EDC (every day carry) is frequently a hot topic among preppers. Seems everybody wants to know what everybody else is packing. In surfing through various survival/prepper related message boards and such, you’ll find list on top of list of EDC items.

Sometimes these lists are sensible, logical, and practical. Quite often, though, I’m utterly flabbergasted at the vast amounts of gear some people allegedly carry with them everywhere they go. Now, I’m not talking about the contents of a bug out bag or get home bag. Obviously, BOBs and GHBs are going to have lengthy content lists, for the most part. I’m just talking about what people apparently carry on their person (in pockets, hanging on a belt, etc.).

Here’s one such proposed EDC list I saw a while back.

No less than three different knives.
A knife sharpener.
Two different flashlights with extra batteries.
Pistol with two extra magazines.
Notebook with three pens.
Several feet of paracord.
Two butane lighters.
Magnesium striker.
Two multi-tools.
Cell phone with extra battery.
Two separate key rings with multiple attachments hanging from them, none of which are actually keys.

That’s not everything, either. Just a sampling of what this person supposedly carries in their pockets and/or on their belt.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about being prepared but, really? Counting the multi-tools, that’s five different blades! That’s just a tad excessive, in my opinion.

Instead of bulking yourself up until you look like a member of SWAT about to do a no-knock warrant, look at a more minimalist approach to EDC. In my daily life, I’m rarely ever more than a couple hundred feet from my vehicle, in which I have a fairly extensive amount of gear. I also have a small kit sitting in a drawer in my office. Not to mention my ever-present shoulder bag that I carry just about everywhere.

For EDC, meaning what I carry ON MY PERSON just about everywhere:

–Keychain with vehicle and house keys.
–Wallet with cash, credit cards, and emergency phone numbers.
–Pocket knife or multi-tool.
–Small butane lighter.
–Whistle.
–Cell phone.
–Small LED penlight.

Think about it, what else would I truly need?

Due to the constraints of my day job, I cannot walk around with a pistol all the time. It is what it is and I’ve made my peace with it after some fairly serious risk assessing. Suffice to say, I’m cool with it for a variety of reasons.

My point is this — always value skills over stuff. The more you carry in your head, the less you need to carry in your pockets or elsewhere. If you lighten the load, at least you won’t jingle so much when you walk.