Kelly’s “EDC”

Erik challenged me to post about my EDC. I had to laugh. What I Carry Every Day is my bag. My bag is huge. Isn’t an EDC supposed to be worn on the hip or carried in the pocket?

For that matter, isn’t this whole EDC thing a boy’s game–since womens’ clothing is notoriously lacking in pockets? Even my jeans have tighter, shallower pockets than Erik’s. (Once Erik put on my jeans by accident and immediately cried in horror, “What happened to my pockets!?!”)

And as far as belt mounted hardware goes, most women don’t wear a belt, a practical belt, every day of their lives.  Sometimes I ponder the idea of constructing some sort of pocketed belt-like-thing that I could wear on my hips (not a fanny pack), to leave my shoulders unburdened, but it would take some fashion adjustment to wear a utility belt every day.

For now, though, my bag is my EDC. And while it can devolve into a giant pit of flyers, receipts, misplaced business cards, crushed snacks and sometimes even plant matter, I do carry a few items that would be useful in an emergency.

At Erik’s challenge, I unpacked my bag for the camera, editing only the garbage.

The laptop (far right) is often in the bag, and was when I unloaded it, so it’s in the picture, but I don’t consider it an EDC and leave it at home as much as I can. The notebook on top is usually with me, though.

Row 1 (closest to the bag): This row I think of as my true EDC, in that I’d find these things useful in emergencies and unusual situations. All of it, except the phone, lives in a small dedicated pocket.

Left to right: Phone, multi-tool, mini first aid kit, lighter, LED light

Row 2: The items in this row all fit in the red pouch on the left. These are my personal comfort items. I admit I could survive with just the lip balm if I had to.

Left to right: Pouch, lipstick, homemade lip balm (which is also gets used for hand cream and hair control), a small mint tin which carries analgesics of all sorts, comb, flash drive, tampons, and my titanium spork, purchased long ago for backpacking, but which now I use to avoid plastic utensils.

Row 3: Wallet, notebook and pens, keys, ipod (I don’t carry it every day, but it was in the bag this day), and my sunglasses.

Erik shakes his head at how much I carry, but typing this up, I’m actually thinking it’s not all that bad. I could shed some of it, sure, but the items here are actually all things I use consistently and miss when I don’t have them.

Since Erik showed you his, I’ll show you mine. This is the Leatherman I carry. It’s the Juice S2, and has served me well for several years. I like it better than Erik’s model. It feels better in the hand, and never pinches the palm. It’s got screwdriver heads, a knife, scissors (which I actually use, believe it or not), can opener, and of course the pliers. This is the tool I use for most small jobs around the house. It’s more convenient to use this than trying to find one of our scattered tools.

There’s a smaller Juice called the Squirt, and sometimes I wish I had that instead, because of the weight factor. But the Squirt doesn’t have a Phillips screwdriver, so that’s sort of a deal breaker. If we were organized people and I knew I could find a Phillips screwdriver when I needed one, then I could do with less multi-tool.

What’s more interesting to me than fetishizing the EDC is the fetishizing of the emergency backpack, to which I plead guilty. I’ll unpack my backpack for you soon.

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10 Comments

  1. Sounds a lot like the contents of my purse, except that I also always carry a tiny tape measure and several lightweight, folding shopping bags. Don’t yet have a multi-tool, but your and Eric’s posts are giving me a serious case of multi-tool envy.

  2. Eric: moms are always pulling miracles out of their bags.

    Anon: Mmm, it would be nice to have a lightweight shopping bag or two. But then, gnarly old canvas is compostable. See…that’s the bright side. 😉

    Anduhrew: One of the best gifts I ever got was a homemade survival kit in a an altoids tin.

  3. Ha! I’m so glad I’m not the only one. I just posted about the four pound satchel I bought to be my EDC, and while I love carrying it around I do feel like I’m a little bit TOO prepared sometimes.

    I have the same orange Juice and love it.

    I’ve also heard of making one of those little Altoids-tin survival kits, and it sounds like a lot of fun.

  4. I used to have this EXACT leatherman, and I somehow lost it a few years ago. I miss it truly, as I used it often, but I haven’t felt the dire need to replace it just yet, having a Baby leatherman and a Papa leatherman. (I considered the juice the “Mom” of the family.) Anyway, I’m glad to see someone else loves theirs as much as I did!

  5. A small company here in Oakland called B. Spoke Tailor makes something resembling a utility belt. I think they use secondhand sport coats to do it.

  6. Pingback: How to Build a Better Every Day Carry (EDC) - Ever Growing Farm | Ever Growing Farm

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