October 31, 2009

Every Day Carry

I was a Scout once. At the time I didn't understand the need to always be prepared because everything was always provided for me. As an adult I have the pleasure of providing for myself and I like to come prepared. A recent post on Reddit motivated me to make a list of my EDC items.


Every day carry means I always have a Leatherperson Micra & Maglite Solitaire on the key chain. This solves the majority of problems I run into.


In my backpack I carry:

  • a makeup bag full of screw drivers
  • ace wrap, adhesive medical strips and Neosporin
  • Leatherperson Core
  • notepad
  • 3 pens, 1 sharpie
  • Aspire One
  • snacks
  • Swiss army knife
  • water bottle
  • 4GB USB drive
In my car I have:

  • full 1st aid kit
  • change of clothes
  • swim suit and snorkel gear
  • Maglite Mini LED
  • D40x


There're lots of resources for Every Day Carry items on EDCForums and EDCItems

Some people enjoy the serendipity of life and just roll with whatever happens and don't like faking control by carrying all this gear with them. I had a discussion once about whether the burden of always carrying everything was too high. In my mind it's not, I enjoy being prepared and I enjoy solving problems. To me the world is a playground, a workshop, and while it's not broken; I certainly enjoy fixing it.


What do you carry everyday?


3 comments:

april said...

on my keychain: a mag solitaire. and keys.

in my wallet: a bandaid, a paperclip & the usual wallet stuff.

in my bag: 2 sets of contacts, toothbrush, a small notebook, pen, mints, hairbrush & various other personal care stuff. the tiny internet. i keep a water bottle with me, but it's not in my bag.

in my car: a set of gym clothes, a set of dance clothes, a drum, first aid kit, a book, a teacup, a GPS, a car emergency kit, slippers, chucks (also usually a few pairs of work shoes, by accident), a towel & a small blanket and pillow. there's a lot of stuff in my car. this probably isn't a complete list.

Jay Bazuzi said...

On my person (that's me!):
- a knife. Currently Leatherman Pulse, but it has been a 2.5" Mora knife, or a boater's knife/marlinspike/shackle key.
- wallet with cash, driver's license, and debit card.
- cell phone
- red pen, black pen, and black rock for Where are your Keys?
- Fenix LD01 flashlight. Amazing, but expensive. Fenix E01 would be fine. Hangs from my belt loop on a small 'beener.

I recently made a bracelet out of 10' of paracord, and consider wearing when I'm in the woods.

I recently bought a "survival knife". It's a thick and sturdy piece of steel. The handle is made of paracord. The back has slots for striking a fire steel. The sheath holds both the knife and the steel. The sheath isn't very sturdy, and in a fall the knife could cut through it and my leg, so I plan to make a knew sheath. Also, the blade is to broadly ground, so I plan to grind it finer sometime...

I have a small emergency kit in a yellow tin, that we will grab if we have to exit quickly. It has cash, a pocket saw, a mylar blanket, a flashlight, fatwood, and a fire steel. The blanket takes most of the room.

On the bike I have a pouch with:
- bus fare
- a bike multi-tool
and a tiny flashlight on the keyring for the built-in lock

On the boat, I always have:
- wide array of life vests
- air horn
- spare lines
- binoculars
- wool socks and spare silk underlayer

In any situation, the tool I want the most is a knife.

I am slowly learning to make friction fires.

Debbie said...

Obviously not enough