THE GODFATHER OF YOUTUBE EDC AND PREPARDNESS : ‘NUTNFANCY’ - APPRENTICE GEAR & EDC
What's going on everybody? This is Stephen from The Apprentice Corner, Gear & EDC, and today I want to do something a little different.
Instead of talking about some knife, flashlight, or piece of everyday carry gear, I want to talk about one of the people who had the biggest influence on how I got into this hobby in the first place: Nutnfancy.
If you've been around YouTube for a long time, especially in the firearms, gear, and outdoor hobby space, you probably know exactly who I'm talking about. If not, let me explain why this channel had such a lasting impact on me—not just as a gear enthusiast, but as a person.
Like a lot of young guys growing up in the late 2000s, I was obsessed with video games. More specifically, I was obsessed with Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare
In my opinion, those games changed online gaming forever. Whether you loved or hated them, they created an entire generation of gamers who became interested in military history, firearms, survival skills, and gear culture.
That was certainly true for me.
The more I learned about firearms, the more interested I became in knives, packs, clothing, navigation, and all the other equipment that surrounded those hobbies. Naturally, that curiosity led me down the YouTube rabbit hole.
And that's where I discovered Nutnfancy.
What made Nutnfancy different wasn't necessarily the gear.
Yes, he reviewed guns.
Yes, he reviewed knives.
Yes, he reviewed watches, backpacks, boots, flashlights, and pretty much anything else you can imagine.
But what kept me coming back wasn't the gear itself. It was his philosophy.
Watching a Nutnfancy video felt less like consuming content and more like sitting across the table from a knowledgeable friend over breakfast. You weren't just getting a product review—you were getting stories, lessons, opinions, and philosophy mixed into the conversation.
Over time, I realized I wasn't tuning in just to learn about gear. I was tuning in to hear how he thought.
Lesson #1: “WROL – Without Rule of Law”
One of the concepts that stuck with me most was WROL, or "Without Rule of Law."
Nutnfancy was famous for acronyms, and this was one of his biggest.
The idea is simple: What happens when the normal systems of society temporarily break down? Natural disasters. Large-scale emergencies. Extended power outages. Civil unrest.
Popular culture often romanticizes these situations.
Movies, shows, and games portray them as some kind of post-apocalyptic adventure where everyone becomes a hero, a warlord, or a survivor living out a Mad Max fantasy.
Reality is a lot more complicated.
When you look at major disasters throughout history, you often see examples of people taking advantage of chaos. Looting. Theft. Opportunistic crime. Individuals exploiting situations for personal gain.
But something Nutnfancy emphasized—and something that stuck with me—was that most emergencies are temporary.
The law usually comes back.
Society usually recovers.
And your actions during those moments still matter.
The important question isn't "Can I get away with it?"
The important question is: "Can I live with it afterward?"
That's a much more mature way to think about responsibility, accountability, and decision-making during difficult situations.
It's a philosophy that applies far beyond firearms or preparedness. It applies to how we treat our neighbors, our communities, and the people around us when life gets hard., AND on a normal day.
Lesson #2: “SAWC – Size and Weight Constraints”
The second concept that permanently changed how I view gear is SAWC: Size And Weight Constraints.
This may be one of the most important lessons any gear enthusiast can learn.
When you're new to a hobby, it's easy to focus entirely on capability.
Bigger flashlight.
Bigger knife.
Bigger multitool.
Bigger backpack.
More features.
More options.
More EVERYTHING!!!
But eventually you learn something important: If you don't carry it, it doesn't matter.
A piece of gear can be amazing on paper, but if it's too heavy, too bulky, or too inconvenient, you'll leave it at home.
I've learned that lesson firsthand.
I love large multitools. I love premium leather pocket organizers. I love carrying gear that can solve a hundred different problems.
But many times I've found myself heading out the door and deciding not to take something because it was simply too large or too heavy for the task at hand.
The same principle applies everywhere.
At work, I intentionally chose a smaller laptop than many of my coworkers.
Why would I choose the smaller screen?
Because most of my work is done on a dock connected to multiple monitors anyway. When I'm carrying that laptop between home, the office, meetings, and job sites, every ounce matters.
The same is true with backpacks, tools, and everyday carry setups.
Everything ounce up.
That was one of the first times I remember hearing a reviewer seriously discuss the trade-off between capability and practicality. It completely changed how I evaluate gear today.
For all of you folks who arent gun people (which is totally fine btw!) - youll never know how cool it must be to be able to shoot on this much land with a purpose built SPR in 5.56….
Growing Beyond the Gear
He has TONS of other lessons, “POU” or the “Philosphy of Use” for gear is defintely another one to look into, bc it was the foundation for my own value equation. As I've gotten older, I've noticed something interesting.
The gear reviews are fun, but the content that stays with you isn't usually about the gear.
It's about the lessons, growing as a person.
It's about becoming a better friend, partner, parent, coworker, and member of your community.
Some of my favorite Nutnfancy videos aren't reviews at all. They're discussions about life, relationships, responsibility, and personal development.
Years later, those are the videos I remember most.
I haven't watched Nutnfancy nearly as much in recent years as I did back in the day, but seeing recent discussions from Youtube creators like Hop and BrassFacts reminded me just how influential he was during my early years in the hobby.
There was a period when I'd come home from work, sit down, and throw on one of his videos almost every day. It became comfort viewing. I used to love the videos where he and his fellow USAF buddy BuggetNuster would be up to various things, camping, backpacking, cooking, etc. He brought a unique energy and perspective that made those videos even more entertaining.
Final Thoughts
So thank you, Nutnfancy.
Thank you for the countless hours of content, the philosophy discussions, and the lessons that extended well beyond gear.
And thank you to everyone who continues to carry those ideas forward.
At the end of the day, the best gear won't make us better people.
That's a choice we have to make ourselves.
But if we're lucky, we encounter people who act as a form of mentor—sometimes in person, sometimes through a screen—who encourage us to keep trying.
I know I'm still trying.
And that's probably the most important lesson of all.
Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you guys next time here at The Apprentice Corner. PLEASE check out his channel HERE, along with all of his other socials!
Later on…
