Every-day Carry (EDC)
What Is Every-day Carry?
Everyday carry or every-day carry (EDC for short) is the set of useful items you usually carry in your pockets, the items in your bag / rucksack / pack / sling / purse and the clothing you wear.
An ideal EDC setup starts with your choice of clothing and is complemented by your choice of pocket items, which in turn is complemented by your choice of items in your bag.
The aim of EDC is to make you more prepared to tackle any small issues the day might throw at you and to ensure you have the resources at hand to overcome any issues using problem solving.
Issues you might encounter are too numerous to list but here are a few examples:
Treating a minor injury
Opening an Amazon box
Opening a can or bottle
Tightening a loose screw on your glasses
Cutting frayed threads from your clothes
Quickly stopping a tap from leaking
Safely exiting a dark building if the power goes out
Signalling your location if you are stuck and your phone is out of battery
Starting an emergency fire if you find yourself stranded
Making water from nature drinkable
Check out our guides on the best EDC items to carry in your pockets and the best items to carry in your EDC bag.
Why Is Every-day Carry So popular?
Some of the most popular EDC items are mobile phones, wallets, keyrings, flashlights, medical supplies and personal hygiene aids. These items tend be used frequently, if not every day, so it’s only natural to want the best and most reliable available to make life easier.
What Is EDC Culture?
Many people turn the optimisation of their EDC system into a hobby. It can be as simple as optimising your choice of phone, phone cover, smartwatch and ear buds for maximum effect.
It can also be as complex as thinking through all the elements of survival and how the items in your pockets, what you are wearing and what is in your bag all work together to tick all the boxes.
It is common for people to show off their EDC setups, take an interest in other people’s EDC setups and to always be on the look out for ways to improve their setup when new products are released. A quick search for “EDC” on YouTube will offer up loads of videos where people list and explain their EDC choices.
Setup options are almost limitless, but they all seek to address the underpinning elements of survival. Start with these elements as a guide, understand why each element is important and create your own ideal EDC setup.
What Is The History Of Every-day Carry?
Humans have been practicing EDC since the earliest of times:
Prehistoric Human: Sharpened stick / flint head spear / flint knife / leather bag / natural cordage fishing net
12th Century Knight: Chain mail armour / helmet / sword / lance (spear) / mace
1920s: Watch / cane / gloves / handkerchief / umbrella / hat
Modern Human: iPhone / iWatch / EarPods / bank card / cash / keys / wallet / handkerchief / antibacterial gel
What Should My Every-day Carry Be?
Everything on Prepper Concepts is broken down into the elements of survival and these elements are essentially a tick list for your EDC setup:
Water
Fire
Food
Tools
Light
Environmental Protection
Cotton Material
Tape
Cordage
Medical
Sanitation
Power
Bartering
Mobility
Communication
Information
Planning
Check out our guides on the best EDC items to carry in your pockets and the best items to carry in your EDC bag.
What Does KISS Mean?
KISS stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. The simpler something is, the less likely it is to go wrong. There is also a limit to how much EDC gear you can actually fit in your pockets and weight is always an issue.
People often work on their EDC setup over many years, collecting new gadgets as they become available e.g. multitools, torches, keyring accessories.
If you find yourself regularly carrying a multitool, a set of pliers, a penknife and a screwdriver set it might be time to sit down and ruthlessly pair back everything back to just the essentials.
It seems counter intuitive, but a dedicated screwdriver, Knipex pliers and penknife can replicate all of the functions of a Leatherman multitool while weighing less and performing better.