A No-Nonsense EDC Essentials Guide

The eternal EDC or “Every Day Carry” debate has probably raged on throughout the centuries. Likewise, the best practices, tools, and methodology have been drastically updated and are still hotly debated today by many people, who all have valid opinions about the subject. I’m not going to mince words: I am of the personal belief that your EDC setup, and anyone’s EDC setup for that matter is a highly subjective topic and one that you can only truly answer for yourself and your exact situation. However, with that said, Today my goal is to take what I know from my experiences as a concealed carrier and give you a no-nonsense EDC Essentials guide that you can apply virtually every day, and make adjustments to so that you can build your own set of tools, and methods that work perfectly for you, no matter what the situation is.

Categorize Your Gear

Not all gear, even EDC gear is created equally. For example, while a firearm or other weapon could save your life in a life-threatening situation, there are many situations where you should probably not carry a firearm on your person.

Likewise, as useful as a full IFAK, portable defibrillator, or chest seals are - the likelihood that you’ll need them, let alone use them is so slim that carrying them on your person all the time is simply out of the question. That’s why we first need to categorize gear into different groups based on what is most important for your planned day. For all of these examples, we will be using EDC essentials from my inventory that are readily accessible on the market today. The three primary categories of gear that we’ll be separating everything into are:

• Non-Negotiable
• Essentials
• Handy

Once again while this will be an ordered list, only some or maybe even none of my recommendations may make sense for your exact situation. However, I’ll do my best to give clear examples behind my reasoning for each item which should help you determine the best course of action for your situation.

Non-Negotiable Items

These are simply things you cannot function in society without. In addition to the items I’ll have in the paragraphs below, this also includes things like your daily medications, glasses, or contacts. Without these following items, you’ll likely have a difficult time going through your daily routine.

Your Keys

Your keys are the gateway to your home. The password for your own personal palace. If you are lucky enough to live in a developed part of the world where you don’t need your keys to leave your house safely, please let me know where you live so I can move there! While it’s a no-brainer that you need your keys on you at all times when you’re not at home, your keys can also be a great integrated part of your entire EDC system. I typically keep a small blade on my keychain (The Gerber Zip Blade) that comes in handy for opening boxes and packages, and you can also integrate other items from this list like flashlights or medical supplies on a keychain very easily using simple and cheap accessories. In a pinch, keys can also be used to tighten flat-head fasteners, scrape objects, and even be used as a pointed weapon if it comes down to it. Never leave the house without your keys!

Cell Phone

Your cell phone is your most common line of communication to the outside world. In 2024, your cell phone is almost an integrated part of your person during daily life. In addition to giving you near-instant access to any of your friends, family, or acquaintances, your cell phone is also an electronic multi-tool capable of producing bright lights, doing more complex math, photographing important items or events, and serving as an immediate line of communication to emergency services should the need arise. If you’re trying to slim down your EDC setup, many of the items in your wallet can be integrated into your cell phone so that it’s one item instead of two - essentially doubling its importance.

Wallet

This one should be obvious. Most of the world runs on electronic payments now and for that, you either need your cellphone, or a credit/debit card. On top of that, most of you are probably driving and or will likely need to present some form of identification throughout the day so your ID, including your Concealed Carry Permit, should be in your wallet along with other items like your health insurance card. In addition to cards, a small amount of cash can come in handy but isn’t strictly “essential” in my opinion.

EDC Essentials

These items are ones that you should carry with you every day in a vast majority of situations in addition to the non-negotiables above. I don’t consider off-body items part of your EDC kit unless those off-body items are being stored in something like a fanny pack, or EDC bag that will rarely leave contact with your person - your EDC items aren’t of much use to you if you don’t have immediate access to them.

EDC Blade

Knives in general are slightly higher on my priority list for two reasons. First, they’re allowed to be carried by virtually anyone in virtually any environment - even ones where firearms are not permitted or would be too difficult to conceal. While handy as a weapon, in a vast majority of cases, most of us are using our EDC Blade for odds and ends throughout the day like opening packages, and letters, or cutting things like tape or rope. There are too many useful things that a good EDC blade or Multi-Tool can do to list here but some sort of blade should be a part of your daily carry setup - get one that’s small enough to drop or clip into your pocket or belt and you’ll never have to think about it until you need it!

Flashlight

While your cell phone does have a flashlight on it (unless you’re rocking a cell phone from two decades ago) the lights on phones are generally not very focused and only do well at illuminating a large area in the direct vicinity of the phone.

EDC lights do a much better job of projecting light, allowing you to identify people, objects, and paths at a much greater distance. My personal favorite EDC light is the Streamlight USB Microstream, it’s small enough to fit in your pocket. If you prefer a larger light and don’t have enough pocket space, consider trying a Falco Holsters belly band which has dedicated pockets for extra EDC Essentials like flashlights, non-lethals, and spare magazines for your firearm.

Carry Gun & Holster

If your country and state allow you to - you should carry a gun with you daily. A concealed firearm is a great equalizing force against people who are seeking to do you harm. Along with an IWB holster and proper concealment methods, an EDC firearm can be nearly undetectable when you’re out in public. Get yourself a nice, comfortable, and custom holster and just like the knife, it should be barely noticeable unless the need to use it arises. The reason a firearm isn’t a non-negotiable item is that there are places and situations where firearms are completely prohibited (i.e. schools, concerts, etc). Always anticipate places where you might not be able to carry a firearm or other weapons with you and either avoid them or plan your EDC setup around them.

A Tourniquet

If you’re carrying a firearm or planning on shooting a firearm at any point during the day, it's best to keep a tourniquet on you. Being around, handling, and shooting firearms statistically increases your and others’ risk of being shot, and having an available tourniquet and the training to use it should be a priority for you if you haven’t bought one and learned how to quickly and effectively use it. Every firearm owner should seek to obtain basic “stop the bleed” training.

Handy Items

These are items that I may or may not have on me either because where I’m going might have them available too, or because my clothing or the situation is limiting how much stuff I can carry on me at one time. Most of these items can easily and safely be carried off-body without issue and that is where they wind up most of the time for me during the summer months when my clothing is more restrictive (less pockets).

Pen/Small Notepad

Whether it's jotting down someone's email/phone number quickly, scribbling an idea down for later, or recording the details of an accident or incident, a pen and notebook can come in handy in a wide variety of situations. Most of the time when I don’t have my Fisher Space pen and my Rite in the Rain notebook on me, they sit in a small Magpul Dakka pouch that is always in my day backpack.

Basic Medical Gear

While many will argue that you should carry around an IFAK everywhere you go, I don’t particularly think it's necessary unless you’re far away from populated civilization. Much of the medical gear you have in your IFAK is probably found in greater abundance at your workplace, in your home, or in the vehicle you’re driving - at least it should be. In situations where it’s not, it’s good to have a basic IFAK (Infantry First Aid Kit) for everything ranging from small scratches and scrapes to punctures and gunshot wounds. Enough to handle the situation until EMS arrives. If I am not on an active shooting range, my tourniquet will typically sit in my range bag which is always close by. When I am at the range, my IFAK is always on my belt along with a North American Rescue CAT Gen7 Tourniquet, a pair of trauma shears along with a black Sharpie marker.

Be Adaptable

To sum it up. I am always going to have my keys, my wallet, and my phone on me. In most situations, I’ll have all that plus my gun, a concealed carry holster, a small flashlight, and my Northman X fixed EDC blade. If I’m on the range, or out somewhere where the environment permits it, I’ll have everything I can carry with me that I think I’ll need or might need throughout the day.

The main point is that there is no “one size fits all” EDC Gear Setup. However, you can stay adaptable by experimenting with your EDC Gear setup, and either adding or pruning things from your gear list to find out what your non-negotiable, essential, and handy EDC items are so that you can almost effortlessly gear up every day and be ready to face anything that comes your way!

Author: Luke Cuenco