Every Day Carry

 "Every Day Carry" or EDC is a "thing". Search it up on Google (here are some search results) and you'll see hundreds, nay thousands of references, websites and companies devoted to this topic. I think you'll be amazed at what some people claim to carry every day. Some gear choices are very fashion conscious, matching colors and styles. Others are very self defense themed (hand guns, knives, etc). Collections might have themes of rescue, handyman or a little bit of everything.

I've gone through several iterations of what I carry when I leave the house. NOTE: What I describe below is actually what is ON ME. I will sometimes carry a small sling bag that contains even more items and sometimes a daypack (backpack) that contains even more than the sling bag. Although they are both trimmed down to what I believe is essential, the full daypack has just about everything that I might need (and have used!) on an outing. I won't go into DETAIL, but just for example, my daypack includes, but is not limited to: gaffer tape, a larger multitool, paracord, a lighter, baling wire, mirrorless camera, tripod, water bottle, food bar ... yes there's much more. I might list the content of my FULL pack in another post, but for now I present to you my current "on my body" EDC gear. 


All items labeled with at green circle are carried in [1] a small belt pouch. (on my belt, right hand side) [2] Fisher Space Pen - Trekker [3] Olight LED flashlight with dual-direction clip that can attach it to a hat as a headlamp [4] lip balm [5] Gerber Dime multitool [6] brass whistle NOTE: I have weaved small lanyards out of mini-paracord, in different colors, to several items so that I can easily locate them in the belt pouch. [7] index cards cut to credit card size held with mini binder clips [8] Driver license, Credit cards, medical card [9] lens cloth [10] cash held with a paper clip [11] watch [12] Victorinox Explorer with a paperclip and straight pins (left front pocket using a KeySmart clip) [13] Keys and Nite Ize DoohicKey tool on a Nite Ize S-Biner (belt loop, left side) [14] phone (right front pocket)


What it looks like with the belt pouch packed up

This collection works for me, what I do and need. It's as nimble as I could make it without sacrificing utility. Each item has been carefully selected to be essential yet not cumbersome. These are things that I didn't have - but wished I did, MANY times. Once they are in my EDC pack they are constantly evaluated (When was the last time that I used that? Do I really need it?) If it passes the test, it stays, if not, it goes. 

What is your Every Day Carry gear? Even if you haven't labeled it as such, you probably have your go-to collection. Take a picture and let me know!  

An older posting about this topic. 

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