The following lists are the basics of what I actually carry on a daily basis. They are modified at times, as certain places restrict certain items. Especially government building and travel terminals.
As I no longer work in a high-rise building, I have not included a few items I used to carry when I did, specifically for those situations particular to high-rises. We had a Net recently on work-place kits and I covered most of the items in my post for it.
Most of those business related kits were primarily kits kept at the location, but there were a few items that a person would want to have on them at all times. Elevator rescue items for one. A few others.
Now, as Rob pointed out, in some situations, especially work related, while the place of business might not specifically restrict some items, it is usually better to not be ‘geared up’ in an obvious manner. For a variety of reasons.
Which is one of the reasons that I do not wear belt pouches with tools or other items while in an urban environment. A multi-tool or Swiss Army Knife sheath might not draw too much attention on their own, couple that with other signs, such as bulging pockets, a waist pack, additional pouches, plethora of paracord bracelets, belts, key fobs, etc., and people will take notice.
As Rob mentioned, a person can often have everything with them, out of sight, in some type of bag. But that bag must fit the situation. A colorful day pack, and certainly a military MOLLE covered pack, will standout like a beacon in even casual business environments.
A professional looking computer case, messenger bag style case, attaché case, man-purse, a woman’s purse (for women), and a couple of other things will work to have EDC items at hand all the time, but no necessary on your body. Just be cautious when opening up the case that people will see the business stuff, and not the EDC stuff.
One of the items I intend to acquire when I can, is a way to have EDC items with me (where legal), out of sight, when in nicer, Sunday-go-to-Meeting clothing. At least up to a point. Probably not good for weddings, formal dinners, or even some suit-and-tie or women’s business dress situations, or for many other no-jeans, no-cargo pants, no-outdoor clothing situations, I think this will work.
While based on a very old concept, except turned inside out, so to speak, the ScotteVest line of vests, jackets, coats, skirts, and pants. Similar to a photographer’s or fisherperson’s vest, except with the pockets/pouches inside the item of clothing. Not necessarily just on the inside against whatever else you are wearing, but sewn into the article, between the outer fabric and the lining fabric.
Some are very stylish, though they do have some more outdoorsy ones. Some of the pockets can be slow to access, as Glenda mentioned with some of the other women’s solutions to EDC problems. But many are actually pretty quickly accessed.
I plan on finding out, but it will be a bit yet before I can afford one, even as reasonable as they are.
Now, as to some of the choices in the following lists, as I mentioned during the net, are pretty specific. One of those is having a Smartphone, and including additional power for it if there is no electrical power available.
Powerpacks work, and can be had in very small, low capacity versions, to rather heavier, more bulky units. But remember, EDC is not a set of long term survival in the wild gear. Short term, probably, depending on how much you carry, but mostly just to get you to your vehicle, to home, to work, or get you through a night or a couple of days and nights.
So having enough capacity to go for weeks without recharging is not needed. It is a good idea, however, to have both a small AC and a DC charger with you, if possible, to charge the phone and the powerpack if you do have the opportunity.
There are some solar recharged powerpacks available, of which I have one, but it is not an EDC item. I will carry it if I know I will be away from any other charging source for more than a day or so, but not simply every day on principle.
The 4-way Silcock key, as mentioned in the list, is a bit big and heavy to have on your body every day, all day. However, if circumstances call for having a bag anyway, due to being in a commercial or business environment, it should not be a problem having one at hand. And those are situations where it would be very handy to have.
Many of the items in my list can serve more than one purpose. Many of them go to preventing short-term and long-term injuries, such as ‘snow-blindness’, sun burn, over heating, etc. Things that a person does not think about much, until and unless caught in a situation where they cannot get away from the cause. Wide brim hats, quality UVA/UVB eye protection, long sleeves and long pants, and the like can prevent sun related problems.
And from personal experience, I can state that having sun on bare skin, even in very warm temperatures where many people strip down to ‘cool off’, can make you hotter, as well as causing the other sun/heat problems. With arms and legs covered, in light colors mind you, not dark, a person can wet the clothing and get some relief. And the use of the cooling cloths and towels significantly help keep the body cool as long as you have even a tiny bit of water.
The Spyderco Harpy folding knife was chosen as it can be opened with one hand, and being a hawk bill blade, and serrated, it will allow a person to escape from being caught it ropes, nets, seaweed, fishing line, and the like much more easily than using a straight blade, or up-curve blade, even with serrations. And it is a very effective self-defense tool, despite the rather compact size. However, it does not have that many other uses.
But it is well worth the weight and slight bulk expense to me to know that I am far less likely to wind up caught in vines in the woods (and believe me, it has happened to me before, prior to getting the Harpy) and especially lines or anything else when around water.
I could probably go for days on specific reasons for specific items, and though I sort of intended to explain more, I think I will simply stop here, and if anyone has questions as to my specific choices, I would be glad to expound on them. At length.
But for now, on to the lists.
My current warm weather around town EDC:
1) Prescription glasses w/Transition lenses or UVA/UVB sunglasses (face)
2) Android Smartphone loaded with prep apps (left shirt pocket)
3) Keyring #1 (right front pants pocket) w/
a. Truck Remote Fob
b. Truck Key
c. Mailbox Key
d. Various other keys
e. USB charged LED flashlight
4) Keyring #2 (right front pants pocket) w/
a. Small pry bar
b. Small pry bar w/wrench slot
c. Swiss+Tech folding mini-multi-tool
d. Bottle opener w/wrench holes & hex-keys
e. HandSpan small adjustable wrench/hex driver
5) Res-Q-Me seatbelt cutter/window breaker (right front pants pocket)
6) Pocket knife (right front pants pocket)
7) Bic lighter (right front pants pocket)
Keyring #3 (left front pants pocket) w/
a. Leatherman Micra mini-multi-tool
b. Gentleman’s SAK
c. Maglite Solitaire single AAA LED flashlight
d. Eyeglass screwdriver/tool
e. Geo-cache tube w/eyeglass screws
9) Keyring #4 (left front pants pocket) w/
a. Spare truck key
b. Spare apartment key
c. Bottle opener/pop-top lifter
d. Redi-Edge knife sharpener
e. Whistle
f. P-51 can opener
g. Handcuff key
h. Nail clippers
10) Keyring #5 (left front pants pocket) w/
a. Geo-cache tube (red – Nitro pills)
b. Geo-cache tube (blue – Noon Meds/Cayenne pepper capsules)
c. Geo-cache tube (silver – Oil of Cloves)
11) USB 5v power pack w/cord, 5,000 mAhr (left front pants pocket)
12) Elastic hair ties (2) (left front pants pocket)
13) Slim USB thumb drive w/Smart Phone dongle (left front pants pocket)
14) Large cotton bandanna (right rear pants pocket)
15) 2x Fisher tactical clip cap Space pens (left shirt pocket)
16) Write-in-the-Rain mechanical pencil (left shirt pocket)
17) Wooden tube w/toothpicks (left shirt pocket)
18) Extendable Inspection Mirror (if I can find the right one) (left shirt pocket)
19) Self-winding watch w/watchband compass and apartment key (left wrist)
20) 28-40oz SS Kleen Kanteen water bottle w/carabiner (clipped to pants belt loop)
21) Leather suspenders
22) Boxer briefs
23) Merino wool socks
24) Button down long sleeve shirt
25) Jeans
26) Light hiking boots (Danner)
27) Leather vest (when cool)
28) Quality wide brim mesh ventilated hat w/chin cord
29) Mission Enduracool multi-cool tube scarf
30) T-handle wooden walking stick (left hand)
31) Write In The Rain notebook (left shirt pocket) w/
a. Fresnel lens
b. Medical info card
c. Phone list
d. Business cards
32) Bullhide belts leather money belt w/
a. Cash (FRNs)
b. ID
c. ICE info
d. Silver dimes
e. Silver quarters
f. Handcuff key
33) Leather wallet (left hip pocket) w/
a. Cash (FRNs)
b. Driver’s license
c. Bus Pass Disabled Senior ID
d. Library Card
e. Insurance cards
f. Medicare card
g. Debit card
h. ICE card
i. Medical info card
j. Various Reward/Member Cards (6)
k. Business cards – Mine
l. Business cards – Important contacts
m. ReadyMan Wilderness Survival Card
n. ReadyMan “PrepperCon” Wilderness Survival Card
o. ReadyMan Hostage Self-Rescue Card
p. ReadyMan Fishing Card
q. Wallet Folding Knife Card
r. Wallet Folding LED Light Card
Depending on the situation on any given day, I will add:
1) Rolling chair walker
2) Handheld VHF/UHF Amateur Radio (clipped to belt) w/
a. Spare battery
b. AAA or AA battery case
3) Geo-cache tube w/1, 2, 3, or 4 Duracell Quantum AA or AAA batteries
4) MURS/FRS/GMRS/Weather Alert handheld radio (clipped to belt)+-
5) Rolling walker chair
6) Bio protection kit w/
a. P-100 breathing mask
b. Safety glasses/goggles
c. Exam/rubber gloves
d. Hand sanitizer
7) 4-way Silcock Key (for commercial building water hydrants w/o handles) (it is a bit too heavy to actually carry on me on a daily basis, I keep one in the truck, and if something were to happen, I would grab it to take with me)
Extra Cash (as much as possible, spread over several places in your clothes and gear) (and coins for that occasional vending machine of very occasional payphone that might still work and take coins)
9) High Limit Major Credit Card (probably VISA as some others are not allways accepted in some places) (strictly for emergencies – just in case they still work)
When I go outside the city or am going on a field trip or drill, camping, or where I might wind up away from civilization, I do the following:
1) Switch from jeans to Permethrin treated Propper khaki cargo pants
2) Switch from button down long sleeve shirt to Permethrin treated Propper 2-pocket khaki shirt w/epaulets
3) Switch from T-handle walking stick to hook cane or Shepard’s Hook Staff
And add the following:
1) Petzl TacTikka + RGB headlight (on hat)
2) Pocket no-see-um head net (clipped to a belt loop)
3) Zippo lighter in belt case
4) 2x Zippo single-fill fuel tubes
5) Cammenga 3H Tritium lensatic compass (cord around neck)
6) Leatherman Rebar or Leatherman Surge multi-tool in belt pouch
7) Victorinox Outrider or Victorinox SwissChamp SAK in belt pouch
Surfire G2 LED flashlight (uses CR-123A lithium batteries)
9) Fatwood sticks (left pants cargo pocket) (6)
10) Lightning Strike ferrocerium rod fire start w/Napalm tinder in handle (left pants cargo pocket)
11) Life-Fire tin tinder/candle (left pants cargo pocket)
12) Second large cotton bandana (right pants cargo pocket)
13) 50’ 750 paracord or 100’ #42 bank line (right pants cargo pocket)
14) Tube of UCO Titan Storm-Proof matches (right pants cargo pocket)
15) Assorted small zip-ties (right pants cargo pocket) (12)
16) Plastic screw-top tube with Horlick’s Malt tablets (right cargo pants pocket)
17) Rehydration tablet packets (right shirt pocket) (6)
18) Katadyn Micro-Pur MP-1 water purification tablets (4)
19) 1-quart fold-up water bags – empty (right shirt pocket) (2)
20) Millennium 400-calorie ration bar (right pants cargo pocket)
21) Spyderco C08 Harpy serrated hawk bill folding knife (clipped in/on clothing depending on what is being worn at any given time)
Some weather related additions and/or substitutions:
1) Wet, cool, light rain:
a. GI poncho
b. Wiggy’s hooded insulated liner (concealment, rain gear, sleeping bag)
2) Very cool, windy, light rain:
a. Leather safari jacket
b. Light leather gloves
c. Shemagh
d. Hat Flaps under-hat-band ear warmers
3) Cold weather:
a. Insulated gloves
b. Silk and/or Merino wool scarf
c. Silk and/or Merino wool long john V-neck shirt & pants
d. Silk sock liners
e. Heavy wool socks
f. Silk and/or Merino wool balaclava
4) Bitter cold weather and winds:
a. Silk and/or Merino wool scarf
b. Silk and/or Merino wool long john V-neck shirt & pants
c. Silk sock liners
d. Heavy wool socks
e. Silk and/or Merino wool balaclava
f. Carhartt Extreme bibs
g. Carhartt Extreme Parka w/hood
h. Long bill baseball cap (to keep hood from blocking vision, and rain/snow out of eyes)
i. Sorel Pac boots
One thing I am very remiss in not having with me every day, other than my meds, is first-aid supplies. I really do need to remedy that.
Just my opinion.
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