What is EDC and What I Carry.

What is EDC?

Throughout the internet you may have heard the term EDC used, but what is it? Whether you realize it or not everyone participates in it. The term EDC stands for Everyday Carry, the items you have on you before you walk out the door. Everybody does it and everybody chooses differently, some keep things basic, others get in-depth with it, and some weirdos carry nothing at all.

There are levels to EDC: What you carry on your person, in your backpack/purse, and your car. Each level allows you to carry more with you on a daily basis to the point where you’re more pack mule than person. That’s where EDC gets tricky; there are a lot of schools of thought for what one should carry. What one decides to put in their pocket will not work for another. Some choose to carry multi-tools, and others choose to always carry a packet of tissues, while others carry both along with 50 other gadgets in a fanny pack. What should you carry with you? Well, it all depends on you.

What do I carry?

The best way for me to answer the question of what you should carry with you is by telling you what I carry with me. Not because I know best (I do btw), but because maybe It’ll help give you some insight on yourself.

I currently only participate in the first two levels of EDC: my bag, and my pockets. I live in NYC and don’t use a car. On my person I always have:

• My phone (iPhone 7+)
• Earphones (AirPods)
• Wallet (Tri-fold Tommy Hilfiger)
• 2 keys
• A pocket notebook (Moleskin)
• A pen (G2 Pilot)
• 2 pocket knives (A Pocket Samurai on my keyring and an Ausus)

In my bag I don’t carry much. I try and pack light because that’s what’s important to me.

• A book to read on the train
• A journal that I never write in
• A cable to charge my phone
• A battery pack

Even my current load out is not ideal. I like to carry everything in my front pockets. My current wallet is larger than what I want it to be, so I’m in the market for a smaller wallet. My EDC is very urban, it’s for somebody who’s commuting to work on a train. I’d like to add more eventually. Especially to my keyring, because I could always use a bottle opener.

Conclusion

As time marches forward, so does technology. Something new is introduced that changes the game, like when someone decided to merge the smartphone and wallet. I recently bought the AirPods because I hate cables and one day my earphones got caught on a corner one too many times.

My favorite thing about EDC is that you never master it. When you grow as a person your needs change, which means you need to reflect on what you carry with you. Just because it was useful once doesn’t mean it’s useful now. So take a good look at what’s currently in your pockets and ask if it deserves to be there and remember, you’re never done optimizing your pockets.