Every Day Carry
by Larry Foster
(Palatka, Fl. USA)
Everyday Carry
EDC: Every Day Carry
Congratulations. You have a full month of supplies and gear set aside at home. You have practiced with every item and know how to use them. You have an emergency kit all set up in you car for backup. You have maps and an escape plan for getting out of the immediate danger area. You’re READY.
Today you are on the third floor of a down town building and parked in the downstairs garage. The S___ Hits The Fan. A bomb goes off at ground level, power is off and the garage now has half the first floor on top of it. Gun shots crack, people scream and panic. The stair wells are choked with people in the dark and you smell smoke. NOW WHAT?
You have to get out and maybe all the way home with just what you have on your person. Of course you could run around screaming with the rest of them or sit down and wait for “the proper authorities” to tell you what to do. OR, you could use your pocket flash light to find a safer way out. Jimmy the emergency door with your multi-tool and get the hell out of Dodge.
As night settles you can find a secluded spot and set a fire with your backup lighter and boost your energy with that hard candy you thought you didn’t like. Boiling water in that Coke can and adding a little instant coffee you make plans to get home by the safest route your previous study of your maps indicates.
Your mind is sharp, the panic is controlled, your attitude is right and you will survive.
Now that I have your attention, what is an EDC? American Express said it well. Don’t leave home without it! Every Day Carry, EDC, is just that. It has to be with you always. It must be small enough so you don’t even think about leaving it behind. In a pocket or two; in a small belt pouch or purse; at work or play; at the game or at the beach. Everyday means every day.
It should contain what YOU have determined is the minimum that you need to survive a bad situation. There are a few things that are considered by most of us to be essential but they are not the end of the matter. What you carry must suit you and be items you know how to use. If you can’t use it, it is just dead weight. After thirty odd years of using and making kits I have some opinions (surprise surprise) on those minimums but the final decision has to be yours.
The British SAS says if a man has a knife he is rich. Anything else is luxury. The first thing on my list is a knife. I carry at least two. One is part of a good multi-tool and the other is a small SAK (Swiss Army Knife). No one knife can do all the jobs you are likely to run into but the configurations of a good multi-tool should take care of most. The small has a good sharp blade and a small pair of scissors. Another small one includes a flash light and a pen. I have one of these in another kit.
My next most important item is a whistle. I think of the choking dust at the World Trade Center destruction when people could not even catch their breath much less yell for help. On average a whistle, even a cheap one, will carry five times further than your voice. In open country it will carry over a mile. If you are in a very cold climate don’t use a metal one. It will freeze to your lips. There is a SAK that incorporates a whistle into the handle. It is not as loud as some but it is not bad. I carry mine on my key chain.
Let there be light. Some form of flashlight is a must. I carry two. A 2AA Mag Light and a small LED light. Find something you are comfortable with and keep it with you all the time. Micro Lights at Target are a good choice also. Not much bigger than a quarter they last a long time.
One of the first things that separated us from our four legged friends was fire. I plan an entire page on fire, making it, carrying it and using it safely. For now carry at least one thing to make a fire. I no longer smoke but there is a small 99 cent lighter in my back pocket.
Binding and tying is a little harder to carry. One good choice is called a Floss card. About the sized and shape of a credit card it has about 20 meters of dental floss. They are not easy to find but worth the search. I carry about 30 meters of unflavored waxed floss on a sewing bobbin under my Leatherman multi-tool. Floss has a breaking strength of at least 50 pounds, is safe for sutures and you can fish with it. If you replace the tooth pick in a Swiss Army Knife with a fat needle you now have a sewing kit.
I highly recommend you carry a large bandanna tucked somewhere on your person. Some quick uses are to protect your head, dust mask, make a sling, strain debris out of water, additional bindings and bandage, carrying things and blowing your nose.
I have mentioned several times a multi-tool. There are so many choices I could spend a week just on them and probably will in the future. For now pick out one you are comfortable with and can afford. The combination of available tools on one of these things is awesome. Even the small pocket ones could make the difference in fixing a thing or a situation.
If you are going to carry a knife that you use constantly you MUST keep it sharp. A stone, a diamond stick or even a diamond nail file will go a long way in keeping your tool sharp. I chose a sharpener about the size of a ball point pen. It tapers so I can sharpen scalloped edge blades, a flat side for standard blades and even a groove for fish hooks or needles. I hope you never have to apply a suture with a dull needle. There are several diamond stones that are the same size as a credit card.
Basic First Aid is just that, BASIC. A few band aids will fit almost anywhere. Small to medium cuts and scraps, blisters and burns can be handled with minimum supplies. Most of what I carry is just tucked into my wallet. A also have a magnifier call a Fresnel lens in my wallet for splinters, reading and fire making. I keep a few safety pins in my pocket and on my key chain. In any kit of any size don’t carry anything you don’t know how to use.
Most of what I carry is in an EMT style belt pouch. It is handy and doesn’t attract a lot of attention. This one contains my multi-tool, flash light and sharpener. Under the bottom of the Leatherman is the floss bobbin. Threaded through one corner is a sewing needle. Taped to the back under a piece of black duck tape is additional sewing supplies and monofilament fishing line and a few hooks.
I hope this message will at least make you think about an EDC. Your life and your loved ones might depend on you having one.
The last and most important thing you can have in any kit of any size is knowledge and attitude. You KNOW you will get through this. You KNOW you can’t be stopped. You KNOW you will survive and you will. You can’t leave knowledge at home. You can’t leave it in the car. Once obtained, it is yours and no one can take it away from you.
Think Plan Act
Larry Foster
