# Your EDC \[Everyday-carry\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525 "2013-11-09T22:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/61 "2013-11-11T04:58:28Z")
In 66 years I’ve lived and traveled in many iffy places and never felt the need to carry a firearm. I carry the same things I’ve carried for years, the only thing remotely unusual would be the 3" Kershaw flick knife, which I use for an endless variety of things, none of which require drawing blood. Since the street lighting is so dim here, I carry a small LED light when we go out at night. It’s saved us from being run over a few times. I also carry a healthy attitude, which makes most iffy people keep their distance. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/62 "2013-11-11T04:59:33Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > .(snip)… For those of you who carry a gun, have you ever needed it or used it? Twice I was very glad to have a loaded gun in my hand. Never had to use it, thank God! As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I seldom have a gun on me. Just so happened…when I most thought I might need one…I had one. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/63 "2013-11-11T05:01:31Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > For those of you who carry a gun, have you ever needed it or used it? I’ve never needed to but I have been in situations where just knowing that I have that option has been comforting. Last summer I drove my car into basically a trench, a place where the dirt road I was on washed away in a storm. Two small children, no nearby houses, no hope of anybody showing up. We were very much in the middle of nowhere. And then somebody did show up. Maybe because I genuinely did not believe there would be anybody else out there, maybe because my cell phone would not work, maybe because it was dusk and I’ve seen too many horror movies, this guy creeped me out. I didn’t happen to be carrying, which I only sometimes do, but the moment I had opportunity to do so without being painfully obvious, I made the gun in my bag ready and easily accessible. And then the guy went to his cabin a few miles down the road and came back on his four wheeler and he pulled my car out and nobody died. I gave him $40 and drove away. I’ve recently been given reason to believe that a man from my past, a man who absolutely is crazy, is actively looking for me. I haven’t not had a gun on my person in about a week. My fear will subside eventually but, until then, I will rest easy knowing that I can and will protect myself from him, should the need to again arise. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/64 "2013-11-11T05:37:10Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Holy crap, I don’t think the 1960s Batman Utility Belt had half this stuff. If you break open the crates you get more ammunition and fresh bandages, too. You lose everything on the level where you get captured, though. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/65 "2013-11-11T15:43:16Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > If a building collapsed on you or floodwaters swept you away, how would a Glock help? Shooting God? I also pack some sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![Longshanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Longshanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longshanks)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/66 "2013-11-11T15:50:32Z")
Any of you lot carry spare cash in your socks, shoes or belt for emergencies? ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/67 "2013-11-11T15:50:59Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Right, did I say that having a go bag or some level of disaster prep is total insurance against anything ever going wrong? Because I’m not sure why I deserved that level of snark. All I meant was that the US has experienced intense disasters that aren’t the end of the world/zombie apocalypse level, and that some level of preparation may prove useful to some people. Sorry, it wasn’t intended to be personal. My point was intended to be that the things like Katrina, Sandy, earthquakes, and even 9-11 aren’t the things one survives because of their bug out bag. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time… you probably don’t have much of a chance. If you are just outside of that area you will probably have a rough time, but you most likely won’t be involved in a shoot out. My survival kit consists of a cell phone, caring neighbors, the National Guard, and the Red Cross. Seems to have worked well in Katrina, Sandy, and 9-11. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/68 "2013-11-11T16:01:27Z")
Wallet, keys, phone. I do have a [Utili-key](http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/6d98/) on my keyring, though. 6 tools in one, although using the bottle opener requires gripping the knife blade, so maybe not the greatest design. I carry a bunch of crap in my car, however, and we do have “go bags” hanging on the garage wall in case we ever need to skedaddle. Be Prepared. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/69 "2013-11-11T16:19:49Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Sorry, it wasn’t intended to be personal. My point was intended to be that the things like Katrina, Sandy, earthquakes, and even 9-11 aren’t the things one survives because of their bug out bag. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time… you probably don’t have much of a chance. If you are just outside of that area you will probably have a rough time, but you most likely won’t be involved in a shoot out. I haven’t mentioned guns at all, though, but I do get it wasn’t intended to be personal, and thank you for clarifying. I carry pepper spray, because sometimes I’m traveling by myself on the L at 6 am and a woman gets nervous occasionally. But I’ve never had to use it. There’s all kinds of levels of preparedness, and even the Red Cross, CDC, and FEMA suggest simple things like small go bags, 3 days’ worth of food/water at home in case of having to fend for yourself for a while, that kind of thing. If you have a bit extra in supplies to get by on, it takes some pressure off the aid groups and lets you help neighbors too. But maybe we’re getting a bit far afield from the EDC topic by continuing the general preparedness hijack, and I apologize for my part in any ill feelings; I definitely didn’t add anything constructive there. To be strict about the EDC definition of every day and carried on the person at pretty much all times, that’d be my iPhone and my Fitbit fitness tracker. When I’m at work I usually leave everything else in my locked office, including wallet and keys (it’s accessed via a keypad). I’m lucky if I remember a pen. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/70 "2013-11-11T16:23:54Z")
I carry a small flashlight, a tiny multi-tool and a small knife on my key chain. Very few keys, though. I usually have a separate pocket knife for random gardening and package opening duties. The model of pocket knife varies, because there are a lot of cool little useful pocket knives out there. And I’ll usually have a small camera, because the best camera is the one you have when you want to take a photo. I do probably have enough gear in the back of my car to restart civilization if necessary, but that’s not because I’m a prepper – I’m just not very good at keeping my car decluttered. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/71 "2013-11-11T16:27:24Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Can I still _think_ of it as my purse? 😉 So long as your self respect allows it, sure.😃 And know I’m just kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/72 "2013-11-11T16:45:08Z")
3 Keys (house, office, car). Wallet. iPhone. That’s it. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/73 "2013-11-11T16:52:31Z")
Wallet Comb Nail Clippers Keys Gerber knife/multitool In my car is a Maglight that would double as a nice club, and a few multi-tools. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/74 "2013-11-11T17:05:14Z")
All I carry on a regular basis is keys (house and car), wallet, and iPhone. I hate purses so I don’t carry one–everything has to fit in my pocketses. If I’m going anywhere where I need to keep myself entertained, I carry some sort of messenger bag with my iPad, a book, a notebook and some pens. I’d be a tasty snack for the zombie apocalypse, I think. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/75 "2013-11-11T19:05:18Z")
“Wallet, watch, testicles, spectacles.” – Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munroe in The World’s Fastest Indian. Words to live by, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/76 "2013-11-11T19:31:19Z")
If I’m just out for a walk around the 'hood, I usually don’t carry anything…maybe a bottle of water. (my house key is in a secret spot near the front porch) Otherwise, when I go to work or out running errands, I don’t have more than my keyring (with a Swiss Army “Midnight Manager”) and my wallet. On vacation, though, it’s another story–I usually have a backpack (with the 10 essentials plus phone) or camera case hanging off my shoulder. Oh…if I’m outside, I’m wearing sunglasses and a hat about 99% of the time. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/77 "2013-11-11T19:52:42Z")
I have a short folding knife in my back pocket (~3 inches) and a multi-tool on my keychain. I also tend to carry my flashlight every day, but I’m a stagehand, and that’s a work tool that’s migrated into my everyday. They’re work tools, not a defensive thing. Honestly, if someone tried to mug me and I wanted to do something other than give up my wallet that has eight dollars in it, I’d probably strobe him in the face with the flashlight and run before I’d pull the knife. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/78 "2013-11-11T20:50:20Z")
The car and RV are different stories. Both vehicles have a first aid kit and blankets. When we’re traveling in the RV, I have a small caliber handgun on board and stronger flashlights, but I didn’t think we were talking about vehicle equipment. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/79 "2013-11-11T22:25:02Z")
Walking around, one of these kind of things. [http://www.sears.com/royce-leather-617-green-5-wallet-with-removable/p-SPM173762577P](http://www.sears.com/royce-leather-617-green-5-wallet-with-removable/p-SPM173762577P) In the car: flashlight, parka, boots, jumper cables, hand warmers. Screwdriver. I should put my Leatherman in the car. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525/80 "2013-11-11T23:42:44Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > The knife is a tool, not a weapon. This. I carry a knife (Spyderco Dragonfly), but if I ever have to take a life, my weapon of choice is a guided missile. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-edc-everyday-carry/673525.md?page=5)