Over the past 10 years, I’ve become fascinated by the idea of “every day carry” (EDC). The concept is as it sounds: a review of what things people carry with them every day.
I stumbled across this concept years ago while browsing Reddit on a lazy Saturday morning. Reading the EDC subreddit group, I saw numerous posts about people’s favorite wallets, utility knives, pens, and flashlights. Some shared backpack dumps, laying the contents of their backpacks on the ground to photograph.
Inspired, I bought a small multitool – a Leatherman Micra – which I’ve carried on my keychain ever since. Contemplating my EDC, however, has spurred thoughts far beyond what’s on my keychain.
For starters, I’ve begun to think about tools and utility differently. Previously, I thought of each object as some special thing with a multitude of meanings and stories behind it. Brand marketers taught me very successfully to think in this way. I even had emotional aversions to shopping at certain stores, and felt emotionally drawn to shopping at others.
Now, in contrast, I think of most objects I own as tools, useful for their utility value. And I consider nearly all human made objects as tools. Along these lines, David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, categorizes all the objects in an indoor room as equipment, decoration, or furniture. Equipment performs a certain function like cleaning and fixing, entertaining, doing work, or enabling us to cook and eat, among other things. Decoration beautifies a space. And furniture (in the best cases) helps us exist in our space comfortably. (image of a couch or bed with springs sticking out)
Various experiences have helped me remove my cultural blinders for how I view certain tools. Take showers, for instance. Initially, I thought of showers as a comfortable and luxurious corner of a bathroom, in which a shower head sprays a generous amount of water in various patterns onto the beautiful slate tiled shower walls and floor. My eyes were opened while at Burning Man, where I saw a naked man standing on a small plastic kids pool in the desert holding a plastic bag full of water above his head. The bag had holes poked into it, out of which water leaked onto his body, collected by the pool below. He used his other hand to furiously scrub the dirt off of himself. This is a shower stripped down to its minimal form.
A second EDC-related idea I’ve found interesting is the military discipline of keeping all of soldiers’ equipment in the same place at all times, a practice from the art of “field packing.” At first, it seemed strange to me that soldiers spent so much time learning to pack their bags perfectly during boot camp. Then I realized that, in combat situations, being able to access the right tool or weapon in a particular instant can mean the difference between life or death. Soldiers are trained to develop muscle memory to reflexively reach to a particular spot for a given tool. And if they need to get that tool from their fellow soldier, they know exactly where to find it. Everything in its right place. Whenever I feel frustrated after wasting 30 minutes, or even 30 seconds, looking for something I’ve misplaced, I’m reminded that I need to improve my discipline around finding an appropriate home for every object I own and putting things back where they belong when I’m done using them.
A third perspective is that I’ve begun to see things as commodities. I’ve taken a liking to the British saying, “cheap and cheerful!” If I lose it or it breaks, I’m not bothered. I’ve stopped paying extra money for most brand names, unless I believe I’m paying for the utility value of higher quality, durability, and value. For cars, I’ve settled on buying 3-year-old used cars for the rest of my life; they’re new enough to have a long remaining useful life and to have new technology features, but old enough for me to benefit from the initial new car price depreciation.
Along these lines, when I evaluate potential purchases, I view my spending in terms of a utility price and a luxury price. The luxury price represents the amount of money I pay for an item in excess of the minimum utility price. Note that the minimum utility price isn’t necessarily the cheapest item in the category; I consider it the price of the good that provides the highest value in terms of the price, durability, and capability based on my needs. I aim to avoid the thought that astronaut John Glenn had on his space mission: “As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind – every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.”
I don’t always force myself to buy the minimal utility item, but I do force myself to acknowledge that I’m paying a luxury price. To illustrate this thought process, I’ll share another car example. If I decide to buy a large new SUV, I would consider the price difference between that car and a 3-year-old Toyota Camry to be the luxury price. Yes, I have kids and the extra space the SUV provides would be nice, but I remind myself that families in Japan fit their children into smaller cars than the Camry, and people in other parts of the world fit a family of four onto a small motor scooter!
With all of that said, I’ll share some of my favorite EDC items. If you buy these items, I would appreciate it if you used the Amazon affiliate links provided below:
- Alpha One Niner Evade 1.5 backpack – As a lifelong office worker, I’m the furthest thing from a soldier. But I’m obsessed with this backpack! It was designed by a former special forces operative and is carried by many former special forces folks. It looks great (without any conspicuous military backpack features) and can carry everything I need in its various pockets.
- Leatherman Micra – I’ve carried this faithfully for the past 10 years, and given many to airport security (gah!). My most used items are the scissors, knife, file, and bottle opener.
- Cables and charging
- Anker travel battery – This travel battery, which can charge multiple phones simultaneously and has a capacity of 2 to 3 phone recharges, has served me well both at home and on my travels.
- Anker wireless phone charger cradle – This charger is a new item that I use at my desk every day at home and in the office. The grab and go saves a few seconds of fumbling around with the charger cable, and also makes my phone notifications visible without me cranking my neck.
- Retractable charger cable with Lightning, USB-C, and Micro USB – On top of the universal compatibility, they’re durable – they’ve lasted me many years. I now own 6 of these.
- Pens – PaperMate ComfortMate Ultra 1.0M – this disposable pen is comfortable to hold, cheap, and writes smoothly. I keep a bunch at my desk, in my backpack, in my car, and anywhere they might be useful.
- Wired headphones with microphone – Panasonic ErgoFit Wired Earbuds – They sound good, are useful for conference calls, and can fit easily in my pocket. If I lose them or rip them, I’m not worried because they’re so cheap. This is in contrast to when I ripped the cable of a $150 pair of earbuds getting out of a taxi.
- Earbud cable organizer magnetic clip – I’ve been using these clips on my wired headphones to keep their cables organized. The little loop on the clip slips over the stereo jack to keep it on the cable.
- FitBit Charge 3 – I’ve been using this fitness tracker for years, mainly for tracking my sleep and daily steps. One charge lasts for 4 or 5 days, which I love. I’ve upgraded to the Charge 5, but that broke after only 18 months, so I returned to my old Charge 3.
- Smartphone Screen Protector – Tech Armor Ballistic Glass – I’ve broken many smartphone screens before I discovered these. And since discovering these, I’ve never had a broken smartphone screen. This screen protector takes the slings and arrows of everyday life, sacrificing itself like a religious figure to absolve us our smartphone dropping sins.
- First Aid Kit – I built this based on a kit list shared by an EMT on Reddit. I keep one in my closet and one in my backpack. I check it twice a year to refill it and replace expired items. I’ve begun to think of a first aid kit like a car insurance policy. It helps with frequent minor wounds, and can be a life saver for major ones until professional help arrives.
- Tactical first aid pouch
- First aid scissors
- Wound treatment
- Wound closures – plastic adhesive strips to hold together wounds until they can be stitched closed
- Quick Clot – to stop bleeding on major wounds by helping them clot
- Bandages, assortment
- Wound cleansing – Alcohol wipes, Neosporin
- Gauze packs
- Medical tape
- Nitrile gloves (1 pair)
- Hydration
- Pedialyte powder packets
- Water purification tablets
- Medicine
- Travel sized pain killer (Tylenol, or whatever you prefer)
- Anti-diarrhea medicine
- Antihistamine
- Moleskins for blisters on foot
- Safety pin
- Ziplock bags to store items in to keep waterproof