Every Day Carry (EDC)
While the acronym EDC (Every Day Carry) is mostly known around the firearms and prepper communities, it’s not just meant for them to consider. In fact, EDC doesn’t have to contain a firearm or knife, though it usually does. There are plenty of other items one might carry all the time that is of great importance. From personal experience, here are the items I EDC.
A Small Notebook and Pen. I purchased a pack of three small notebook from Dollar General and cut down a regular pen to fit the size. Most of a pen is wasted space inside anyway, so cutting it doesn’t damage it, it only makes it fit into a shirt pocket better. The EDC item has several uses. I use it often as a budgeting tool for my small business, for writing down my family’s Subway orders, and for jotting down other information I need to remember. It can really be an indispensable tool for jotting down traffic accident information or for playing tic-tac-toe with your children.
Leatherman Charge Multi-Tool. While its size will deter some from carrying, there are plenty of smaller multi-tools available for those concerned with weight and size. Despite it’s size, the Charge has been a great addition to my pocket. The charge has a knife, saw, scissors, screwdrivers, can opener, pliers and a few other tools, all in one compact tool. I’ve used the saw for cutting off marshmallow sticks for campfires, the knife for obvious cutting tasks, and the other tools for various other occasions. As Leatherman’s tagline say, “Leatherman – Now You’re Ready” – Which is precisely why one should carry such a tool, to be prepared.
Fenix LD10 Flashlight. It’s reliability and durability has served me well. It’s been tested by independent reviews to be waterproof down to several feet; and I’ve had it in the bathtub for testing purposes on a few occasions. There are two key features I like about the light: its available settings/brightnesses and that it takes a single AA battery. In turbo mode, it produces over 100 lumens of light. Its low mode is enough to get me through the house in the morning without waking up the family; or enough to find the lost crayon under the corner restaurant booth. It taking a single AA battery is great because I don’t have to buy those CR123 batteries and I can use any old batter out of most of the kids toys (if I was desperate). Note: Even in the daytime, you never know when you might need a flashlight!
iPhone. Though it allows so much, the main EDC uses include a camera and voice recorder. It’s the perfect companion to those who don’t want to carry a notepad around, as the voice recorder is great at taking vocal notes or being used to capture a conversation, like I do at work when my boss calls me into the office. The camera also does video as well, which I’ll hopefully start making more YouTube videos with. Oh, and it helps make phone calls as well.
The last thing I usually carry besides a wallet is a knife (the Spyderco Tenacious). Even though the Leatherman Charge has a knife build in, I prefer to have a dedicated blade for self defense use and for cutting apples and other stuff. The Spyderco has a better blade than the Charge, is faster to deploy (especially due to the zip-tie I put on it) and it just plane feels better in the hand. It’s self defense use is self explanatory. – Be prepared!
That’s about all I carry on a continual basis. EDC is basically whatever you have on your person most of the time. It’s not a technical term used for tactical gear nuts, but a term used to make you think about how you’re prepared and ready for both the expected and the unexpected. Whether it’s toenail clippers, a kubaton on a keyring or something else, EDC items can tell a lot about a person.
