Every Day Carry

E.D.C. is short for every day carry. A lot of people in the prepper, bushcraft, survivalist and outdoor communities are familiar with this phrase. If you have never come across this phrase you should familiarize yourself with it. On a daily basis many people will take a look at what they are carrying on their body that can be used for a survival or emergency situation. Many people even make daily posts online showing what they are carrying for that day and why. Seeing what other people carry is a great way to get ideas about what you might want to carry, what not to carry, how to lighten the load and ways of hiding small survival items out of sight.

It is way too easy to become burdened down by carrying way too much. Try not to be a gear junky, unless you really like carrying all kinds of stuff that weighs a lot. A basis to start with is by simply carrying a pocket knife, possibly a multi tool, a lighter, some paracord and any medications you might need. I like to carry a pocket knife and a multi tool because I use my pocket knife all the time and I don’t want to have to open up my multi tool every time I need a knife. Plus this way I have two knives on me at all times.

Today I am carrying a watch, a paracord bracelet, a bic lighter, a tube of Burt’s bees lip balm, a Gerber Paraframe knife, a SOG powerlock multi tool and an I Phone. Every day may or may not be different for you. Some days I carry more things and other days I carry less. Sometimes you are not able to carry certain items that you would like to, because of where you find yourself. You are limited to what you can carry onto a plane, into a government building and even into a stadium. This will cause you to have to pare down your everyday kit and rethink about what you will be able to carry on your body without getting into trouble.

I do have a small survival kit that I usually have with me. It is incased in a Maxpedition mini pocket organizer. This way I can carry a lot more but also have it all organized in a nice case that easily fits into my cargo pocket. I will review this kit at a later date so that you can see what I have chosen to carry and why. I try to always have on me a way to start fire, purify water, some form of shelter (space blanket) and at least two cutting tools.

Take a look at what you have on you right now that might be able to be used in a survival or emergency situation. Spread it all out on a table and see what is worth keeping, what may be worth getting rid of and what you might want to add to make it a more, well rounded kit. In any emergency or survival situation you’re going to have to survive with whatever you happen to have on you or with you at that moment. Don’t be stuck wishing you had carried that one thing you thought you didn’t need.

Always reevaluate your every day carry kit. Test everything that you think is worth carrying. That way you know it is worth its weight and you’ll know how to use it when it comes time. The last thing you need is something failing you when you need it most.

I highly recommend that you carry some form of an EDC and that you get familiar with each integral part of your kit. Now is the time to prepare. Don’t be caught off guard. Thanks for reading and let me know what you have in your kit and why.