5 Gadgets Under $50 That Deserve A Spot In Your Everyday Carry Kit

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You've probably heard people talk about the concept of an everyday carry kit, often stylized with the abbreviation "EDC," which is simply another way of referring to the items you rarely leave home without. Most people have an everyday carry by default  — your phone, wallet, and keys are the quintessential EDC. But to tweak a phrase from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," once you get locked into a serious everyday carry collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. But doing so on the cheap can be difficult.

I've been carrying some of the items in my everyday kit since I was six or seven years old, and they're still useful as I continued into adulthood. Others made their way into the kit just this year, and I don't see them leaving my life anytime soon. Most of the items in my EDC didn't break the bank. In fact, the majority of them can be found for $50 or far less. From the world's most popular multi-tool to the most useful smartphone accessories, I've rounded up some of the cheapest gadgets I can't live without.

Each item on this list has undergone rigorous testing, either earning it a spot in my everyday carry kit or falling into the category of excellent gadgets I may not carry but have no trouble recommending for people with different needs. And all of them are available for five Lincolns or less as of this writing. So, here are five affordable gadgets that deserve a spot in your everyday carry kit.

In the late 1800s, the Swiss Army Knife was born under the Victorinox brand, and soldiers returning home from the Allied front popularized it by the early 20th century. Another hundred years later, and the basic version of the multi-tool from Victorinox remains one of the most useful gadgets in an everyday carry kit. It's tempting to buy one of the more premium models that comes stuffed with every tool under the sun. The problem? Those are often bulky and heavy. Unless you wear cargo pants and a tight belt, it's a tough carry. The Victorinox Classic SD, by contrast, has a few simple tools that constantly come in handy but in a package so small and light you'll forget it's in your pocket.

I've had the same Swiss Army Knife for close to 30 years, and despite being a relic of the mid-'90s (a limited time collaboration with Buck that features a unique chassis) that endured my childhood, it hasn't lost an ounce of functionality. Since the same knife available for under $25 today packs the exact same tools, I'm confident it's an investment that could simplify a rack Home Depot tools on your keychain.

Those tools  — a small pen blade, a thicker multitool with a nail file and screwdriver top, a pair of self-sharpening scissors, metal tweezers, and a plastic toothpick  — are things I use multiple times a day. Whether opening letters, prying open a laptop chassis, or cutting loose threads from garments, my Swiss Army Knife is the simple, effective core of my everyday carry.

Early in 2025, I picked up a tiny, folding phone tripod from Ulanzi, and immediately started bringing it everywhere with me. The MagSafe ring up top opens up carabiner style to clip on a belt loop or backpack strap, and the legs fold down so that the entire package is about the same length as my smartphone.

The Ulanzi MA30 is my specific model, available in a variety of colors. Although I bought it to help with spontaneous video content creation, I've found this little phone gadget useful in many other scenarios. I've never liked wireless chargers because of their inefficient speeds, so I keep this stand on my desk to plug my phone in while still getting a view of incoming notifications. And when I'm working from a coffee shop or another public place, I can prop it up as a second screen alongside my laptop. It's a perfect way to keep important information in view, whether that's a YouTube video I'm half-watching, a Slack channel with important team messages, or a group chat for weekend plans.

I've also found this stand useful for the content creation that initially inspired the purchase, as well as for video calls with friends and colleagues. There is a mini ring light that can be purchased alongside the stand and which recharges via USB-C, which is worth buying if you plan to use this product for similar purposes. It has two adjustment sliders to control brightness and color temperature, and it works just as well as cheap, larger ring lights for filming short video content.

A trusty USB thumb drive is like a towel: you should always know where yours is. That's why I keep a SanDisk Dual Drive Go on my keyring. There are three reasons I chose this thumb drive over others. First, it's dirt cheap. A 128 gigabyte model can be had for just $18, and even half a terabyte will only ding you for $45. Second, it's reversible, with both a USB Type-A and Type-C connector onboard. No matter which device I have to plug it into, I'm not going to be bamboozled by an incompatible port. Third, it's tiny, measuring just 1.75 inches long, which means it doesn't take up much more space than the keys it lives alongside.

You can use USB flash drives for way more than just storage  — though storage is nothing to sniff at, either. When I was asked last-minute to film a relative's wedding ceremony earlier this year, I was able to back up all 16 GB of that irreplaceable footage on the spot. Just be sure to format the drive with the exFAT for the best compatibility with mobile devices. But if you're a security conscious person, you could use the drive as a place to store your encrypted passkeys so that no one can access your accounts without it. However, you should be aware that, unlike dedicated encryption keys, it has no dedicated encryption chip onboard. In a similar vein, you could use it to host your local password manager, or to boot operating systems, programs, and more. I have a separate USB stick that contains a version of Linux, and my SanDisk has a portable version of a simple program I built to download embedded files from websites.

One of the least used items in my everyday carry is the Anker MagGo portable power bank. It's a 10,000 milliamp-hour battery housed in a plastic rectangle and equipped with MagSafe and USB-C compatibility. Seriously, I barely ever use this thing, and it takes up an entire corner of my small, cross-body bag (which you can read more about in our roundup of the best tech backpacks). However, there's no chance I take it out of my kit, because the few times I have needed it, it saved my entire behind.

I am one of those people who never leaves home without my phone at least mostly charged, and I'm also one of those people who ruthlessly optimizes the battery life on my phone. If I don't need a feature or app, it gets turned off or deleted. That means it's very rare for me to worry about needing a charge. If your phone has a small or aging battery, or if you take a lot of mobile photos, you may need a portable power bank more often than I do. But I've noticed that I'm often not the one using my own power bank. My partner often runs out of juice when we're at a concert or on a hike, and that's when I hand them the MagGo.

Note-taking on the go is a lost art in the smartphone age, but if you're anything like me, it's still worthwhile. I'm more likely to remember things I wrote down on paper, even without the ability to set a digital reminder. But not all pens are created equal. For everyday carry, you need one that's reliable, portable, and won't ever leak in your pocket or bag.

The best pen for everyday carry, in my testing, has been the Scrikss Trio 93. It's a sleek three-in-one that includes both red and blue ball tips alongside a mechanical pencil, all housed inside a slim, metal chassis that weighs just 20g. It feels excellent to hold, with just enough weight to carry momentum but not enough to wear your hand out when writing multiple paragraphs. Unfortunately, you'll need to import it or check specialty shops at the time of this writing. It also runs between $30-45, so if you're prone to losing your pens, you may want to stick with something cheaper.

My runner-up is the Muji Gel Ink Ballpoint Knock Type 0.5mm. Their performance is nearly impeccable  — smooth on the glide, they write in bold lines with no smudging. A 10-pack runs just under $15, and singles are around a dollar if you happen to live near a Muji store. As for notebooks, I love these basic, 3.5" by 5.5" Staples brand pads. They're dirt cheap, easy to fit in any pocket or bag, and their paper has just enough texture to keep control of a pen.

In order to adhere with SlashGear's rigorous editorial standards, the items on this list were selected after extensive, hands-on use of multiple products in each respective category. These recommendations are based on the writer's rigorous evaluations after testing.