Everyday Carry (EDC)

EDC

Everyday Carry (EDC)

When we talk about everyday carry we simply are referring to what items you have in your bag, purse, or pockets that you carry on a daily basis. Of course for the survival prepper your everyday carry goes beyond just your wallet and watch. The gear you choose to carry is selected not only to get you though an average day, but to get you through an emergency or even a survival situation. Ultimately we are talking about survival gear that you carry everyday.

Chances are most people have common items that they carry with them daily. Items such as, their house and car keys, a wallet or purse with cash, credit cards and identification and maybe a cellular telephone. The survival minded, however, choose to carry these daily items plus a little extra gear. A prepper may consider carrying a flashlight or a pocket knife or multi-tool, multifunction knife or even a gun for self defense. A prepper may carry a handkerchief, a lighter, an emergency whistle or small survival kit or even a small first aid kit.

When deciding what kind of tools you would like to carry everyday, just like any survival preparations, it helps to consider what kind of emergencies you may encounter through the course of a day. Often when I think about EDC, I remember the movie World Trade Center (2006). Thinking about those people trapped in the rubble that may have survived the initial collapse of the towers but died because they were trapped. I try to think of what kind of gear I would have liked to have in my pockets that could have improved my chances of survival. Up until the events of 9/11, it would have been hard to imagine being in that kind of situation, but now I can think of the items that I would have wanted to have such as water, a face mask, a flashlight and a loud whistle. Of course being trapped under a pile of rubble may be an extreme emergency and not something you might encounter in your lifetime or want to prep for, but the idea is the same. Think about the scenarios you might encounter and then think of what tools might help you survive.

Everyday carry is different from an emergency car kit, a get home bag or a bug out bag (BOB) in that it is just the items carried on your person. For women, however, this may include a purse and for men, may include the always attractive fanny pack. Even if your EDC items are carried interchangeably between you and in your emergency bag, because chances are your everyday carry items are just the basics of that more prepared bag. For example, I would consider a water bottle filled with water an important EDC item, but it is not always easy to carry that bottle everywhere I go all the time. So even though I leave my house with my water in tow almost everyday, it does occasionally get left here or there, the car, wherever.

Survival Preppers will be discussing everyday carry gear throughout our blog, including gear reviews and a list of my favorite EDC gear, however, I must share my favorite EDC website, http://everyday-carry.com/. This site has an attractive simple design and is updated with great pictures of many everyday carry items. People send in there own pictures of their gear and describe the functions and compare favorite brands of gear and the moderator gives feedback, suggestions and approval of survival kits. If you need suggestions for what items to carry, what brands or just want to enjoy seeing what other survival minded people are carrying, head on over and check them out. From the introduction on the everyday-carry.com webpage, "Everyday Carry, or EDC, generally refers to small items or gadgets worn, carried, or made available in pockets, holsters, or bags on a daily basis to manage common tasks or for use in unexpected situations or emergencies. In a broader sense, it is a lifestyle, discipline, or philosophy of preparedness." I hope to send my own EDC gear picture very soon, but of course my gear is ever changing.

The following is a list of EDC items I like for carry. I carry many of these items myself everyday. It may seem like there is a lot of gear on this list, but keep in mind many of these items are very small, even key chain size items.

waterproof passport lanyard

leather wallet

key chain flashlight

key chain emergency whistle

key chain Swiss army knife

alternate led flashlight

pocketknife

multi tool

bic lighter

bandana handkerchief

para-cord bracelet

mini usb external hard drive

mini key chain sharpie

mini key cain compass

carabiner

key chain waterproof pill container

wrist watch

cellular telephone

sunglasses

headphones

mini first aid kit

    sterile wipes

    gloves

    face mask

    cpr face mask

    band aids

    medications

pen/writer/glass breaker

mace (occasionally)

gun ammo and holster

water bottle

camping cup

duct tape

food

plastic bag

emergency poncho

See brands on Amazon.com

My Amazon Everyday Carry (EDC) listmania