Tag Archives: tactical

Every day carry (EDC), or the idea of carrying a small amount of tactical and preparedness gear on one’s person every time one leaves the house, is a topic that is currently much discussed in firearm and tactical circles. The implicit assumption made in all of these discussions is that one is actually able to carry tactical gear on an everyday basis. This, however, is not always the case. Many people, for example, work in places that require traditional business attire; in a workplace that demands a jacket and tie, even a “tell” as small as the pocket clip of a knife may be frowned upon. So, if one is in the position where EDC cannot be accomplished via “pocket carry”, how can one still be prepared? The answer is to prepare a small EDC kit that can be thrown into a vehicle or carried around inconspicuously in another bag or container.

One example of such a kit is shown below. This kit, stored in a “generic” admin pouch of the kind meant for attachment to the MOLLE straps of a plate carrier or body armor vest, is compact enough to be thrown into a briefcase, laptop bag, or messenger bag of the kind common in most workplaces. An admin pouch of this sort can be picked up at any gun show or many gun retailers for roughly $20. This kit contains essential items that cover all of the basic needs for EDC:

1)      Light -  three light sources are contained within this kit: the first is a Streamlight Polytac LED (http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=159) for use as the primary tactical and combat light (along with two extra CR123A batteries), with secondary and tertiary light sources being provided by, for “operating” light, a Photon Micro Freedom (http://www.photonmicro.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=009&DEPT=000001&CAT=000006)and , for emergency light, a Cyalume light stick.

2)      Fire -  windproof storm matches along with some extra tinder for use in starting fires in damp or wet conditions

3)      First Aid – not some “Band-Aids and burns” first aid kit, but a serious combat medicine kit from ITS Tactical (http://www.itstactical.com/store/its-edc-trauma-kit/) called the EDC Trauma Kit; this kit contains Quick-Clot combat gauze and a tourniquet for use in managing and treating serious injuries, such as gunshots and penetrating trauma. In addition, a pair of medical shears for cutting through tough materials has been included.

4)      Edged Instruments – a Benchmade 915 Triage (http://www.benchmade.com/products/915), a multipurpose edged weapon that also contains a rescue hook and glass breaker

5)      Tools – a Swisstech MicroMax (http://www.swisstechtools.com/proddetail.aspx?pid=29) keyring tool and a Gerber folding box cutter knife, for general cutting and crafting purposes

6)      Writing Instruments – a Sharpie marker, ball point pen and a Rite in the Rain portable notepad (www.riteintherain.com).

While clearly not as portable as just dropping things in one’s pocket, this EDC Kit not only carries more gear but is also usable by people that, for whatever reason, cannot “pocket carry” tactical items. The load out shown here is, of course, just one possible way to build such an EDC kit; many other combinations of gear are possible. The key is to tailor the contents of the kit to the specific needs of the user and the operating environment in which the kit will be carried. A kit meant to be carried, for example, during a commute on public transportation to and from a traditional business office in a large urban area will contain different gear than a kit meant to be carried in a vehicle driving between construction sites in a rural area. The goal of any EDC kit is to ensure that a small number of carefully chosen items are immediately available to address the specific emergency needs that have been determined, through careful analysis, to be the most probable sources of threat(s) to the carrier of the kit.

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