Phew, this July was one of the hottest we have had in a while and so my carry was greatly diminished in terms of size. No trade paperback folders for me.

The beginning of the month was a great time, Fourth of July being my second favorite holiday. My son and I went to see fireworks again and it was handy to have a bunch of reliable flashlights. We saw fireworks in a small town that shot them off in the backwoods behind their high school and football field. I carried this stuff:

DPx HEST Urban Sterile Edition from Kickstarter and the Surefire Titan Plus

My six year old son had the HDS Rotary, which he really likes. He can use it perfectly and it fits his hands well. Plus if he drops it, I feel bad for the ground.

We went to the beach a few times and sand is so terrible for gear that I ended up dropping everything in a Otter Box. Trying to find something that could go from fixing beach toys to popping open a brew to slicing an apple was tough. Add on to that the fact that it had to be ultra-people friendly. This meant that it HAD to be a SAK. Fortunately I had just the knife for the occasion:

Surefire Titan Plus and the SAK Modder custom Pioneer

It's hard to beat the Pioneer when it comes to slim, versatile carry that people don't balk at. In the end, I have carried this knife much more than even my favorite Leatherman, the Skeletool CX. The pliers are great, but I just don't use them enough to carry the CX all of the time.

We did a lot of hiking and some of the spots offered some really cool backgrounds. Here is one I particularly like--wet granite:

Steve Karroll SES and Muyshondt Aeon Mk. III

I can't tell you, though I have tried, how much I love the Aeon. It's just damn awesome. Honestly if that light was all I had, I'd be perfectly fine on an EDC front. I want more in case of a power outage, but for daily carry, it's all you need. Not that this has ever been about strict necessities.

Towards the middle of the month, a treat came in from Scott Sawby's, an elite and semi-retired knife maker. This is his Swift model, equipped with his Self Lock. The wood is Koa. Overall, this a damn fine set up, especially for office carry:

Scott Sawby Swift, Edison Pearlette in Indigo Flake, and the Muyshondt Aeon Mk. III

I got another treat after the Swift. My Vanishing Point, which had been out on loan, returned home and I fell in love with it all over again, this time switch to the converter instead of using refills.

Pilot Vanishing Point, Chris Reeve Mnandi, MBI HF-R

I love each piece here--all of them are small, innovative and amazing performers. The HF-R has a unique UI, the Mnandi a unique deployment method, and the VP is one of only a few cap less fountain pens. Great, high end stuff without being nuts.

I also got my M75 back from a tweak by Jesse. It came together nicely with this all silver carry:

Tactile Turn Shaker, Jarosz M75, and Muyshondt Aeon Mk. III in Titanium

I am still impressed by the Shaker. This is a great pen from Tactile Turn.

Dear Mr. Hodges,

Could you make a retractable fountain pen--a baby of the Shaker and the Gist?

Sincerely,

Your Biggest Fan.

One thing was notably absent--my 2G Battle Mistress. The wait continues. April has turned into May and then June, July, and now August. Technically my twenty weeks are up September 14, 2016. I don't really expect anything now or then. I am okay with waiting, but the process has been less than user friendly. August is half over as I write this and I have seen nothing...