As I said the last time I brought up the subject of Every Day Carry (EDC), it is one of the most important parts of modern day survival. Knowing what you have in your pockets can be more than just a case of "Oh my God, My bus has suddenly overturned somewhere uninhabited. Luckily I have the right stuff with me to get everyone out of here and help us all survive." EDC can be so much more than making sure you have the means to survive the life threatening situation that's waiting round the corner. It can be the difference between you getting that girl/guy's number and going home alone, getting that promotion and staying in a rut, even getting a job and remaining on the dole.
Now you'd know what CI sets you'd need better than I would, so I'm going to leave it up to your common sense to work out what you put in what sets. I'm just going to outline my personal choice for the base EDC. This is my personal preference only and you shouldn't feel that you have to have exactly what I have because you read it on the internet. This is just what I carry as a base for every day, that I top off with other things I need. Everybody is different so what works well for me may not work for others. I can only advise.
My EDC Recomendations:
1) Arguably the most important part of any survival kit or EDC is a knife. When chooseing a knife for EDC please make yourself as aware as possible of your areas laws on knife carrying. I would urge you to stay within the letter of the law as much as possible. Not always easy, I know, but it is a big part of surviving in the modern world. If you can't carry a knife at all, don't. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to carry a knife, or anything for that matter, which is illegal in your area please consider what other options you have and if after all you absoloutely cannot avoid it, make sure it's well hidden and that you have a VERY good excuse. For info and advice on knife laws and what to carry please see my EDC Knife Considerations post. Also, I'm sure I don't need to say this but it's for my own safety, if you are likely to be going anywhere where carrying a knife is likely to get you in trouble (e.g. courthouse, airport, etc...) just don't. A knife is important but it's not that important.
2) In my opinion the second most important thing in any survival kit or EDC is a means of lighting fire. Obviousley the best thing for this in an EDC is going to be a lighter. A cheep one will do. You can carry a ferro-rod if you want but it's just going to take up more room. If you're like me you'll have plenty of room but it's always advisable to keep as much room as possible when you start out your day as you never know what you might need it for. That's my way of thinking at least. Even if you don't smoke it's a good idea to carry a lighter or matches. You never know when you'll meet someone who does smoke or find out someone you know does. You never know what else you might need it for. Imagine your boss walks out of whatever building you work at and can't get their lighter to work. You offer them yours and they remember you a little later around promotion or bonus time. Or you come home to find your partner/significant other/etc.. trying to set a romantic dinner for you but they're struggling with lighting the candles. You whip out your lighter, light the candles and then give them a smile and a cuddle and you've just scored yourself some major brownie points.
3) Personally, I'd say you should carry a small torch. It could come in handy in a black out, walking home at night or even just as a handy way to carry spare batteries. The one I carry is a fairly good little Aluminium cased LED. I got it for £1 in Poundland. A good thing to keep in mind with anything you buy for equipment or...well anything, is that there's no use in shelling out for the best if you're going to baby it and never use it. There's usually a cheep alternative that works almost if not just as well as the pricey one and you'll be more likely to use it.
4) A little extra padding. Even in summer it's a good rule of thumb to carry something with you that's going to keep you comfortable if the weather gets worse. I always carry a decent coat with me, even if I'm boiling. It just makes sense to me.
5) A wallet or simillar. It's generally safe to have all of your cards, etc... in one place. It's also a good idea to put a card with some of your details in there too. the basicas are: Name (ideally forename and surname), D.O.B (I look older than I am and sommetimes this can make a difference in an emergency), Emergency contact details (this should ideally be a phone-number and the name of whoever's phone it is. Addresses can be ok but if you're out and you get your pocket picked then they know where you live and they know that you're out), if you know it then put your blood type (this can save time which in turn saves lives) and finally put any other information that would need to be known as soon as possible i.e. any health problems or allergies.
6) If you've got it (I know I usually don't) money. Ideally in a different pocket to the wallet and prefferably in a few different places. It's just sensible.
7) Your necessary CI.
Well that's all for now. Any questions just comment bellow or send me an email via my "contact me" button and I'll be happy to get back to you.
