What items do you have on you right now? If an emergency broke out, do have the required equipment to deal with it?
In the course of everyday life, most of us will carry a phone, a wallet and keys, but what else should you be considering when it comes to EDC?
I split my EDC into two categories: Lite and Heavy. Lite is my most likely, high percentage scenario. Most days I am walking to the cafe to get a coffee, driving around the land felling trees or clearing, or driving into the city to work or study. These are the ‘normal’ conditions. It would be highly unusual for me to say, carry a tourniquet and large fixed blade knife overtly in this situation. I’m thinking about what is more likely to happen but perhaps not as consequential.
My Heavy EDC is something more akin to a hunting belt or a war belt. It has a large fixed blade knife, trauma first aid kit, tourniquet, binoculars, Laser range finder, magazine pouches (the pew pew kind not the woman’s weekly kind). There is obviously limited situations in which I can use this kind of set up. This is the lower likelihood but higher consequence situation.
So what to carry? What you carry in your EDC is going to be dependant on the variables in your situation. Are you at work? Maybe there’s things you need to carry for your job. How far are you from your car? For example I don’t carry much in the way of first aid on me when I’m not far from my car as I have extensive first aid kits in there. What can you legally carry? Obvious any bang sticks are on the naughty list for us convicts down under, but check the local laws to what is ok and what is not (and what is in the grey area).
Items I recommend you have on you:
- Shelter: Your clothing is your first line of shelter. Consider deeply the functionality of the clothing and footwear you wear. A good rule of thumb (or toe?) for footwear is whether or not you could run 100 metres and hike 5-10km in these shoes.
Consider you type of clothing as well. I may not always be possible to choose what you wear to work, but where you can endevour to wear clothes that are 'hard wearing', preferably made from natural fibres (things like wool are great for thermal proporties and are also fire retardant). Dress appropriate for your climate but always consider the worst weather scenario for that day. Think about how to layer your clothing so you can dress up or down appropriate to the weather. Your clothing could be the only thing between you and the elements for days on end if your caught in an emergency situation.
- Communications: Mobile phone will be the primary for most of us, most of the time, but do you have an alternate? (Hint: you are currently reading this on an alternate form of communication - internet based communications). Maybe consider the having the abiltiy to track family members, either through stand alone tracking devices (like an iTag or a PLB) or using apps (like find my friends or Life360). Also remember to have a communication plan. A lack of communication can be a form of communication.
- Navigation: Again our phone will probably be primary for most of us but consider having an alternate (like a GPS watch or even a stand alone GPS). If the threat level is high enough, perhaps even a hardcopy map and compass may be an option.
- Self Defence: a folding knife is a great tool for many situations but make sure you check your local laws. A small but powerful flashlight can be used to distract or disorientate would be attackers. Mini personal sirens could useful and spray (a face full of hairspray will still do something against an attack), but not really things you would carry unless you had a hand bag. When push comes to shove, keys or pens can be used as weapons. A roll coins, a lighter or a carabiner can be used as knuckleduster like devices.
- Tools: Multitools, pry bars and the like can be very handy, not only in an emergency situation but just for day to day life too. If an emergency requires you to gain access into buildings, consider how useful tools will be. Even lockpicks may be required in certain situations, but again check your local laws and never use these to access anywhere that you don't belong.
- Cash: Always have some way to pay for things, even in the absence of electricity/communications (This is not limited to crazy EMP attacks. On several occasions the cell signal has dropped out in my town, sometimes for days, causing all EFTPOS machines to stop working). Although the use of physical cash is declining, it is still accepted and should be carried where appropriate.
Other items to consider:
- a good belt
- Protein bar
- Gloves
- Escape tool/window smasher
- CPR face mask
- Notebook and pen
With all gear, there is budget versions and super expensive versions. Do your research and consider what you will definitely need, what you will probably need, and what you will possibly need, and use that to figure out what to prioritise your pockets with.
If you’re interested in what I recommend for any of these items then comment below.
Semper Paratus
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