Being an open-source nerd is a huge part of FTS. I provide all my designs online, free for anyone to print their own. I encourage it, and love seeing others remix and print my gear.
Rather than write about myself or personal life, I felt it was important to give some context behind FTS and its history.
The first time I saw the term everyday carry and EDC, it was blowing up in the vaping community around 2015 or 2016. It wasn't until the last few years I started getting more into it, following the awesome makers and members of the community on Instagram. I would post my collections or daily carry on my other pages that are more dedicated to hacker culture. Even though the two can overlap, it felt out of place and I needed a dedicated page. I wanted to join the maker space with my own gear, designs, and ideas, and FTS EDC was born.
FTS and my stylized version of the connected lettering originated around 2010 - 2011 while I was in high-school. Being into hardcore and being in a political punk band, FTS had a different meaning then, the more common acronym of Fuck The State or Fuck The System. I would doodle it in notebooks, put it next to throw-ups and tags, and even had it tattooed on my finger in 2016. It was around this time it adopted the acronym of Fit To Survive.
Growing up in the mountains I always had an interest in survival tactics. For me, Fit To Survive means having high awareness of the world around you, having ability to adapt on the fly, knowing yourself and your capabilities, and improving yourself constantly. Being skilled in modern and primitive practices. Tech and nature, online and off, urban and rural, bushcraft and techcraft. That old cliché "its more than a brand, it's a lifestyle".
I love designing stuff and love it when others in the community like my work, and I enjoy being able to provide my gear and run a store. My goal as a brand is to continue to learn design and various machinery, eventually moving up into heavier machines to produce knives and other metal gear. I believe in the philosophy, message, and branding of FTS and am working hard to manifest this into an eventual underground staple among hacker/maker and everyday carry communities.
I deeply apreciate the support so far from other makers, enthusiasts, and friends. It's quickly becoming more than I had first imagined. So many ideas and plans for the future. More to come, thanks for joining me along this venture. Fuck The System, Fit To Survive.