Going Some Rounds with The LOOP

Let me introduce you to a concept called every day carry. Commonly referred to as EDC, it is a term that is familiar to the survivalist communities, and frankly isn’t really deliberately considered by most other people, despite the fact that they practice it on a daily basis. Confused? Let me clear it up.

When you wake up in the morning, you take a shower, brush your teeth, and drink your coffee. You then grab the items that you need to propel yourself head long into your day. For most guys, it’s a simple as your keys, wallet, and phone. For the ladies, I have no idea. A purse similar to Mary Poppins bag that holds a delightful and terrifying assortment of crap.

But I digress. The idea behind EDC, for me, is the thought, “If I absolutely had to get back to my house carrying only the items I carry on a daily basis, would I be able to make it?” Keeping in mind that the journey from my workplace to my house involves crossing two major rivers, traveling through a not-very-nice area of town, and approximately 30 miles of walking as the crow flies, I need to be comfortable knowing that the items that I grab without thinking about it will enable me to survive.

If you look at the first picture below, you’ll see what I carry on a daily basis. Obviously my wallet, my keys and my phone. I also keep a SOG Twitch II pocketknife, two pens, a set of earbuds, and one flashlight. I’ve had the same daily set up for a few years now. The only change in the last two is the Twitch replaced my other pocketknife, but to me, these are considered daily essentials. As you can tell, the stuff that I feel is important to carry with me doesn’t change all that often. My friends and family could attest to my bullheadedness and my resistance to change. So when R.J sent me the newest earbud holder from ipocketloop.com, I thought “sure, I’ll check it out and then throw it in a drawer and never think about it again.”

However, after just a couple days of use, I am pleasantly surprised to say that isn’t the case at all. The The LOOP is so light, sturdy, easy to use, and convenient, that it warranted a change in the way that I carry all of my daily items. Weighing in at a measly 9 grams, the weight is so little to not be mentioned. And at a height of 11.57 mm with an OD of 66.55 mm, the profile of this product is ridiculously small.

When I was testing this product out, I really put it through the paces. I walked up Cahokia Mounds, I walked along several miles of trails, I went to the batting cages, and coached two baseball games, and I never even noticed it in my pocket. As a matter of fact, the only time I actively thought about The LOOP was when I was hit in the thigh with a fastball from an 11 year old. I was concerned it would be damaged, but there were no chips or cracks that I can see. I don’t know that I would be comfortable describing The LOOP as “indestructible”, but it’ll definitely handle some moderate use. The other thing that I made sure to test was usability. I wound up two separate sets of headphones multiple times each. I threw The LOOP in my pocket many times. I threw it in my laptop bag. It even travelled in the trunk of my car for a couple days. Each and every time, my headphones were still secured in the clip, and they unrolled smoothly and easily.

Overall, I give this product a solid 10/10. As you can see in the last picture, The LOOP from ipocketloop.com has found itself a home in my EDC, and based on its convenience, small size, durability, and the fact that it makes my life just a little simpler, I think it should be in yours as well.