Everyday carry (EDC) or every-day carry is a collection of useful items that are consistently carried on person every day. The main reasons for having EDC are utility (usefulness),
self-sufficiency
Self-sustainability and self-sufficiency are overlapping states of being in which a person, being, or system needs little or no help from, or interaction with others. Self-sufficiency entails the self being enough (to fulfill needs), and a sel ...
, and
preparedness: to help individuals improve simple everyday
problem solving
Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...
, from the mundane (opening packages, minor repairs) to possible emergency situations such as
first aid or
self-defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...
.
Content
Some of the most common EDC items are
watch
A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...
es,
pen
PEN may refer to:
* (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI)
* PEN International, a worldwide association of writers
** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International
** PEN America, located ...
s,
wallets,
knives,
firearms
A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions).
The first firearms originated ...
,
flashlights,
lighters, car and home
key rings,
mobile phone
A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...
s,
multi-tools,
tissues,
medication
Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...
s, and
personal care items.
The choice and priority/ranking of which items to carry, and how or where to carry them, vary according to each person's needs depending on their occupation,
avocation
An avocation is an activity that someone engages in as a hobby outside their main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside their workplaces w ...
s, lifestyle, and similar factors of
everyday life
Everyday life, daily life or routine life comprises the ways in which people typically act, think, and feel on a daily basis. Everyday life may be described as mundane, routine, natural, habitual, or Normality (behavior), normal.
Human diurna ...
. Goals include being able to solve everyday problems more efficiently and to be an asset instead of a liability or helpless bystander when a problem arises.
While often distributed among pockets in everyday clothing, carry options are frequently expanded by the addition of clothing accessories like a
fanny pack,
purse, EDC pouch, small
daypack, sunglasses, bracelets, or even footwear like long boots or a vest with pockets. How EDC items are stored, though, depends on the purpose and intentions for their use.
As a subculture
The optimization of everyday carry (kit/layouts and carry modes) has become an internet subculture, which goes by the name EDC as well. The hobby overlaps with
collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual ''collector''. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obvi ...
, as many EDC enthusiasts are drawn into collecting EDC items in the quest for finding which one works best for their current EDC needs or for imagined scenarios, such as a light-duty day, a heavy-duty day, etc.
The collecting of tools takes on an
art appreciation component as fans appreciate the design cues, material choices, and craftsmanship that went into each model of tool, including
trade-offs of
costs versus benefits for each aspect of it. Many accessories manufacturers have capitalized on the trend and often describe their products in terms of EDC.
"The best tool is the one that you have on you when you need one," is a common aphorism which argues against excessive optimization of the tools carried, due to
diminishing returns.
See also
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References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Everyday Carry
Incident management
Self-defense
Collecting