There is a concept in the preparedness and concealed carry circles about this idea of ‘Everyday Carry’ or EDC for short. The idea is to evaluate what you have on you or with you, always. Those are the things that you will most likely have if something goes south and we are not talking about a zombie takeover, but a car breaks down, you are notified that a loved one was transported to the hospital or the power goes out at the library (or a zombie apocalypse).

I have run the gamut between less and more stuff. Right now, I definitely lean toward the less end of the spectrum. I am talking about things such as keys, wallet, phone, etc. (add facemask for now). Since I have not been working and have been primarily home this last year, I haven’t had a normal ‘get ready in the morning’ routine which now makes me grab and go when I leave.

Example of EDC loadout

There are forums on the subject and some people get really into their gadgets. There are keychain wrenches and gizmos, some people carry USB drives or battery packs for their phones. I have even heard of someone carrying another cell phone from a different carrier as back-up.

What I find is that there is a limit on reasonable amounts of stuff in your pockets. I have literally had my pants falling down from weight at times. This is particularly true when your pants are too big or too small. Women can put a lot of stuff in a purse but I really dont want to carry a ‘man purse’. There is a different level of gear called a ‘get home bag’ for another post.

The concept of EDC is not supposed to change with circumstance. For instance, don’t go to a bad area of town. You want to avoid a gunfight at all costs. However, we are all human. Elastic waste band shorts just don’t hold enough weight to pocket carry a 12oz firearm and phone and keys and flashlight, etc. Unless you are prepared to look like Batman, adjustments have to be made. Cargo pants can help without looking too out of place.

In the past I have enjoyed perusing the forums to see if anyone has had a better idea or some new piece of gear. I always end up enjoying the pictures but not changing anything because there is limited space so it needs to be pretty high value.

There is one more term that is fairly common and that is minimalist. This is the idea that functions are combined and/or reduced to the minimum. Truth be told, I rarely use most things in the picture outside of my wallet and keys. Therefore, I don’t carry most of those things.

Just remember, with all things urban survival, you want to be the ‘gray man’. You don’t want to stand out in any situation.