The Anatomy of the Perfect Everyday Carry

Everyday Carry (EDC) is a term that refers to the items one carries with them on a daily basis. A whole subculture of EDC enthusiasts has sprung up on corners of the Internet, their EDCs ranging from recreational to survivalist purposes.

Most everyone uses a certain handful of items, whether on a daily basis or during an emergency. The every-person at least uses writing tools, a light source, a knife, a water bottle and a watch on a daily basis. We’re going to review some of the essential components of the perfect EDC – think of this as a jumping off point.

Pocket Organizer

Every great EDC begins with a high-quality pocket organizer. Most popular is the Maxpedition EDC Organizer, which comes in several different sizes. These pocket organizers feature the space and compartments that the EDC holder needs to feel prepared.

Writing Materials

No matter how prepared you feel the need to be, you’ll feel naked without something to write with. Most EDC carriers carry a pencil and a pocket notebook.

The type of pencil you carry is up to you. A lot of survivalist-oriented EDC carriers will go for the stainless steel pen or pencil, but a Blackwing 602 would work just fine.

You might want a sturdy notebook, though. Alloutdoor.com has a helpful feature of five sturdy paperback notebooks.

Light Source

When you’re looking for a lightsource for your EDC, you want to find the happy intersection of efficiency, longevity and compactness.

The Quark Pro QPA is an efficient LED light with five output settings, a strobe and an SOS feature. It gets a lot of mileage out of its AA battery, too.

Knife

You’re going to need something to cut with in your EDC. A knife can provide tons of utility in a small and simple package. I’m going to recommend the minimalist route with the Kershaw Skyline. With a slim, 3 1/8” blade, no assisted-opening, and a weight of 2.3 ounces, the Skyline is a functional blade that won’t weight you down or take up too much space.

 

Compass

Most of us scoff at compasses and watches in the age of the smartphone, but what happens when your service cuts out? A simple REI Mini Compass will fit on your keys and keep you on the right path when you lose your network.