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My EDC (Every Day Carry)
Ive been rethinking and refining my EDC (Every-Day Carry) equipment lately. Most of the core elements that I have on my list havent really changed much over the years but, as I go I try to upgrade my equipment whenever possible. Im always trying to get smaller, lighter, and better - all while not losing functionality or performance. The items in my kit are not necessarily there because I consider them to be the absolute best nor are they the only viable options; rather they are the best I have found and acquired to date for the things I want to do. Im always looking for the chance to upgrade even more and as such, your suggestions are very much welcomed.
This kit represents what I would have actually on my person (on a belt, in my pockets, hanging from my neck, strapped to my body, etc.). Because of this, it is most definitely not all inclusive. I have two other kits that fit into progressively larger packs (an Everyday Bag and a Get Home Bag) that are not being considered here. I may also carry other things depending on what I happen to be doing on a particular day but, no matter what Im doing, I try to keep at least the following stuff on my person (though sometimes I have to make compromises depending on where Im going at any given moment).
o Pen
Fisher Space Pen 50th Year Anniversary pen from my employer.
I dont know how people go anywhere without a pen in their pocket. Whether Im at a gas station, restaurant, grocery store, in my office, or at some event it seems like I regularly have to sign something or take note of something. My wife just assumes that everyone else will have a pen for her to borrow and when Im around someone (me) always does. I cant stand relying on others like that so, I carry my own.
Now, having said that, let me add that I strongly dislike the so-called tactical pens. These to me are an answer to a problem that no one was experiencing. Oh, I suppose if you are a uniformed cop, they might prove useful somehow (maybe OK probably not) but, for the average citizen, they are a total gimmick. Besides, having been advertised as tactical tools, many places where they were intended to be able to be carried (including airports) have now banned them. The TSA even has on their website a travelers warning about a man carrying just such a pen into an airport in Florida. Not only did the TSA confiscate his pen but, they called over the airport police who promptly cited the man for illegally carrying a concealed weapon.
You need a PEN not a martial arts weapon.
o Wallet
Minimal Credit Card Wallet I won it along with some other stuff from a vendor at a convention
This was really fortuitous as I was planning on buying something like it anyway. After years of sitting on a big, fat, monstrosity of a wallet in which was carried every credit card, store card, restaurant card, gift card, spare keys, mini-firesteel, loose change, receipts, coupons, Fresnel lens, and every other sundry piece of junk imaginable, I have reformed my ways and now I carry just a very minimal little wallet. It holds my IDs, a couple of credit cards, and a little cash and thats it. I havent missed any of that other crap and I have had a lot fewer back pain problems as a bonus.
o Keys
Cars, house, and gun safe. NO MORE.
Like with my wallet, I got really tired of carrying around a 3-lb set of keys, many of which I probably couldnt remember what they went to even if my life depended on it. It was a little uncomfortable at first thinking I might need a key I had left behind (hasnt happened yet) and I still have a bunch of keys hanging on a wall in my house as I try to figure out what they all go to but, its been great not to have that extra weight pulling my pants down and jingling in my pocket as I walk like bells as if I was Santa Clause or something. I have my work keys on a separate ring which attaches to my belt when Im at work; so too with any keys to other places. Each set is on its own ring and each ring is carried only when they are actually going to be needed.
o IPod Touch
8GB model with a camera
I probably am one of the only people on the planet who does not use their IPod for listening to music. I think I only have like 10 songs total on mine. I use it for the calendar, for various Apps, for reading, and for surfing the web. Its really more of an electronic Day Planner or PDA at least the way I utilize it. The camera is total crap and I hardly ever use it but, in a pinch, it could be marginally serviceable.
o Cell Phone
Cheap LG something-or-other I got free from Verizon
This is just a basic phone that I use for talking and texting. It has some other features but, I dont use them. Its camera is even worse than the one on the IPod if thats even possible.
I really should just replace both my cell phone and my IPod Touch in favor of a smart-phone of some sort but, Ive always been too cheap to pay the extra $30+/month it would take to have the enhanced data service. That may have to change soon as my work requirements are making a smart phone nigh on a necessity. Im thinking an IPhone is the way to go as Im already used to the IPod interface and the IPhones camera is actually pretty decent (though limited) which could potentially partially replace yet another piece of EDC gear for me (more on that later). Regardless, the important thing here is that I dont go anywhere without a phone.
o Flashlight
Maglite XL200
I wanted a small, bright, durable light that took readily-available and replaceable batteries and that didnt cost an arm and a leg. It also needed to have the ability to be used as a tactical light but, without overtly looking like a tactical tool. Thats a tall order I know but, Maglite has always been a great performer for me and this model has a super-LED that puts out 172 lumens and has numerous functions including a user-programmable strobe. Its only 4 long, 1 wide, and weighs under 4 ounces. It has a "Spot-to-Flood" adjustable LED beam, is made of machined and anodized aluminum for corrosion resistance and durability, and is powered by three (3) commonly-available AAA alkaline batteries. What more could you ask for?
o Knife
Victorinox FieldMaster
Ive described this knife before but, to recap - it is, in my opinion, the best survival and daily-use utility knife on the planet. It has two blades, a very functional saw, scissors (which I use far more often than either of the two blades), flat and Phillips screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, a leather awl, and the ubiquitous toothpick and tweezers. Ive carried one of these for decades and I have never found a knife that came anywhere close to its all-around usefulness. This knife will not do everything and I do supplement it sometimes with other, more mission-specific blades, but this one goes with me everywhere.
o Firesteel and Lighter
Light My Fire brand firesteel and Bic lighter
Ive yet to find a better quality firesteel than this one. Ive found firesteels that were cheaper and others that were more expensive; Ive even found some that probably were of equally high quality, but never have I found one that was better.
A basic Bic lighter is good enough for me. I dont need a torch lighter or something thats going to stay lit in 100-mph winds. I couldnt keep my kindling lit in such conditions anyway. The only thing I use matches for anymore is to light my BBQ or to provide some air freshener when someone in the room has had too much potato salad.
o Compass
Sun brand mini-compass
This compass is admittedly limited in its orienteering capabilities. However, its not really meant to take me through 50 miles of dense jungle (though it could if needed) rather it is just so I can keep a general idea of my direction when Im in unfamiliar territory. I used it a lot when my son and I visited Washington DC in March. At less than 1 ounce and about the size of my thumb, this little guy is far and away better than the button compasses and still is small enough not to ever get in the way.
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o Camera
Canon A2200 HD
I read an article recently that was describing 10 gadgets that nobody needs anymore. One of the gadgets listed was a point-and-shoot camera. The author’s contention was that, since cameras are standard fare on cell phones anymore, there is no longer any need to ever carry one of these dedicated cameras.
I don’t agree. Small cameras have lenses better suited for gathering light, have better optical zoom capacities, have a flash, can be mounted to a tripod or monopod for steadier images, often include anti-vibration features, and allow for manual manipulation of shutter speed, F-stop, ISO, etc. They also are often capable of taking some pretty impressive HD video.
Phone cameras may be good and for someone taking simple snapshots in good light or who feels compelled to take “sexy,” kissy-face pictures of them self in the bathroom mirror for uploading to Facebook, they may offer all that is really needed. However for those of us who are a little more serious about our photography, a dedicated P&S camera (if not a full DSLR) is still a necessity.
o Binocular
Zeiss Conquest 8x20
Just like with the pen, I don’t understand why people don’t routinely carry a binocular in their pocket. From wildlife to musical concerts, theater productions, sporting events, and etc. there are so many occasions when I like to be able to see up close without actually getting closer that a binocular is always one of my daily carry items. You can go even smaller and lighter with a monocular, but they aren’t nearly as comfortable to use over long periods of glassing and you lose the benefit of binocular vision – a feature most of us are quite attached to in our normal living.
This particular little wonder is a replacement for the 8x25 Pentax DCF MCII that has been my pocket binocular for many years. The Zeiss is significantly smaller, lighter, and despite its smaller objective lenses, brighter and clearer than the Pentax. All of which is not to say that the Pentax was bad. In fact, for a $100 binocular, it is really quite superb. But at over 4X the Pentax’s price tag, the Zeiss simply outclasses it. There are other mini binoculars that are optically even a little better than the Conquest. Leica, Nikon, Swarovski, and even Zeiss themselves make models that can cost you well above the $700 range and they are optical marvels to be sure. They are, however, all physically bigger and heavier than the Conquest (largely because of their inclusion of pull-out eyecups, heavy rubber armoring, and almost-full sized focusing knobs) and none of them will fold down to the ultra-tiny shirt-pocket size of the Conquest. Yes, this is definitely the mini-binocular for me.
o Handgun
S&W M&P 9 Shield
I’ve carried a lot of different guns over the years. I’ve had compact and even subcompact S&Ws, almost every size of Glock, a Ruger or two, a Kahr, a couple of snub-nosed revolvers, and even, when nothing else seemed to work, a tiny pocket .22 LR auto that had WAY more bark than bite. I’ve carried .22s, .380s, 9s, .38s, .357s, and .40s. Nothing has made me happy. They were all either too big and/or chunky to reasonably conceal (especially in the summer), too heavy to pack around all day, too light to shoot often and thus well, too underpowered to be worth the bother, or lacking in appropriate (safety) features to allow me to carry them unconcerned for my own wellbeing.
The Shield is brand new but, so far it seems to strike a pretty awesome balance making it nigh-perfect for me. I am a very small guy. I barely hit 5’6” tall (when the nurse is being generous and measuring to the top of my hair stubble) and weigh somewhere around 135 lbs when soaking wet. I simply can’t conceal the same gun that a 6’3”, 250 lb guy can hide. This new S&W though, hits a goodly number of “enoughs.”
• It is small enough
It’s not quite small enough for a dedicated pants-pocket pistol but, it is more than capable of being pressed into such service. It is certainly small enough to slip into a jacket pocket and it absolutely disappears behind the hip under even very light cover garments. However it is still big enough that I can get all three lower fingers on the grip (even with the short magazine) which I cannot do on most other subcompact pistols.
I once was internet-acquainted with a guy (I suspect a card-carrying mall ninja) that claimed to carry 2 full size Glock 21s with 2 spare magazines for each gun everyday. Now to begin with, if you’re regularly carrying that kind of arsenal on you as you’re walking around town and you do get into a gunfight, pray I’m not on the jury deciding your fate. I promise my natural paradigm going into jury deliberations will dictate that you had to have been going out looking for an excuse to engage in a gunfight – not to simply and reasonably defend yourself from the random acts of bad people. I strongly believe in the veracity and right of daily carrying a gun, but you’ve got to be reasonable about it. Despite individual paranoias claiming similarities to the contrary, this is not Afghanistan or Somalia. Besides, that would be over 8 lbs of gun-related crap to secrete somewhere on your body. No way is that feasible in my life. OK so, that example is a bit of an extreme but, you get the idea – I need a gun that is small enough.
• It is light enough
Again, this gun doesn’t just disappear on a belt or in a pocket like a scandium or titanium, J-frame S&W revolver but, it is still light enough to carry all day without discomfort. On the other hand, it still retains enough weight to ensure that extended shooting is not punishing – something those super-light revolvers (or micro .380 autos for that matter) can’t claim.
• It is powerful enough
Some people don’t like the 9mm cartridge. I don’t understand why as, especially with good hollow points, it has an impressive track record of combat effectiveness going back to before WWII. Besides, of all the center-fire handgun cartridges, this is the one that I can actually afford to shoot fairly regularly - which is the only way to achieve real accuracy and thus combat effectiveness. I’ll take a 9mm I am thoroughly familiar with over a .45 I’ve hardly ever shot anytime. BTW, for those who simply must have a more powerful cartridge, the Shield is available in .40 S&W.
This gun holds either 7+1 or 8+1 rounds of ammo depending on which magazine you choose to use. (I carry it with the 7+1 option in the gun for enhanced concealability and the 8rd mag as a spare in my pocket, totaling 16 available rounds.) This is significantly better than a 5-shot snubby and it’s faster to reload to boot. No, it’s not the same as a full sized gun with 15+ rounds in a single magazine but, since I can’t effectively conceal those guns, they aren’t part of the equation.
• It is safe enough
What constitutes a “safe” weapon is a matter of ongoing and often vitriol-laced debate and I certainly do not want to open up that can of worms here. Without intending to attack anyone else’s strongly-held beliefs, let me just say that I did not want a magazine-release safety (check), I DID want a user-operated manual safety (check), despite the fact that it would offer a “second-strike” capability, I did NOT want a true DAO trigger mechanism (check), and I don’t care one whit about ambidextrous controls (check).
Well, there you have it. This represents my standard EDC gear. There are times when I add more and, indeed, there are times when I don’t carry all of the stuff listed (for example no knife or gun was carried in Washington DC because it’s a literal police state there). However, for most days and most places, this is what I’ve got. As mentioned, critiques and suggestions are welcome.
Better yet, empty your pockets, belt, etc right now and tell us what your EDC is and why you’ve selected what you have…
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