EDC, or Every Day Carry, has become a prolific topic these days. That is, carrying things on your person that are utilitarian for your “every day” needs.

To some EDC is sunglasses, lip balm, a fancy leather wallet and some cool nail clipers with a flashlight on it. To others, EDC goes into tools for responding to violent criminal events. There is, of course, everything in between.

At Warlizard Tactical – we expand the concept a great deal. EDC is much more than what you carry in your pockets. It’s a way to layer or scale your readiness. To illustrate this, we will talk about the various Every Day Carry applications we use and train.

In some fashion, how you apply EDC must embrace four things:

• Utility
• Portability
• Durability
• Redundancy

For me, these are in the proper order. Utility and Portability need to be foremost. Otherwise you could theoretically have a pocket or bag full of stuff you don’t need and some of the stuff is the size of a kitchen sink.

Durabilty, compbined with the first two, can allow you to be more selective with your redundancy planning.

The way you do EDC is only limited by your imagination and (I guess) your ability to not stick out as a lunatic as you go through your day. Walking around with a Batman Belt is moving us into a different realm (battle belts will be covered in another article).

We mention redundancy – two is one and one is none. If you have one flashlight and the batteries are dead, you have no flashlight – as an example.

So – let’s start with the most “traditional” EDC concept – body carry. I would call it pocket carry, but I will add a few things that don’t fit in a pocket.

What do I carry everyday on my person? So glad you asked.

• Small flashlight – for me it is incorporated into my KeySmart Pro
• Critical only keys (vehicle, house, mailbox, vehicle safe) – the Keysmart Pro helps organize these (I keep keys that I don’t use daily on a separate keychain)
• My carry pistol in a concealed holster with two spare mags (pocket)
• Small, folding knife (clipped in pocket)
• CAT Tourniquet – cleverly attached to my belt (we’ll do a video on this)
• Nail clippers – gotta keep your hands nice (pocket)
• Wallet Phone Case – double duty and good protection – the phone gives me a second flashlight
• Lip balm – if you don’t have soft lips, what’s the point?

I might add a few things as the seasons change or based on where I am heading, but this is my true every day loadout.

But wait – there’s more. You might also want to carry a small, personal bag that has a few things. It could be a small backpack, a fanny pack (hey, they are coming back!), or a sling type EDC bag for the tacticool effect. To my way of thinking it contains:

• A small booboo kit with bandaids, analgesics, etc.
• Another tourniquet
• More trauma treatment items like gauze, tape, airway management, etc.
• A couple additional mags for my carry pistol
• A reusable water bottle
• Sharpie
• Notepad and pens
• charging cord for phone

You could add other things that might be helpful day-to-day like sunglasses, sunscreen, whatever works for you. Keep it fairly simple and keep it small. You are extending the capability of the things you carry on your person, as well as providing you a tiny bit more utility.

Then there is the Vehicle Bag. Some call it a bug-out bag, some a get home bag, some call it a Go Bag. We teach a more universal bag that is applicable for more than one purpose. It stays in whatever vehicle you are driving. If you change vehicles, take the bag with you.

Your Vehicle Bag is a super utility system for things like vehicle breakdowns in town or on seldom used country roads, or in a desert wash. It is also a life sustainment system for more serious events you want to prepare for (Go Bag, Get Home Bag concepts)

• Space Blanket – get a nicer one that can also be a shelter instead of the dollar store one
• Food Ration – 3 day supply of calories
• Change of Socks
• Lighter – Bic is fine
• Gaffing Tape – needs to be durable
• 50′ to 100′ 550 parachute cord
• Headlamp –  don’t go cheap on this
• Water purification – This can be chemical or filtration. I like the Sawyer Squeeze
• Poncho – get a decent quality one.
• Entrenching tool –  mostly used as a detrenching tool
• Old sneakers – that you can walk well in
• Ballcap/boonie cap
• IFAK – there are many to choose from, but you can build your own
• Car Battery Jumper/Backup power supply – we like this one
• Toilet Paper – put it in a ziplock bag.
• Multitool – like a leatherman or other brand
• Hand Sanitizer
• A loud whistle
• Hand Warmer Packets
• Bright color windbreaker/orange vest
• Chem Lights/Glow Sticks
• Trash Bags –  multiple uses
• Storm Matches
• Emergency Water Pouches –  At least 8-10 per bag
• Chapstick
• Bivy Sack – you can get a super nice one or a simpler one. Don’t go cheap.
• Firemaking Kit –  add some dryer lint, it’s super flammable.
• Compass – don’t rely on a 3 dollar compass. We like Suunto MC-2
• Signal Mirror – anything small and purpose built, if it is not a part of your compass.
• Water Filtration (LifeStraw) – 2 is one, one is none.
• Batteries – AA and AAA as needed

There might be a few things you’d like to add, but consider this a minimum bag loadout for contingencies.

Don’t go out and spend $300 all at once setting up your bag (I mean, you do you.). You can buy things a little at a time, if you think you can stay on top of it and get it done.

Remember – 2 is one and 1 is none.