People can spend all day imagining possible situations they could find themselves in and then try to come up solutions and items to carry so they can counter the situation or threat.
This can become an endless cycle, of what ifs. The unimaginable can happen to anyone at any time, but how likely is it to happen to you, and would it matter what tools or materials you had on you? Having tools and materials with you is one thing, using them effectively is another thing entirely.
Carry things based on necessity and not so much on extreme possibilities, because after all, you only have so many pockets, and you do not want to draw attention to yourself.
Carry certain things based on your job, the route to work such as rural routes or city streets and based on the way you get to work such as by train, cab or bicycle, and carry based on known, or possible threats that you have determined do exist.
You would have to assume that if you travel country roads to work you might need certain items, like matches, lighters and other fire starters for example. These items would not do you much good on a bus or train in the middle of a city. If you ride a bicycle to work then you may need specific items for maintenance for example.
Carry based on where you will be on a particular day. Some of your EDC items may very well change on a daily basis.
Do I Carry a Firearm Every day?
If you type in EDC in the search bar, you will find various lists of EDC items and the vast majority of them will have a firearm listed. There are multiples of reasons to carry one and just as many reasons in some cases, not to carry a firearm.
If you have to carry one illegally then you are much more likely to be charged with an illegal carry then you are to use the firearm to save your life. You have to decide, this article is not making decisions for you. It is simply giving you a certain perspective.
I carry a firearm occasionally a small caliber pistol that can be easily concealed. Bigger is not always better in a crowded mall, or on a busy city sidewalk. The range is usually not a factor in most urban environments, so small calibers can be ideal in close quarters combat when neutralizing not necessarily killing is sometimes the objective.
I carry a small caliber pistol a .22 Magnum Revolver in what some of the old timers used to call their “gentlemen’s pocket”. I carry a revolver over an automatic for various reasons. I have nothing against semi-automatics it is your choice.
In years past men of means wore suit coats or overcoats with inside breast pockets where they carried their billfolds and expensive cigars. The common person usually could not afford fancy overcoats or suits of quality so they stuffed coins or bills in their pants pockets.
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The gentleman’s pocket is where I carry because if on the off chance I am mugged that is where I would supposedly reach for my wallet to hand over. I have never had it happen, so whether the concept works or not remains to be seen but a firearm must come to the hand quickly and the fewer moves to get it there the better, right? My firearm is carried chest high in the left pocket because my strong hand is the right hand.
Low-Cost Root Cellar/Bunker
This guy did something very sharp and inventive: His cellar had all the benefits of our great-grandparents’ root cellars, the American Army war bunkers, and the secret Viet Cong building method with none of their drawbacks. Watch the video and learn more!
Neck Chain
- Dog tag chain that breaks away if it is caught on something or someone grabs it. On it, I carry:
- A small compass
- P-38 (can opener, not that I would necessarily ever need it but it is about nostalgia)
- Dog tags
- Ferro rod
- A nifty little gadget from Gerber that has a mini pry bar and bottle opener it is called the Gerber Shard and it also has small screwdrivers, but frankly, they are pretty much worthless but it is a gadget after all and the pry bar is stout enough to open paint cans, pull small nails and so on
Cell Phone
Carry it always
Small Note Pad and Stainless Steel Ball Point Pen
Great for mapping rooms for exit/entrances, note cover and concealment, general note taking, and of course for grocery lists. A pen can be used as a weapon.
Canvas Belt with Accessories Attached Such As:
- A Handcuff Key
- Cord cutter it is a tool made by Kershaw and it also has a bottle opener, flat head, and a slot for opening-closing oxygen tanks it also has a finger hole to hold the tool if you are doing the repetitive cutting of cordage, I tested it and it will cut plastic ties
- Optional items could include Paracord
I have worn a belt ever since I could pull my own pants up. I wear a heavy canvas type with a subdued black buckle. On the backside of the belt where it meets the middle of my back, I have sewn a handcuff key. It is attached so it can be broken loose with little effort.
I also have a small tool that has a cord cutter on it, sewn on the backside near the handcuff key. The main purpose of this tool is to cut through zip ties or rope. Am I paranoid, yes of course I am, because I have been restrained in the professional cuffs with the little section in the middle that adjusts each wrist separately, almost impossible to get out of unless you can cut the ties off.
At one time, I had attached two 33-inch lengths of Paracord to the underside of the belt. I attached them with some thread and I did need a heavy needle but I always had cordage. I have since stopped carrying cordage this way.
You can attach just about anything to the underside of a canvas belt with a little sewing thread and some needles.
Do I Wear a Paracord Survival Bracelet Anymore No?
I do not wear a survival bracelet, anymore. I tried a few and even made some of my own and simply never got into carrying cordage this way. I tore one apart once, and to save the length by doing it properly, it took me 45 minutes. Not sure if the bracelet was made right or I was doing it wrong, it does not seem like it is worth the effort for me. If cordage is important to you wear some like a belt by threading through the loops and then tie off.
Multi-Tool
Carry every day a Gerber or Leatherman I have both, and it is one tool I find I need almost daily for one thing or another, carried in a small pouch with belt loops.
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Folding Knife
Knife with a pocket clip that has a spring assist for one-handed open and close. I alternate from Gerber, Kershaw to Schrade.
Mirror: Used To Carry But Not Anymore
For years in the military, I carried a mirror every day. It was used for grooming, signaling and for applying camo paint to the face. It was also used to direct sunlight to tracks or impressions in the soil. Using a mirror, I was able to direct stronger light to the track or impression so the details were highlighted. Hunters can benefit from a mirror when tracking game.
I do not carry one anymore but some may find one beneficial.
Penlight
Carry one every day and if I expect to need a bigger on a particular day I will switch out.
Watch
Have worn one every day since I could tell time
Wallet
Never leave home without it
Key Chain
It only carries the car keys though, because if they are stolen or lost I do not want a house key on it or any useful tools.
Considerations
There are universal tool pouches with belt loops that could conceivably carry all that you need in one place. The pouches can be picked up and any Lowes, Home Depot or even some retail department stores.
Your carry is your carry based on your personal preferences, perceived or known threats or known situations you may find yourself in. In other words, everyone carries something different from someone else.
The Most Comprehensive Book Available
Our grandfathers had more knowledge than any of us today and thrived even when modern conveniences were not available. They were able to produce and store their food for long periods of time. All the knowledge our grandfathers had, in one place. Here’s just a glimpse of what you’ll find in the book:
The Lost Ways is a far-reaching book with chapters ranging from simple things like making tasty bark-bread-like people did when there was no food to building a traditional backyard smokehouse… and much, much, much more!
Discover how to survive: Most complete survival tactics, tips, skills and ideas like how to make pemmican, snowshoes, knives, soap, beer, smokehouses, bullets, survival bread, water wheels, herbal poultices, Indian roundhouses, root cellars, primitive navigation, and much more at The Lost Ways
Here’s just a glimpse of what you’ll find in The Lost Ways:
From Ruff Simons, an old west history expert, and former deputy, you’ll learn the techniques and methods used by the wise sheriffs from the frontiers to defend an entire village despite being outnumbered and outgunned by gangs of robbers and bandits, and how you can use their wisdom to defend your home against looters when you’ll be surrounded.
Native American ERIK BAINBRIDGE – who took part in the reconstruction of the native village of Kule Loklo in California, will show you how Native Americans build the subterranean roundhouse, an underground house that today will serve you as a storm shelter, a perfectly camouflaged hideout, or a bunker. It can easily shelter three to four families, so how will you feel if, when all hell breaks loose, you’ll be able to call all your loved ones and offer them guidance and shelter? Besides that, the subterranean roundhouse makes an awesome root cellar where you can keep all your food and water reserves year-round.
From Shannon Azares you’ll learn how sailors from the XVII century preserved water in their ships for months on end, even years and how you can use this method to preserve clean water for your family cost-free.
Mike Searson – who is a Firearm and Old West history expert – will show you what to do when there is no more ammo to be had, how people who wandered the West managed to hunt eight deer with six bullets, and why their supply of ammo never ran out. Remember the panic buying in the first half of 2013? That was nothing compared to what’s going to precede the collapse.
From Susan Morrow, an ex-science teacher and chemist, you’ll master “The Art of Poultice.” She says, “If you really explore the ingredients from which our forefathers made poultices, you’ll be totally surprised by the similarities with modern medicines.” Well…how would you feel in a crisis to be the only one from the group knowing about this lost skill? When there are no more antibiotics, people will turn to you to save their ill children’s lives.
If you liked our video tutorial on how to make Pemmican, then you’ll love this: I will show you how to make another superfood that our troops were using in the Independence war, and even George Washington ate on several occasions. This food never goes bad. And I’m not talking about honey or vinegar. I’m talking about real food! The awesome part is that you can make this food in just 10 minutes and I’m pretty sure that you already have the ingredients in your house right now.
Really, this is all just a peek.
The Lost Ways is a far-reaching book with chapters ranging from simple things like making tasty bark-bread-like people did when there was no food to building a traditional backyard smokehouse… and much, much, much more!
And believe it or not, this is not all…
Table Of Contents:
The Most Important Thing
Making Your Own Beverages: Beer to Stronger Stuff
Ginger Beer: Making Soda the Old Fashioned Way
How North American Indians and Early Pioneers Made Pemmican
Spycraft: Military Correspondence During The 1700’s to 1900’s
Wild West Guns for SHTF and a Guide to Rolling Your Own Ammo
How Our Forefathers Built Their Sawmills, Grain Mills, and Stamping Mills
How Our Ancestors Made Herbal Poultice to Heal Their Wounds
What Our Ancestors Were Foraging For? or How to Wildcraft Your Table
How Our Ancestors Navigated Without Using a GPS System
How Our Forefathers Made Knives
How Our Forefathers Made Snowshoes for Survival
How North California Native Americans Built Their Semi-subterranean Roundhouses
Our Ancestors’Guide to Root Cellars
Good Old Fashioned Cooking on an Open Flame
Learning from Our Ancestors How to Preserve Water
Learning from Our Ancestors How to Take Care of Our Hygiene When There Isn’t Anything to Buy
How and Why I Prefer to Make Soap with Modern Ingredients
Temporarily Installing a Wood-Burning Stove during Emergencies
Making Traditional and Survival Bark Bread…….
Trapping in Winter for Beaver and Muskrat Just like Our Forefathers Did
How to Make a Smokehouse and Smoke Fish
Survival Lessons From The Donner Party
Click here to get your paperback copy of The Lost Ways and The Lost Ways II
