized knives with blade lengths over 3 inches usually do not work well. Over the course of a day they become uncomfortable in the pocket and usually completely pop out of the top of my pants when I sit down. The low rise style of the pants that I wear is not accommodating to carrying around a fixed blade.

Fixed blades are reliable and very useful tools, but it becomes difficult to carry a fixed blade since they are not usually made with women in mind. They are often thick and heavy, which makes them very exhausting to have on a belt. Additionally, if a woman was to EDC a fixed blade her shirt is either too tight resulting making the blade print or the shirt is too short and the knife sticks out. While fixed blades are great to use in the backyard or camping, it is hard to actually use them for an EDC item.

Here are some things to consider that will make it easy for any women to EDC gear. First, pick a knife, usually a small one, that will fit comfortably in the pocket all day because larger knives are more challenging to carry in a jeans pocket. Second, distribute the bulk of your EDC evenly since pockets on women's clothing usually can't handle more than one item in them. It may also help to carry a keychain flashlight instead of trying to have it in the same pocket as a knife. Make sure fixed blades are small, concealable, and relatively light carry. Finally, smaller EDC items can, understandably, be easier to carry without requiring a dramatic change in wardrobe for women.

Some ideas may be obvious to women who already EDC knives, flashlights, and any other gear. But what I'd like this article to accomplish is to have my EDC experience from the female perspective shared so that others can benefit from it. The more sharing I do, the more other women can give feedback. Hopefully, this can lead to solutions that women face when planning their EDC.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Here's Jenna's typical EDC:

The watch is a Coach watch, the pen is a Matthew Martin pen (gotta get me one of those), and the rest of the stuff you probably recognize: a Boker Gnome, a SAK Bantam, and the Spyderco Techno.

Thanks for the comments, article, and pic Jenna.