What is EDC?

There is a fairly large community of people that are dedicated to carrying the most useful every day items. Sounds a bit strange, but it is actually fairly clever. Continue reading to find out how.



EDC stands for Every Day Carry. EDC items are things you carry every day, such as your phone, wallet, and keys. However, these are not the only things. Most people in the EDC community carry many more items than this, and each item has a purpose. An example of a fairly simple and basic every day carry are the following items: cell phone, watch, wallet, keys, flashlight, knife, pen/pencil, note pad, and sometimes a firearm. All of these items have a very specific purpose, and most are used fairly regularly.

Cell phone: it's your cell phone. Use it to call, text, make notes, get directions, search the internet, or anything else. A waterproof case is recommended.

Watch: just your standard wrist watch. The best type of watch to wear is usually a waterproof/resistant analog watch with a metal band. This is because there is less chance of irreparable damage (since it is possible to take a mechanical watch to a watchmaker to have it repaired), it will not be damaged by water, and the band is less likely to break or corrode.

Wallet: usually a leather billfold is preferred. This is to hold your identification, money, and bank cards. If possible, get one with RFID protection. RFID protection is a thin metal layer in the lining of the wallet that prevents cards from being scanned by thieves.

Keys: your house keys, car keys, and whatever else you need to unlock. It is often best to keep the keys to your vehicle on a secondary detachable key ring, as some cars can unexpectedly turn off if there is too much weight on the key. It is also good to keep a TILE brand gps tracking tag on both the vehicle key and the other keys so you will be able to locate them if they are misplaced.

Flashlight: a simple water resistant flashlight. This is useful to illuminate dark or poorly lit areas, such as under desks, behind shelves, and inside drawers and cabinets. A good flashlight can be fairly expensive, but there are a few high quality and low cost brands, such as Lux-Pro. It is also a good idea to have a pocket clip on the flashlight as to prevent loss.

Knife: a small folding pocket knife. The knife is useful for opening packages, boxes, bags, and cutting rope, cords, zip ties, and other things, such as self defense. A good knife can be quite pricey, however, an expensive knife is definitely worth the money in most cases. Inexpensive and cheap knives can actually be dangerous, as they tend to be made of low quality metals (such as pot metal, tin, and even aluminum) that can break easily, and the locks tend to be sub-par and can close unexpectedly on your hand. If a knife breaks, the blade could harm you. Good quality knives, on the other hand, have blades made of stainless steel or ceramic. Even the lowest quality stainless steel (440 stainless) is often enough for light to medium use. An expensive knife can cost up to several hundred dollars, but these are often somewhat overkill for every day use. The average folding pocket knife usually costs around 30-100 USD, and is made of 440HC, 8CR13MOV, 440C, or D2, in order of quality and price. Please check your local, state, and federal laws before purchasing and/or carrying a knife. Disclaimer: do not use a knife for defense or offense.

Pen/Pencil and Note pad: useful for writing down notes such as shopping lists, phone numbers, ideas, sketches. While most of this can be done on a smart phone, paper can be useful from time to time.

Firearm: a small caliber pistol or handgun. This is useful for self defense, so it is hopefully not used. While it can be carried openly on the hip, the pistol is usually concealed as to not frighten people and law enforcement. There is a wide variety of calibers to choose from, each with it's own benefits and drawbacks. Most EDC pistols tend to be smaller caliber, such as .22, which is a fairly small bullet that has low recoil and is less damaging, 9mm, which is medium sized and has some recoil and is fairly damaging, or at the largest, .45 ACP, which has a large amount of recoil and is highly lethal. Please check your local, state, and federal laws before purchasing and/or carrying a pistol or handgun. Disclaimer: do not use a firearm for defense or offense.

While there are more items that can be carried, these are some of the most common. Everyone's EDC is unique to them and contains items most useful to what they do regularly. Please check and obey the laws that apply to you before owning any of these items. Never use any of these items for the purpose of inflicting injury.

Thoughts? What is your in your EDC? Comment below what you would like for the next topic. Stay tuned for more.