Be different

More and more people have no practical sense: they live in urban contexts, where if they need something they buy it, and if they need help they ask for. If an unforeseen situation occurs outside the city, or when shops are closed, or when nearby people cannot or don’t want to help, it is obvious how this approach is inadequate and risky: have you ever found yourself with a flat tyre, in the mountains, during winter?

Abilities

In order not to be at the mercy of events, we have to work on what we always have: ourselves. The goal is to be prepared: if possible to prevent problems, and learn how to solve them when inevitable.
First of all, you have to change your habits: make gas before your car is empty, always have cash, note important numbers even on a piece of paper instead of just holding them in the phone. All common sense behaviours that too many do not have.

You also need to develop your own skills: changing a tire, sewing a button, connecting an electric wire, are elementary things that you learn in a moment and are often useful. Others, such as knowing how to get down with a rope or practicing CPR, could be useful only once in a lifetime, but make the difference. Then? Where to stop? What to learn? Failing to know in advance what will happen, the best thing is to learn as many things as possible, assessing the relation between the time it takes to build a competence and the probability of using it.

Finally, equip yourself with a Kit E.D.C. will make everything easier.

E.D.C. kit

“Every Day Carry” indicates what we take with us every day: a selection of easily transportable items, essential and without pretending to be complete, useful to make things easier.
Understanding what to include requires a careful study: if it contains too many things, weight and bulk will reduce portability, while too few will reduce its usefulness.

Tailored

This kit of E.D.C. is based on my life and experiences. Take it as a starting point and modify it by adding and removing things according to your needs. Just copying the choices of others is convenient but wrong: each of us do various things and moves in different environments. It’s important to keep in touch with reality: there are a lot of attractive gadgets, but here we have to confine ourselves to the indispensable ones.
My kit is constantly evolving: if you want to share your experience, or suggest additions or modifications, write me. I will periodically update this page.

Split it

We won’t always have a backpack or messenger bag, and putting everything in our pockets is impossible. So we will split our E.D.C. Kit into two sets: one with the basic objects will be in our pants, with everything always placed in the same pocket, easy to find out. A secondary one will stay in compact organizer, we will discuss it in the second part.

Packing list

Here is the list of items inside my basic E.D.C. kit. We will see how to choose them in other tutorials.

1- Multitool and / or knife, as permitted by the laws of the country in which we are. Here Viper Dan II and Victorinox Handyman.

2- Google Nexus 5X Mobile Phone. Any model is ok, as long as it’s reliable and with credit. I highly recommend a tempered glass screen protector, and a rugged cover like those offered by Urban Armor Gear or Supcase.

3- Wallet with money and documents. Here’s the Tasmanian Tiger Wallet with RFID Block.

4-Nitecore MT1C flashlight.

5- Keys, which I recommend to gather into a Keybar.

6- Casio Pro Trek PRG-240 watch.

7- Kong carabiner (600Kg) : useful to hang a hat or car keys.

Weapons

Some people need something for selfdefense, so they carry a firearm or other instruments such as tasers or pepper sprays.
It’s a delicate matter that I prefer not to deal with here.

If you have this need, check to your local laws and, if you decide to carry something for selfdefense, train hard or avoid it.

Part 2 →