Awesome Living

Anker’s sophisticated monitor stand might not be the cheapest on the market, but it’s incredibly useful. The sturdy stand has an aluminum alloy surface, and packs a USB-C hub that can power your laptop and multiple devices via two USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, and a wireless phone charger built into its top. It also has Ethernet, audio, HDMI, and SD/microSD ports.

After the end of each month, our pals Everyday Carry look back to see what gear their readers clicked on and engaged with most. The January 2023 list includes a mix of excellent accessories and tools, including the Timex Expedition Scout 40 watch and Leatherman’s teensy but useful Micra multitool.

Gerber’s smartly-designed camp saw folds up flat when not in use while its parts remain connected. Its 12″ blade can cut through large-diameter wood, and its shape ensures you can use every inch of the blade. A textured handle provides maximum grip, and it comes with a blade edge protector for safe packing.

Known for its electronic music gear, Teenage Engineering has applied its minimal approach to furniture. This lightweight desk has recycled aluminum rails and a double-sided Formica birch ply work surface. It measures 47″ W x 30.3″ D x 29.5″ H, and you can attach accessories using m5 screws. (Side tray not included.)

Orangered Life is back with a new variant of their 30º Ruler. The Rulapen takes the angled aluminum measuring tool and adds a perfectly-matched pen that stows inside its body. The 6-inch / 15cm long ruler has precise Imperial and Metric markings, and its universal pen accepts more than 30 kinds of refills.

This Stewart & Stevenson M1079 military truck is now a home on wheels to Michael Ladden. After buying the gently used army vehicle, he invested $80,000 to convert it into a dwelling and motorcycle carrier for his travels around the world. Tiny House Giant Journey takes us on a tour of this awe-inspiring overlander.

Switzerland’s Black Sheep Innovations make these unique drawers that pull out from a truck’s taillights providing storage space for cans, tools, and even guns. The modification retains the original taillight and is completely seamless when closed. They’re only available for the Volkswagen Amarok and the Toyota Hilux at this time.

Most pliers open their jaws at opposing angles, but parallel pliers open them straight across from each other, providing better contact with flat surfaces. Pask Makes built two pairs of these unique pliers, explaining along the way how they work. Enter by 02.23.23 for a chance to win one of these handmade tools.

This 4.58″ long aluminum flashlight is tuned for throw length with a beam visible up to 1968 feet. Its 1000-lumen light source is powered by a 18500 rechargeable battery and is compatible with Olight’s magnetic charging cables. They’re also offering it in value-priced bundles with knives, pens, and other EDC accessories.

While they might not be good for us, Little Debbie snacks are a serious guilty pleasure. Weird History Food delves into the origins and evolution of the company that gave us classics like Star Crunch, Swiss Cake Rolls, and Oatmeal Creme Pies. And yes, Little Debbie is a real person.

This compact gas grill disassembles into sheets of stainless steel so you can tote the whole thing in a single, flat bag. It sets up in minutes without tools and weighs just 7.7 pounds for easy carrying. Its grill surface measures 11.96″ x 8.26″, and it accepts an EU-standard EN 417 butane/propane cartridge.

Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada’s CurlyWoods makes these distinctive and substantial nightstands with a fiberglass-reinforced concrete body, a wood base, and live-edge wood drawer with smooth drawer glides. They come in three sizes – in black walnut, cherry, maple, or white oak. Get a 10% discount when ordering two or more.

Do you have lots of keys? The Bigfoot Key Rack can carry up to 15 keys without those annoying split rings. Its five included mini S-Biner clips make it easy to add and remove keys, and hold them securely once locked. The stainless steel clip is also available in a rainbow finish.

Hikers and campers need to maximize space in their backpacks. UCO’s collapsible cup takes up half the space of a regular cup when folded and holds 12 oz. of cold or hot drinks. Its handle has a hole for a carabiner, and it’s made from dishwasher-safe, BPA- and phthalate-free, and food-safe polypropylene.

Philadelphia-based UntitledCoDesign makes wonderful home accessories, including this unique polka dot cutting board. Each board is handmade from locally-sourced maple and inlaid with dots of various woods found in their shop. It measures 17.25″ x 7.5″ x 1.75″ and has a circular handle cutout.

While folding pocket knives are great for many everyday tasks, fixed-blade knives offer an uncompromising stiffness that make them ideal for hunting, whittling and other tasks that require leverage. Everyday Carry presents their favorite fixed-blade knives that fit comfortably on your belt loop or hung from a pendant.

This versatile titanium pocket tool combines a pry bar, ratcheting bit driver, bottle opener, window breaker, box opener, nail puller, and more. It also packs a metal “forever” pen, storage for two driver bits, and has a built-in pocket clip and hole for attaching a lanyard.

Reimagined Wood Shop has the perfect gift for the video game fan that has everything. This substantial 12″ x 5″ valet tray holds your coins, wallet, phone, keys, and more, all while looking like the classic Nintendo Entertainment System controller. Each one is CNC-carved from a block of solid lumber and comes in a variety of woods.

MecArmy’s miniature compass is small enough to wear as a pendant, on your keychain, or attached to a bag. It features a high-sensitivity movement with an anti-magnetic bearing, glow-in-the-dark markings, and comes in copper, brass, or TC4 titanium for $10 extra. Measures 1.48″ L x 0.925″ W x 0.51″ H.

UCO’s smartly designed aluminum tent stakes have built in LED illumination so you can not only see what you’re doing if you have to put up a tent at night, but provides area light for up to 10 hours, and a 24-hour strobe mode to help you find your way back to your campsite.

This motorized rotary tool is better than scissors, especially when it comes to cutting materials like plastics, leather, carpeting, cardboard, and vinyl up to 1/4″ thick. It features a self-sharpening blade and ensures a clean, smooth cut in straight lines or curves. Aproca makes a custom-fit carrying case as an accessory.

Olight’s bolt-action pen has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. In addition to its writing abilities, it has a green laser pointer and a tiny 120-lumen LED light in the top part of its barrel. It comes in black and limited edition purple and orange variants, and is also available in a bundle with the compact i3T flashlight.

While 5.11’s tactical bag is designed to ride in the passenger seat of police cars, there’s no reason you can’t use it too. It holds up to 39 liters of gear, and has got tons of useful organization compartments and straps for tools and other accessories, and it can attach securely to your seat, or be carried like a messenger bag.