My personal EDC habits, especially in terms of how often I swap in and out the things I carry, have changed considerably over the years.
I know there are many who like to change what they take out with them daily, but I’ve never been the type to change what I EDC very much. Thomas is one of those people who likes to change his gear, and at one point actually used up to 5-6 folding knives in a single day just because he could, and obviously because he felt like it. That’s never been me, however. I like what I like, and usually the pool of knives that are my current favourites to use and carry doesn’t grow beyond 5-10 knives in total. That being said, back when Thomas and I were in Canada, I did used to change up gear reasonably regularly – at least in comparison to how often I slot things in and out now.
Spyderco Sage 1 Carbon Fiber Plain Edge Knife – Amazon / Blade HQ
In Canada, I’d regularly find myself with either a Spyderco Sage 1, a CRKT Ripple, or a Kershaw Shuffle in my hand, though there were plenty others – and these knives would usually be thrown into my purse on the way out the door when I was off someplace. At one point, I got sick of sometimes forgetting to bring my knife out and decided to leave a Ripple or a Shuffle in my purse, but I’m a forgetful person and so sometimes even then I’d be left without a knife when I pulled it out to use at home and forgot to put it back in. Annoying as hell.
Messy bag syndrome was also something I lived with back in Canada. My system for EDCs could be boiled down to randomly throwing things I’d find useful into the bottom of my bag, with everything for the most part loose, and I’d nearly never know what was in there until I took things out to photograph a purse dump. Finding the knife in my purse so I could use it at home would often take me 2-3 times longer than hopping over to the knife drawer and pulling one out of there, which is why when I moved to the UK, I essentially forced myself to stick with a very small purse for a while – to prevent myself from slipping into bad cluttered handbag habits.
When I got sick of EDCing light, it was because I wanted to make sure I would be carrying everything I could ever want on me at all times, and not just what I happened to regularly use. I knew I’d have to have a slightly bigger purse, though I forced myself to grab a relatively small one still, and worked toward optimizing the space I had. To make sure I’d keep things tidy, I dedicated a Maxpedition pouch for all survival-related gear + anything else I wouldn’t use all that often. If you’re curious about the result: you can take a peek at some of my old EDCs: what I ended up with in my purse and what I ended up with in the Maxpedition pouch.
I’ve continued to optimize over the past months, optimizing until the point where I found a system that worked perfectly for me. And then I stopped changing my EDC completely, which is why I’ve stopped publishing my everyday carry dumps on this blog.
Obviously, I still switch and carry different knives and tools indoors, but I think I like this system of having an overly optimized EDC for taking out. The fact that it barely changes means I continue to make sure whatever I carry is the best I have, and considering it’s so neat and tidy, it makes life easier in case I ever need to switch purses. Now when I walk out the door, I have peace of mind that I’m not going to be without a knife, and I won’t spend ages trying to find it when I need it ever again.
Picture from post April 2017 EDC Purse Dump
Now it’s your turn. Would love to know what your system is like in terms of EDC rotation –
- Do you rotate through gear frequently? How often do you change what you EDC?
- How much of your gear changes over time? Is there any gear that stays consistent? Do you change nothing but the knife in your EDC for instance?
- Have your EDC habits changed over time? Have you always preferred to change your EDC as much or as little as you currently do? Which system do you think works best?
Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
I am urban, retired, own a car and literally drive to the grocery store and back. It just took me 6 months and 10 days to put 1000 miles on the odometer.
1. Because I wear tank tops and running shorts, year round, I only carry a plain edge,
old, Seki City Spyderco Endura. However, if you were stranded with my car, there is about 300 pounds of gear in the same, including water/food/communications gear/weapon systems.
2. Realistically, it is not possible to “bug out” and live off the land. Despite having the necessary skill sets/training/no physical infirmities, such is the reality. Reality follows. In the middle of the morning, it takes a full hour to drive the 13 miles across town to a major hospital in the chain to which I am assigned. If shtf, it would take at least a day if not robbed or injured on the way. So, when I drive, I am prepared to go to ground in place for a week. I don’t have to go home, pack up, and join the mob on the freeway.
3. Because I am at home, naturally, the place is secure 24/7 and there is an unobtrusive weapon system available in each room. The biggest danger is fire and there are fire suppression systems in place.
Very good points BDC, I think people have a delusional sense of self-belief that they can thrive off the land, even if people had the skills- the ecosystem would collapse within days with our sheer numbers. Its something thats worth thinking about.
How often do you replace your car? 2000 miles a year makes me think you would only upgrade for new features no?
My car is nearly 14 years old with 101,000 miles. My sister lives a mile away. Her car is 20 years old and has slightly over 50,000 miles on it. You never want to buy an expensive car or a nice car in Los Angeles. It would be banged up within a few months, like the girlfriend’s leased 2018 car that was hit in a parking lot when she was not in it.
Oops! I barely rotate my gear nor change my EDC . I need two sets of gear this time for heavy load out and for discreet carry.
I’ll get a quite impressive result this time.
You’ve got a good and right system.
And I can confirm that her system is still successfully in use. ;)
I seldom change anything. I have settled on a Kershaw assisted opening folder in one pocket.
A Kershaw keychain folder that doubles as a pair of scissors.
A credit card knife in my wallet.
And 9 times out of 10 I carry my Richter Hoffman multi tool for a total of 4 blades.
If I somehow forget one, I still have a couple others.
I had a credit card knife (sinclair) for a while, never liked the edge- do you have a better suggestion?
No I don’t. It was a gift and it is strictly for a last resort.
Makes sense to have it strictly as a last ditch option. I might regrind the edge on mine to be super acute and also view it as a just in case.
Hi,
Great article and questions. I love EDC stuff so I go through my backpack/purse on a regular basis. Most often because my bag starts to get a bit heavy. I went through my bag just yesterday and got rid of lots of extra gum, a bit of food and a bottle of OTC med. Like Elise I carry anything at all I think I may need whether I ever need it regularly or not–a large trash bag is an example. I change out my knives semi regularly. I have a bag in my van and I feel it was well stocked when I made it up, but I have’t gone through it in a while. I like to carry a few little things in my pockets, like a knife and hand sanitizer. My keychain is pretty cool. On it– I carry a small lighter, small button flashlight, small pry bar, P-58 can opener, a few coins and of course my keys.
Sounds like you have your EDC in order Kaye ;) , have you ever had to use your can opener? I used to have a small one too but after a couple of years of never using it, I took it out of the EDC rotation.
My EDC has not changed much over the last year or so since I retired. I carry the mini champ, O-light AAA flashlight, Fisher bullet space pen, microfiber cloth (to clean my glasses), a small moleskin notebook and wallet in my front pockets. In the back pockets are a bandanna and the Victorinox Sentinel Clip. Then a Pioneer-X in a belt pouch. If I am heading to the woods I swap out the Pioneer-X with the Farmer and grab a liter, a match case and my walking stick.
I always want to have a walking stick but I know if I ever did (outside of being out hiking) I would for sure get a lot of stares and perhaps problem from law enforcement (they might define it as a club)- especially here in the UK.
I have bad knees so I usually use a cane. My favorite one has been drilled and filled with lead at the bottom…
I briefly used a walking stick in 2007 when my right lung collapsed, but beyond that I just feel too self-conscious- especially in the UK. :(
Most of my EDC items are on a Maxpedition keychain. It has two clips and three jet rings, so I have my EDC keychain divided between the clips. One I use all the time, the second I’ll take along if I’m taking an extended drive out of town. The items stay standard. I do wear a Casio Pathfinder Solar Watch, and carry a Black tactical trifold wallet with ReadyMan survival card and survival medical card, along with RF blocking card holders and $1.10 in pre 1965 silver US coins.
1st ring: Kia Soul Car Key fob, Key/Smart extended size key holder, Gerber Dime keychain multi tool, True Value money stash capsule w/$20.00, Inova STS LED keychain flashlight, Kingston USB drive 32 gigabit with important docs downloaded, EDC brand Keychain pen.
2nd ring: True Value peanut lighter, Exotac nano firestriker, P-38 can opener, Victornox classic knife in sheath, Gorilla brand mini roll of 4 foot length duct tape using cutoff straw and paracord to attach to keychain, Chapstick tube in Camouflage holder.
For the life of me, I really can’t figure out the purpose of your monthly EDC dumps, other than to drum up web business with new products. Once you have a basic EDC kit or EDC keychain, it hardly needs to be changed monthly, unless you are improving on your setup which I don’t really see you doing for survival purposes based on what you show each month.
Sounds like a great system, for us the EDC dumps are posted because people like them and Elise loves the photography side of it. I must admit that these days its also a habit- every month for years we have posted one and it would feel weird to stop. Maybe we will one day, besides, as you can tell by my EDC dumps are extremely similar month to month and rarely change so I 100% see your point.
It took years to get to the point that I almost always had whatever I wanted on me when I wanted it, so now I only change rarely. If I’m cleaning (dust and debris ends up among the carry items) and I see something I haven’t needed since I started carrying it, and it’s big enough to notice, I might just leave it out. If I find myself needing something I don’t have, I might just add it if I think I’ll ever need it again, and it will fit.
I carry everything in my vest pockets and in a belt pouch (or three…I’m like Batman or Luke Skywalker with belt pouches). I can usually find whatever I need by feel (even in the dark) because everything has a place and doesn’t move to a different place without a good reason. If I move anything, I make a mental note and keep thinking about it. This system works for me, and has for a long time.
Besides the youtube crowd, it seems most people have a favourite and stick to it. I dig your system with the pouches- makes sense. Everything in its “right” place at all times.
Good, multiple questions. My response will be different from most.
Retired. Hardly drive anymore. Don’t drink in bars or walk down streets with broken street lights at 2 am.
The car is set up for going to ground in place if I am in the car when shtf. It includes multiple flashlights/quality folders and fixed blades/water/spare batteries.
Two dance bags in the car with a leatherman, pocket knife and flashlight in each as well as aluminum drinking bottles.
Each knock-about jacket (knock about because it will be cold today 70 degrees Fahrenheit) has a pocket knife and/or a leatherman.
Each suit case has a pocket knife/leatherman/flashlight.
If I walk around the block, a case folder. If I am going to a part of town where I would feel uneasy, a serrated Spyderco Endura.
I find it interesting when I hear about other people who don’t drink in bars! I always had such an aversion to essentially drugging myself in public. That said I have had a few bad experiences so now I ere on the side of caution! Your wardrobe/car loadout is super impressive- any reasons why you chose the serrated Endura as opposed to the more popular Matriarch?
I basically have 2 sets of edc. One set is my usual carry of wallet, watch, phone and knife which is usually a Delica. The other set is what I carry when golfing, biking or playing Tennis, which means I swap out the watch which is a swiss automatic for a citizen eco drive so i dont damage the more expensive watch and a dragonfly for the delica just to save s bit of space in the golf or tennis bag.
Nothing but love for the Delica! It seems like a lot of you have 2 sets of gear, one for “heavy” loadouts and another for town/discreet carry. Sadly in the UK more or less all my loadouts are “light” carry. ;)