EDC "Boo-Boo" Kit

How to build an Every Day Carry (E.D.C.) bag

15 Tools for EDC Gear Junkies

10 Items Every Man Should Carry Daily!

Surviving a Post Collapse Scenario with your EDC | Part 4 | ON Three

Surviving a Post Collapse Scenario with your EDC | Part 3 | ON Three

Surviving a Post Collapse Scenario with your EDC | Part 2 | ON Three

Surviving a Post Collapse Scenario with your EDC | Part 1 | ON Three

Alan Kay's 3rd Line Loadout

Alan Kay 2nd Line Loadout

Alan Kay 1st Line EDC Loadout

100 EDC Items

Original Article

from Code Name Insight by Code Name Insight

I'm always fascinated with EDC stuff...the stuff I carry, the stuff other people carry, new stuff that looks useful, etc.  I get lots of ideas from this subreddit, as well as from this website and this website, among others.
Each person will devise their own EDC based on their own unique circumstances and needs, but in case you need some ideas, here are 100 items you might consider for everyday carry:

Protection

1. Small firearm
2. Holster
3. Extra magazine/ammo
4. Fixed-blade knife
5. Knife sheath
6. Kubotan
7. Pepper spray
8. Stun gun
9. Razor blade
10. Steel baton

Tech

1. Cell phone
2. Flashlight
3. Headlamp
4. USB drive
5. Earbuds
6. Pocketknife
7. Multi tool
8. Folding knife
9. Watch 
10. Keys

Medical

1. Bandaids
2. Wet wipes
3. Alcohol wipe
4. Latex gloves
5. Packet of aspirin
6. Moleskin
7. Super Glue
8. Bandana
9. Packet of Benadryl
10. Acidophilous tablets

Outdoor Survival

1. Whistle
2. Compass 
3. Matches
4. Lighter
5. Flint/steel
6. Sunglasses
7. Carabiner
8. Paracord bracelet
9. Mylar "Space blanket"
10. Fire starter (ie: small tube of petroleum jelly)

Office stuff

1. Business cards
2. Fisher space pen
3. Mini Sharpie
4. Small notebook (ie Moleskein)
5. Wallet/ID
6. Magnifying glass
7. Stamps
8. Deck of playing cards
9. Digital camera
10. Spare memory cards

Fix-It Stuff

1. Zipties
2. Duct tape
3. Floss
4. Electrical tape
5. Work gloves
6. Aluminum foil
7. Ziploc bag
8. Snare wire
9. Pocket survival guide
10. Mini sewing kit

Food and Water

1. Bottle of water
2. Granola bar
3. M & Ms/chocolate
4. Breath mints
5. Gum
6. Tea bags/packet of instant coffee
7. Beef jerky
8. Hard candy
9. Packet of raisins
10. Condiment packets: salt, pepper, Tabasco, etc

Currency

1. Cash
2. Coins
3. Credit card
4. Debit/bank card
5. Gold coin
6. Cigarettes
7. ShotPak (alcohol shot in foil pouch)
8. Challenge coin
9. Foreign currency (for country you are most likely to go to)
10. Prescription pain killers (prescriotion in YOUR name)

Emergency Stuff

1. Laminated list of emergency contacts
2. Condom (non lubricated)
3. Tampon (OB)
4. Folding "spork"
5. Flat can opener
6. Micro prybar
7. Foam ear plugs
8. Goggles
9. Surgical mask
10. Passport

Other stuff

1. Necessary prescription medication
2. Hand lotion
3. Safety pins
4. Rubber bands
5. Nail clippers/nail file
6. Stuff you need: denture adhesive, hearing aid batteries, eye drops, contacts, glasses, etc
7. iPod/MP3 player
8. Emergency alert bracelet
9. Umbrella
10. Key chain backpack/tote bag

The EDC Song

Original Article

from Prepper Planet by Utah Preppers

 

Keeping your sense of humor alive and well is an often overlooked part of preparedness. It is easy to forget mental health preparedness when we are focused on skills and equipment. One of our readers pointed out hilarious video on the Every Day Carry portion of preparedness. Check it out below.

Things To Keep On You For Emergency

Original Article

from Modern Survival Blog - surviving hard times by Ken (MSB)

The most useful survival tool is the one that you have with you when you need to survive.
This begs the question, what do you (should you) have with you? What is it that you carry on your person, or always have with you – no matter where you are, that would help you in disaster?
We often talk about the preps and supplies that we should have in order to be prepared for this or that, but, these supplies are often stored at home or a kit in your vehicle. What if you were out and about (wherever), and something happened (fill in the blank)… would you have what you need on your person to get you to the next level of safety and supply?
How far would you need to travel to get to your supply?

I know that during my previous career, during the times that I would travel, I would consciously bring more ‘things’ with me for situations ‘just in case’. When I would travel internationally, I would bring even more ‘things’. The further away that I would be from my home base, the more I would think about ‘what if’ scenarios and how I would get back home.
While the odds were low of anything drastic happening while I was out traveling, the fact is that you never know… After 9/11 happened, I realized that you could potentially be stranded thousands of miles from home. Look what happened when that un-pronouncable named volcano blew up in Iceland 2 years ago – people were stranded all around Europe for some time before flights returned to normal.
Even if you are just at work during the day, or out shopping somewhere, who’s to say a disaster won’t happen that could hurl your life into chaos.

Well, I would be curious to hear what others (you) think about what you should always have with you, on your person, and I will offer a short list of things that may be helpful (and perhaps obvious) as a minimum.

1. CASH. Money will get you out of many a jam. Having cash on hand is more ‘valuable’ during short term disaster than a credit card or debit card. It is tangible. Do not skimp here. Do not even think that having 20 or 50 is enough. The further away from home you will be, the more cash you should have with you. For example, just bopping around town, I always have at least 100 or more tucked away. If I’m out of State traveling, 500 is not even that much when you think about what it may take to get you home. If you are international, we’re talking 1,000 or more to get you home.
When I would travel international, I would always be sure to convert and have enough of the local currency with me. Another thing I would always do when afar is carry with me an ounce or two of gold, just in case… who wouldn’t convert gold, right?
I’ve never had a problem and never had to implement emergency measures while traveling, but again, if something had happened, I would have found a way to get out, or have the means to ‘hunker down’ safely.
2. Credit Card. Yes, so long as the system is functioning, a credit card will get you most anywhere. It should be 2nd to a sufficient cash reserve.
3. Pocket Knife. I won’t go into the multitude of uses for a pocket knife, since it is all quite obvious to a thinking person.
4. Cell Phone. Communication is key. Be the first to make that airline, hotel, or auto rental reservation before the hoards take to the airwaves after they realize their predicament. Use it to assure family you’re safe, or where you will be next, etc… (obvious).
5. Hard copy of important phone numbers, either tucked in your wallet or in some sort of pocket list. When I traveled for example, I would always have all of the 800 numbers for the various auto rental places, hotel chains, and airlines, so I could quickly make reservations. You should also keep phone numbers of your doctor, friends and relatives, auto insurance, home insurance, health insurance, bank and/or investment accounts. Don’t rely solely on the numbers stored in your cell phone. Write them down.
6. Multi-tool such as a Leatherman or equivalent. Again, the uses are nearly infinite and I won’t bore you with the obvious.
7. A Lighter, matches, the ability to make flame.

Do you have any other ideas of things to carry on your person while going about your typical daily routine? I’ve purposely left out any defensive weapon (except the knife), knowing that laws vary widely.

Be Prepared. If you enjoyed this, or topics of current events risk awareness and survival preparedness, click here to check out our current homepage articles…

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Tip of the Day: EDC Emergency Cash

Image via Wikipedia

Original Article

from TEOTWAWKI Blog by TEOTWAWKI Blog

It's wise to keep some cash on hand at all times, just in case. Find a place you can stash it safely out of the way and where you won't accidentally spend it on a non-critical expenditure. Cash can get you out of a jam all over the world - buy yourself a ride, repairs, fuel, food, water, a place to sleep, etc. My emergency cash stash has saved my bacon several times.

Amounts will vary - I generally carry $125, folded up neatly inside my wallet. I've heard about others who carry $500 or $1000 in cash, at least when travelling. Whatever amount you decide on, make sure at least some of your cash stash is in smaller denomination bills - $5s, $10s or $20s. In normal times, some establishments will not accept larger bills, and certainly don't expect to get change of any kind in an emergency.

Review - Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool

from Survivalist Forum by Tradecraft

 

At 4 inches in length and weighing only 8.5 ounces it is no wonder why the Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool is one of the most popular Leathermans' available. This multi-tool is full of functionality in a great sized tool. I especially like that all of the tools function as designed. With some other models of multi-tools this is not always the case. The Wave Multi-tool should not let you down and is a required asset to everyone's kit.

The Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool includes needle nose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, hard wire cutters, clip point knife, serrated knife, saw, scissors, wood/metal file, diamond-coated file, large bit driver, small bit driver, 2 double end bits, large screwdriver, ruler, bottle/can opener, wire stripper, and lanyard attachment.

The pliers work great and are easy to grip and use. The knife and saw blades lock preventing them from closing on your fingers which is a great safety benefit. The blades are accessible from the outside of the tool which is very convenient. The saw is sharp and cuts surprisingly well for its size. Do not underestimate the saw. I have found that the screw drivers work well and are versatile. The wood and metal file work as designed and are functional. The tools on the Wave model won't let you down.

Overall, this is a great multi-tool that you should not be without. There are a lot of choices in the world of multi-tools by Leatherman and many other companies. If you don't have time to do the extensive research and need to pull the trigger on buying one of these then decide on the Wave model by Leatherman. You won't be disappointed.

Guest Post: Pocket Survival Kits, By Westfalia

Pocket Survival Kits are kits that are designed to increase your chances of survival during a crisis or survival situation. The Pocket Survival Kit is the smallest variants of survival kits and the most important aspect of the kit is that it could be light and small enough to be carried at all times. The Pocket Survival Kit is also a natural component for large survival kits like the Bug Out Bag (BOB) and Get Home Bag (GHB).

How much items your kit should have depends and what items that you should carry depends on your personal setting and climate but a small kit with a few items that you always carry is better than a large kit that you never carry. A metal or plastic tin are the most common containers for a pocket survival kit. Other solutions could be a nylon pocket like the pockets made by Maxpedition or a neck wallet. If you have enough space the smallest wide mouth bottles by Nalgene makes good container that also can be used as a water container in an emergency and are extremely hard to break. You don’t have to carry all items in one container; you could divide the different items between containers so that you carry a few on your person, some in your backpack or jacket etc. The hard small hard case from Pelican is another option that you can check out. There is basically no limit on how much money you can spend on a survival kit. A survival kit is just like a knife, there isn’t any survival kit that’s perfect for all tasks and situations. You can get a preassembled kit for around 20 dollars or build your own using items from your home almost for free. Make or buy a kit that’s good for your personal situation and needs. If possible visit a store and check different kits out before you make up your mind. I will give some advice about what items that can go into a Pocket Survival Kit and recommend some items from different companies; however this is only a fraction of the high quality products that can be found on the market. You can often find some of the items cheap on E-Bay, a yard sale, a garage sale or as military surplus.

Items for the Pocket Survival Kit
• I suggest that you carry at least two items in your kit that can be used to start a fire. Matches are one of the easiest items to start a fire with. There are many kind of matches, if you have enough space in your container BCB and Proforce makes special long burning waterproof matches that comes in waterproof containers that’s very good. A lighter is also a very good tool to start a fire with; you can get a simple BIC lighter for a few dollars or a more expensive high quality storm lighter. The most compact type of lighters from BIC, the mini lighters take up very little space in a kit. A Fire Steel is another good item to start a fire with; however I suggest that you learn how to use it before you put it in your kit. One of the best fire steels you can get comes from Light My Fire, they sell replacement fire steels for their SL3 knife, this fire steel consists of on the steel itself, and it has no handle so it takes up very little space in a survival kit. ESEE also makes a very compact fire steel thats perfect for small kits. Ultimate Survival makes an excellent fire steel that’s called BlastMatch that can be operated with one hand. The only downside with this product is that it has a high price and takes up much space in a kit; it won’t fit in small tin. A Magnifying glass is another tool that can be used to start fire with. A piece of tinder like the Wetfire from UST can also be a good addition to start fire in an emergency.
A razor blade or small knife is an excellent item to carry in a pocket survival kit. If you’re going for a small folding knife examples of knives could be the Spyderco Lady Bug, Victorinox Classic SD, Fällkniven U-4 and TK-4 or the Gerber LST / Gerber Ultra LST. A P-38 Can Opener is a compact tool that can also be used for other tasks like a improvised screw driver, cut fishing line, gut fish or as a box cutter.

• Small LED lamps are also common items to carry in a survival kit, but they are also good items to carry on your keychain. The cheap models often work rather well, if you’re looking for a high quality model I suggest that you check out the models from Fenix & 4Sevens that uses AAA batteries. The small Petzl E+Lite are an excellent headlamp that small enough to fit in most survival kits if you only bring the lamp and not the plastic cover. Small Candles is often used in survival kits as a light and a tool to start fires. If you’re looking for a light source I recommend that you go with and LED lamp instead.

• Wire saws are a compact saw that uses a wire with small teeth that can be used to cut through wood or bone. They can be a good addition but remember that even the high quality models are not that strong and can easily be broken.

• Snare Wire is also a common item that can be used to make snares to catch small animals but can also be used for other tasks like improvised shoes laces or fishing line. Brass wire is most commonly used.

• Pen and Paper are also good items that can help you remember important events in case of an emergency. A simple small pen like the ones you can get for free at IKEA will be enough for most situations, if you’re looking for a more high quality model you can check out the pens from Fischer Space Pen like the compact model Bullet and the Stowaway Space Pen. Rite In The Rain makes some really good Notebooks, the papers from these Notebooks is excellent for a survival kit.

• Condoms can be used as improvised water containers, you can make it last better if your fill it with water and put inside a sock. Heavy duty food grade plastic bag is also a good alternative. The bags called aLOKSAK is extremely strong zip lock bags that I strongly recommend, especially for a survival kit.

• Whistles are excellent tools for signaling for help during an emergency. There are many model, the low cost models that comes with most preassembled kit are quite good. However there is even better whistles that can be bough such as the JetScream from Ultimate Survival Technologies and the Survival Whistle and Mountain Whistle from Lifesystem. Klättermusen uses small whistles that they attach to the zippers on their jackets that can be bought in some stores that sell outdoor equipment. These whistles take up very little space in a survival kit, however I recommend that you get one of these and attach it to the zipper on your jacket so that it’s always with you.

• Signal Mirrors are an excellent way to signal for help during an emergency. There are many models that can be bought, The Starflash from Ultimate Survival Technologies, the Mayday Signal Mirror from BCB and the Emergency Signal Mirror from ESEE are some examples.

• Sewing Kits can be used to repair cloths, tents, packs and other things if they brake. Bring some sewing needles, make sure to bring one or more or the larger variant with sharp edges that used to sew in heavy duty material such as leather. Bring strong thread, I recommend the extra strong thread from Gütterman. Dental floss is a very strong thread that can be used as an alternative to normal thread. A Suture set is an alternative or a good complement to normal sewing kit.

• Salt is an item that’s cheap and good to have in a survival kit. I suggest that you either take some salt and put it in a small zip lock bag or take one the small salt bags that you can find at takeout restaurants.

• A Button Compass is a good tool for navigation in a survival situation. The only downside is that most small compasses have a tendency to brake after a while, even the high quality models. There are models that can be attached to your watch band and carried with you at all times like The Suunto Clipper and the Silva Carabiner 40.

• A Fishing Kit consisting of some fishing line, hooks and weights is also a common item in a survival kit. I suggest that that you buy high quality monofilament fishing line and strap it around a small piece of plastic. If you’re going to bring a fishing kit learn how to make a fishing knot. A miniature wobbler / swimbait with a weigh can be used to catch fish in rivers. Fly’s thats used for fly fishing is also a good item for survival kits.

• Safety Pins can be used for many things, everything from keeping a broken jacket together, securing band aids or as fishing hook.

• Water Purification Tablets are a important items that allow you to disinfect water in order to prevent infections. Pain killers are good item to carry if you get wounded or get a fewer. Anti diarrhea tablets can help to prevent the loss of fluid and energy if you get sick. It’s best if you can store them in a waterproof tube or small zip lock bag.

• Small plasters is good for small cuts, Sutures can be used to close larger wounds. I suggest that you bring a couple in your survival kit. A disinfection wipe can be stored in the kit and used to sterilize a wound.

• 550 Paracord can be used to make straps to important items in your kit like fire steel, knife, compass or whistle. In an emergency it’s good if you can make a take a bit of paracord, attach the most important items and carry them east accessible around the neck. You can wrap paracord around your container but this will make it harder to reach items in case of an emergency. The Paracord normally have between seven and nine yarns inside the protective other shell that can be used for sewing, fishing line etc. Paracord is often used to make bracelets so that it can be carried along at all times.

• Duct Tape can be wrapped around an old credit card or a piece of cardboard and be used for emergency repair, to secure band aids and many other uses.

Preassembled Kits
There are many preassembled kits on the market that can be bought. BCB has a Pocket Survival Kit called the “Combat Survival Kit” that’s based on John Wisemans kit from the “SAS Survival Handbook”. This kit is rather cheap and the kit is a good start. However some of the items have a low quality. There is small knife in the kit that I suggest that you get rid of and replace with razor blade or a small high quality folding knife. BCB also have other models like the Ultimate Survival Kit. This kit is basically the same kit as the one mentioned above, only it comes in a larger container with a lid that can be better secured and some additional items. This kit is much more expensive than the standard kit, I suggest that you buy only the larger tin that can be bought separately and a standard kit and complement the rest of the items yourself if you’re considering this solution.

Victorinox has a special survival kit that holds some survival items and a Swiss Champ. This kit is made out of leather and can be carried at your belt. The kit contains some items like a small flashlight from Maglite, Sharpener, Compass, Matches, Fishing kit, Pen and paper to name a few. The kit has a high quality but also a high price and weight.

The Pro Survival Kit Company makes a number of high quality Survival Kits and Survival Tools. The company uses a large number of items from different companies. They also sell a belt that can be used to store items concealed.

TOP Knives makes a survival kit that comes in the shape of a neck wallet. The wallet contains a number of items like sharpener, P-38 can opener, screwdriver, whistle, signal mirror and razor blade. You can check out their kit on the company homepage.

Rat Cutlery / ESEE Knives makes a number of small survival kits, one of the kits comes in a small nylon bag that can be attached to your belt. Another kit from ESEE is the compact Wallet E&E Kit. They also make some other interesting items for kits like the Titanium Escape and Evasion Mini Blade, Survival Card and AH-1 Arrowhead.

Adventure Medical Kits make high quality survival kits and survival equipment. They have some kits that combine survival kits and first aid kits. Two of their kits are the Pocket Survival PAK Plus and the
S.O.L. Survival Pak.

Ultimate Survival Technologies (UST) makes some really outstanding survival equipment. The major problem with their equipment is that it’s expensive and often rather heavy. The sell the Deluxe Survival Kit that comes in heavy duty plastic container but it only contains fire steel, whistle, tinder and a saw. This Kit has very few items but the items all have an outstanding quality. They also sell a more comprehensive kit called the Soldiers Tactical Advantage Kit.

Gerber has also started to produce Survival Kits together with the survival expert Bear Grylls. They produce two kits: the “Ultimate Kit” and the "Basic Kit”.

Everyday items for preparedness

A good folding knife, Swiss Army Knife or Multi Tool makes an excellent complement to a Survival Kit. A waterproof watch is also a good complement that’s good for Every Day Carry. There are excellent credit card sized tools that you can carry in your wallet at all times, the tools in these cards are small but the offer the possibility to always have some essential tools with you. Tool Logic makes a number of different cards, some with compass, fire steel and a small knife, Victorinox makes a model called Swiss Card. A Cell phone is a good tool that allows you to contact other in case of an emergency; there are some models that also have other useful features like GPS, Compass, Flashlight and FM/AM radio.

Carrying a kit at all times gives you some options if you would encounter a survival or crisis situation but can also serve as tool kit to help you deal with everyday problems. The items are however of little use if you can’t use them. Training, skills, physical fitness and good health is more important than the gear you carry.

Also see
Every Day Carry (EDC)
Get Home Bag (GHB)

Light Weight Bug Out Bag

EDC Part I: Multi-tool and Knife

from Homegrown Evolution by Homegrown Evolution

Photo by Jonas Bergsten

Your "everyday carry" or EDC is whatever you always have on hand--everything from your multi-tool to your cellphone to your credit cards. And, as it turns out, entire websites detail the fetishistic search for the Platonic ideal EDC. I especially like the EDC porn on everyday-carry.com.

In part I of our EDC review I'm going to describe my multi-tool which I've worn on my belt everywhere I go for almost 20 years. Subsequent posts will detail the other things I tote and the complex contents of Mrs. Homegrown's purse.

For years the centerpiece of my EDC was the original Leatherman "Pocket Survival Tool" like the one in the picture above, a gift from Mrs. Homegrown back when I worked in video in the early 90s. Last year I broke the file off of it and finally lost the tool while re-doing our greywater system. I replaced it with the cheapest Leatherman I could find, the Leatherman Kick:

I have to say that I like my old Leatherman better and, thankfully, it turned up again. The Kick works fine but I prefer my old Leatherman's all metal construction, its superior leather belt case and that fact that it's ever so slightly smaller. That old Leatherman also has a tiny flathead screwdriver I find handy. With both, I use the pliers more than any of the other tools.

Now the Leatherman is to the Swiss Army knife what, say, Robert Johnson is to prog rock. One is direct and the other has, well, too many notes. The designers of the original Leatherman tool apparently felt that it's fine to pop open a beer bottle after a hard days work but far too Eurotrashy to uncork a bottle of wine, at least that's what I assume from the lack of a corkscrew. Though I just met someone who carries a tool I didn't know existed, the Leatherman Flair:

The Flair,  Leatherman's obvious attempt to imitate the Swiss Army knife, has a corkscrew, scissors and a fork like thingy. It's been discontinued, though Leatherman still makes similar tools (though without the odd fork--how to skewer that olive?). And, of course, there's Leatherman's gardening, hunting, bicycling and even military and law enforcement multi-tools.

Leatherman is the Budweiser of multi-tools. There's a whole array of other companies that make higher quality products but, alas, we don't sell enough books for me to peruse the finer offerings at our local Ross Cutlery shop. Again, my basic Leatherman seems to have enough tools for most situations.

Of course a multi-tool is just part of one's EDC. On days that I'm removing a beehive from a wall I've taken to carrying a Bushman knife to cut out the comb.

 It's all metal, durable and easy to clean. And the hollow hilt can accept a stick to turn the knife into a spear should you need to "harvest" a feral pig for lunch, let's say. But the Bushman is too bulky and sinister for my EDC, at least in urban areas. I wore it around the house one day, but Mrs. Homegrown said she thought I was acting like a preschooler and, frankly, what do I need a big knife like this for blogging, answering emails and trips to the post office? Plus this sucker is a one way ticket to junk touching and a Mr. Toad's wild ride through the porno scanner should you get within a square mile of an airport or other secure facility. Bushman aside, the right to carry a small multi-tool is, incidentally, one of the reasons I prefer rail to the indignities of flying these days.

Stay tuned for what else is in my EDC, as well as Mrs. Homegrown's EDC musings. Perhaps I'll get around to a full-on EDC centerfold photo like the ones on everyday-carry.com. In the meantime, what's in your EDC? Leave some comments . . .

A special thanks to Phil Noyes (author of an amazing book Trailer Travel: A Visual History of Mobile America) for introducing me to the concept of EDC.

Support Homegrown Evolution by visiting our bookstore.

EDC Bag: What to look for?

from TEOTWAWKI Blog by TEOTWAWKI Blog

I'm a self-professed bag whore, though I don't have the vast collection that some do. I love looking at bags, shopping for 'em, etc., but when it comes to making purchases, I'm pretty selective. I seem to get a fair number of questions from people hunting for the ideal bag, so I thought I'd post some recommendations to keep in mind during your hunt.

• Why are you buying this bag?: What purpose does it serve, what will its mission be? Laptop-hauling EDC bag? SHTF grab-n-go bag? Active shooter bag? Have a specific purpose in mind--it will dictate the features that you need.
• Keep Your Environment in Mind: Is this going to be a bag to take to the office? School? Or only for bugging out? Office bags will need to be somewhat professional looking, school bags can be more tactical and not draw much notice and anything goes for a pure bug out bag.
• How much space do you need?: Are you going to use this for over nighters? Do you need to carry a laptop and five textbooks in it? If you need to carry a fair amount of stuff, you'll need a backpack. 

More after the jump!

• How quickly do you need to be able to access the contents?: Messenger bags and other shoulder bags allow you to quickly access their contents while keeping the bag on. To get to the stuff in a backpack, you have to stop, take it off, etc. If you need fast access, a shoulder bag is the way to go.
• How far will you have to carry it?: The further you have to carry it, the more important good straps and suspension come into play. If you're just carrying it a hundred yards from the parking lot to your desk, this isn't a huge consideration.
• What's your budget?: You can spend $20 or $600 on bags.
• Organization: How much internal organization do you want/need? I love bags with admin panels and little electronics or sunglasses pockets.  
• What brands do you like?: Buy a bag from a brand that you trust, and one that you think looks cool too. Don't buy knock-off crap because you can't afford the real deal. Good bags last a long time, so don't be afraid to invest a bit.

For general EDC, I would recommend a quality messenger-style bag if you will carry under or around 10 pounds of gear. Messenger bags are easy to carry, easy to get stuff out of, and just generally pretty damn handy. I've heard good things about Timbuk2 and Chrome bags, and have a Mountainsmith messenger that's about 5 years old and still going strong. If you're on a budget, the Jack Bauer bag in the "Recommended Items" section on the right is a pretty great bag for around $20. I lean more towards black/subdued bags that blend in well.

In our laptop-centric world, those will most often be a big source of your weight, and may dictate the kind of bag you carry. A fullsized laptop plus cords usually weighs in at around 5.5-7.5 pounds--add a 32 oz water bottle and a few small essentials and you're getting into backpack territory. I know you CAN fit a lot into some messenger bags--I've done it--but do you want to carry that load very far? I mean ya, in some kind of get-home scenario, you could leave the laptop behind...but if your bag sucks to haul around on a daily basis, what's the point?

Much more than 10 pounds and I would recommend a backpack. I've done the 20 pound messenger bag, and it sucks for anything longer than a short walk. My current EDC bag is a Camelbak Urban Assault, which has worked well for me.

What's your EDC bag? Your favorite bag of all time? Looking at picking up something new? Drop us a line in the comment section.

Smartphones

from The Urban Survivalist by The Urban Survivalist

I finally took a flying leap into the 21st century and picked up a smartphone. This thing does everything. It's a cell phone! No it's a GPS! No it's a kindle! No it's a mini laptop! If it's electronic this thing can do it or keep tabs on it. I'm liking it a lot. So what does it have to do with survival?

Smart phones have a generous amount of storage space and they come with a slot for mini sd cards. Get one of those SD card adapters and you can plug them into just about any modern computer or laptop. I can also just plug mine directly into my computer and use it as a flash drive. Load your phone up with all of the survival .pdfs and maps that you've got on hand and you don't even need cell phone reception to have useful information handy. Having hard copies of important manuals, maps and papers is a great idea but that can get prohibitively expensive, they take up a lot of space and they're extremely bulky and heavy to take with you.

There's an app for that. These things can do everything from scanning barcodes to make sure that you're getting the best deal on a product to giving you the lowdown on a business just by taking a picture of it. Hit a button and it will tell you about all of the local businesses in the area. Hit another button and you've got a homebrewing calculator that will tell you exactly what you need to make the kind of beer you want. They make accessing anything on the internet extremely simple and easy no matter where you're at. I thought that my netbook was convenient until I got this smart phone. It still doesn't quite replace a real computer but it's close. There are a lot of things that a smart phone can do that a computer can't but there's just no replacing a large screen and a full size keyboard for some applications.

Anyone will tell you that it's a good idea to have a phone with you when you go out to the woods. Take one of these with you and not only do you have a phone but you also have maps, gps, compass and any other information that you had the foresight to load onto it before you left. The less you have to carry the better. Whether you're bugging out cross country or just going for an afternoon hike all of the information that you need to get you to where you need to go is wrapped up in this little package.

There are some cons. The screen is small and can be hard to read. The virtual keyboards are getting better but they can be a pain, too. The battery life is also very short. You can buy extended batteries (as long as you don't have an Iphone) but you're still only looking at a day or so of battery life. You can also get a solar charger. There are some good, compact ones out there. Obviously, if the big disaster ends up being an EMP then you're likely to be stuck with a paper weight. If anything else goes down, though, it will be very helpful as long as you've already got the information you need saved on it. There are a lot more disasters that could disrupt cell phone service and the internet so have the information you think you'll need on your phone beforehand.

Perhaps my biggest issue with smartphones is that they record and track your personal information, usage and habits. When I start hearing about people getting rounded up for political views, race or religion then it's going in the trash. For right now, though, I'm not that paranoid about what they're doing with my information. There are apps that will allow you to remotely delete all personal information in the event that you lose your phone or it's stolen. The privacy issue really is my biggest concern but what can you do about that? If you do anything on the internet you're being tracked. If the government really wants to come after you they can already tap into your cell phone and listen to you even if you turn your phone off. There are complicated ways to get around this (or you can just stop using a cell phone or the internet) but for most of us they can find out what websites you visit, your buying habits who your friends are and even where you live without much trouble. If SHTF I'd rather have this extremely useful, compact, powerful tool with me. Until then it's quickly becoming my favorite item for day to day use.