Thanks @SOS24 - for me this is really the essentials of why/how/what to EDC. I wish I had known this as a guideline when i started to get interested (addicted) to EDC. Maybe your posting could be pinned to the top of the forum as an eye catcher for any newbie?
my start to EDC began with just a simple Swiss army knife (huntsman) keys and wallet and blossomed from there. During my daily life, i started to find myself needing other items on a regular basis. Upgraded to a Swiss Champ XLT which handled many more tasks. I eventually added a cell phone (many years ago) and it has grown ever since. There is no right or wrong answer to this, you have to look at what you are doing on a regular basis and what you end up needing. I personally work in the I.T. field for a small tech company that provides support for mostly small businesses and residential customers. I spend a lot of time on the road and find myself in various situations that require many different items. My EDC has evolved to a point where i can't carry it all without cargo pants...about 8lbs of stuff, but it all comes in very handy on a pretty regular basis. I periodically go through it an remove items that I haven't used as much as i thought i might, or when I run into a situation that I need something that I didn't have on me, i try to evaluate the chances of me needing that item again, and the feasibility of adding it to my EDC. It will evolve over time.
8 lbs of stuff sounds like quite a bit, especially for pocket carry. Have you considered some sort of pouch/backpack/messenger bag? If nothing else, seems to me it would eliminate the implicit chore of moving all that stuff every time you switched pants!? Just thinking is all... L'chaim! Moshe ben David
I've thought about it, and even tried it, but I found that the inconvenience of carrying a bag around was just too high for me. I'd set the bag down, walk to another room and then end up needing something from the bag. For my EDC to work for me, it has to be like an extension of my body... Something I don't have to remember to bring. I have a very short attention span, if I have to remember to bring something, I'm not going to have it. My EDC loadout is like my security blanket. No matter if I am at work, at home, at a football game, or Walmart...i don't want to have to go looking for something to solve a problem. It brings me great comfort knowing that if I find myself in a situation where I need anything from a spoon to super glue to a usb wifi dongle to a measuring tape to a Ziploc bag, I've got what I need. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
I was so curious I went looking. It's a really impressive on-body loadout - https://www.edcforums.com/threads/edc-dependency.139794/#post-2681416 Not for me but, like the man said, to each his own. @severdhed Kudos for working out a carry that suits your needs so well.
Have to say I'm a "pockets person" rather than a bag. I would be far more likely to lose a bag. But recognise that you can't stuff everything into pockets without it becoming chaotic and uncomfortable.
Pocket carry, this spreads it out so one area doesn’t have so much weight. This has been my EDC for awhile, it has slowly changed over time, but has evolved into what you see. The only new is edition to it is the iPhone 11 not pictured. It replaced my faithful iPhone 7. I carry it in a Spigen rugged armor case. Rick Hinderer Pen in Stainless steel. PD Hanks hanky Saddleback Leather Small Wallet Field Notes (might go back to RITR). Invicta Diver Watch Olight M1T Raider ZT 0566BW Carmex lip balm in tube.
Funny, my wife says something similar to me often, usually whilst I'm packing a vehicle for a long trip etc. Truth is, you just can't be prepared for everything that may happen, I guess she's right there.
It all started with knives for me, then pens, then lighters... My most basic rule is don't leave the house without a blade, fire, and a light. Before I new the term EDC I started to carry small things that I found myself needing at some point in my life. So if I needed a magnet and didn't have it one day I put a magnet in my bag and my bag filled up over the years. I have stopped this practice because my bag was eventually too big and full of junk. But if you start with blade, fire, light you have a lot of basic covered from go.
