How Much EDC is Too Much EDC?

Everyday Carry, or EDC as it’s called, is a common topic in the self-defense community, firearms community, and prepper community. There are thousands of articles and videos on the topic (I’ve even made a few myself over on the YouTube channel). Here is my take on the subject.

First, let’s examine some of the common problems I see with EDC articles and videos.

1. Making it about the gun. One of the most common problems I’ve seen with EDC articles/videos is focusing on the gun. It tends to turn into a show-and-tell of the person’s gun collection. “On Tuesdays, I carry THIS gun in THIS holster, but on Wednesdays, I switch to THIS gun in THIS holster because…” 47 guns later, we haven’t learned anything about EDC except how much the author loves handguns.

2. Making it about the knife. This is the exact same problem as with the gun. It turns into a showcase of the author’s knife collection rather than why he or she carries a knife and why he or she chose that particular knife.

3. Medical gear. This one runs the gamut from carrying a tourniquet at minimum to ankle kits, pocket first aid kits, or full on IFAKs. The problem here is focusing on the gear itself and not knowing how to use it. Jonathan Willis recently wrote a great article on his blog that addresses this issue. (He also recently released a nice pocket kit that I will be ordering and trying.)

4. Making it about the flashlight. See problems 1 & 2 above.

5. Showcasing a product and trying to justifiy its use. I see this one a lot, especially with the new fanny pack trend, but also EDC bags in general (that’s right, we need an entire bag for EDC now). Sling bags, over-the-shoulder bags, messenger bags, pocket organizers, etc. Buy it and fill it with stuff. That’s the message that’s conveyed.

We can sum this up by saying gear, gear, gear. It’s all about the gear. You need a Batman belt full of widgets and gizmos and an EDC bag to carry extra widgets and gizmos. Or so it would seem. Newsflash: it’s not about the gear.

Does your EDC look like this? If you work in construction, great. If not, you may want to make some changes.

Here is what I believe to be a better approach to EDC. Ask yourself these three questions.

1. What is your mission?

2. What would you not leave home without?

3. What problems are you likely to face?

Question one may seem odd, but I think it’s essential that we first establish what we’re trying to accomplish. This allows us to frame our mindset, which is EDC tool number one. Your mission could be going to the grocery store, going to work, going to a friend’s house, etc. With that in mind, do you need your Batman belt to accomplish the mission? Not likely.

Daryl Bolke has spoken about a similar concept that he calls the “Mouse Gun Mindset”. He talks about choosing the gun you carry based on lifestyle choices and breaks it down into “get into trouble” guns versus “get out of trouble” guns. You should go train with him to hear more about it.

Question two is where the real EDC gear starts. Here are the things I would not leave home without: wallet, car/house keys, cell phone. That’s it. Pretty boring, right? Everything else is an optional accessory and a lifestyle choice.

Fanny packs (or cross-body bags, in this case) are all the rage these days. But do you NEED one for EDC?

Now please don’t get me wrong here. If you see me out in public, I likely have more items on my person than wallet, keys, and phone. I’m simply saying those are the bare minimum, and everything else is addressed in the third question.

The last question is where you get to decide things like should I carry a gun? Which gun? Do I need a knife? Do I need TWO knives? Should I carry medical gear (if you don’t know how to put on a tourniquet or use a chest seal, the answer is get training first!)? And how you address this will be determined by you and your lifestyle.

Here are a couple examples:

1. Mission: Check the mail; mailbox is located across a long parking lot on the other side of the apartment complex. Do you need your Batman belt for this or can it be accomplished in sweatpants or athletic shorts? Solution: Keys in-hand, wallet and phone in one pocket, j-frame in another pocket. Maybe some pepper spray clipped IWB. No need for the knives, IFAK, fire starting kit, etc.

2. Mission: Going to the grocery store; grocery store is in a nice part of town with a low crime rate and it’s the middle of the day. Would the sweatpants from the first scenario still work? Maybe, but if you’re a grown man (or woman), you’ll likely put some real pants on. Wallet, keys, phone are now easier to carry with more pockets. Added support from a belt allows for a larger concealed carry firearm along the waist. Here is where I would add in a pocket knife and pepper spray as possible needed additions. A pocket IFAK (again, if you have the training) might be added as well.

To sum things up, EDC should be about the mission, not the gear. Do a thorough examination of the problems you are likely to face in your day-today activities. Then scale the gear selection to solving those problems.