Regular Carry common sense, a cure for EDC
The popular acronym “EDC” (Every Day Carry) is burdened with too much baggage, these days. At Outdoor Readiness, we are likely to use “EDC” only when characterizing a favorite folding knife. We use the terms “Regular Carry”, “Casual Carry”, and “Kit Carry” when characterizing when and if we carry this or that tool, gadget, gizmo, or article of clothing.
An epidemic of acronyms gone viral has infected outdoor jargon during the present Tactical Age. “EDC” has proved particularly contagious. “EDC” is the acronym for “Every Day Carry.” Originally, EDC was used to describe a functional knife carried regularly, a sensible acronym for a favorite folding knife, if you like acronyms. In law enforcement jargon, early usage of the acronym applied to an officer’s regular carry firearm, or so I’ve been told. Beyond law enforcement, the acronym EDC has evolved resistance to common sense and is now virulent. Like swine flu, the acronym has jumped species and now infects social media discussions and recent publications about everything from compact power storage units to freeze-dried foods. In popular usage, EDC can be anything carried in your pockets, on your belt, on your person, in a pack, or in your vehicle; often including survival kits, evacuation go-packs, even entire base camp kits in urban escape vehicles, all the “tactical” stuff advocates think you should carry with you everyday and everywhere in the event of a zombie apocalypse. The acronym EDC is loaded with baggage.
A common EDC mantra suggests that if you don’t have all your “tactical” stuff with you all the time, you’re not prepared. We disagree.* We evaluate regular carry items based on a cost benefit estimation (costs include personal hassle-convenience, dollars and cents and common sense, and most of all, likelihood of need during a specific outing, etc.). Our mantra: Carry on your person only what you need when you need it. We advocate integrating regular carry items into your existing lifestyle rather than adopting a new lifestyle commitment that burdens you with things you probably will rarely use–that kind of personal change just don’t last, too much baggage!
Gear has its place. Often that place is on your person, in your day pack, or in your overland vehicle, airplane, or boat. We follow a common sense hierarchy; regular carry, casual carry, kit carry. We define these below. We do not attempt to fully reconcile these terms with EDC and other carry concepts. These definitions apply to our approach, we are less concerned with acceptance and usage outside of the Outdoor Readiness system than we are with our aim: advocating developing the stuff you carry within, your personal constellation of knowledge, skills, and experience. Go outdoors and do it!
Regular carry, casual carry, kit carry…
Regular carry includes stuff typically carried in your trousers and jacket or purse. For most, this includes only a wallet, key-chain, mobile phone, and sometimes a few other small pocket & purse items for health, hygiene, or lifestyle support (Medic alert, medications, lip balm, tobacco products, and so on). These are items carried on your person whenever away from home. They are carry items you have integrated into your daily routines. New regular carry items must integrate nearly seamlessly with stuff already habitually carried, not require evermore commitment to carrying evermore stuff. We will offer guidance for minor additions to regular carry stuff in future posts.
Casual carry includes additional stuff you carry in pockets, on your belt, in a small shoulder bag, fanny pack or day pack, etc. The event or locale provides the incentive to carry additional items casually. This level of carry is used for unique events, for wild lands areas day visits, and so on. These items may include the oft touted Ten Essentials, but, as always, there are more than ten and the essential nature of items for consideration depends on where and when you go into the outdoor wilds or urban wilds. A camera is another example of a casual carry item. We will offer guidance for casual carry choices in many future posts.
Kit carry includes everything else, from vehicle kits, to expedition kits, to entire base camp kits. Kit carry is specialized carry. Some kits go everywhere your vehicles go, such as vehicle emergency kits. Some kits are assembled for special purposes, such as destination expedition kits. An early job in my outdoor career involved assembling and packaging an expeditionary kit for seven persons conducting eight weeks of research on the Greenland Ice Sheet. I was one of the field assistants. The expeditionary research kit, snowmobiles and all, filled a ski equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft.
Modern outdoor pursuits; whether family picnics, camping trips, spike hunts, Andean mountain climbs, or polar research expeditions, are gear & gadget loaded. Our gear gives us the edge, enables success, and increases our margin of safety. The market place offers great choices–excellent gear. I have a closet full, and a basement workshop full, and a garage wall loaded to the ceiling with outdoor equipment. Lots of great gear adds up to weight and bulk beyond reason. Something for everything need not go everywhere with you. Prioritizing is necessary.
At Outdoor Readiness, we advocate rational consideration of opportunities and associated risks and countermeasures; specific preparations for season, elevation, and local challenges adapted to likelihoods of risk exposures in your chosen endeavors. We emphasize risk recognition and avoidance–life long skills sets. Skills leverage the stuff we take along.
Ironically, I recently watched a YouTube video posted on a channel produced by a tactical preparedness enthusiast advocating carrying a massive assembly of “EDC” stuff. He was ready to do battle with a band of zombies, but he was not ready for his most likely injury or fatality producing event–a collision. He did not fasten his seatbelt.
*Emergency responders regularly carry a load of “tactical” stuff because they may actually need it. It’s part of their job, helping and defending others–a good reason to Tac-up..
Tom Bain, Outdoor Readiness