EDC Contest Entry #18 C

Hey Folks, I am pleased to bring another entry for our EDC Contest. First we will quickly recap what is going on. The broad strokes are this. I want to share and discuss the stuff we carry around every day AKA EDC. Taking pictures of our stuff and talking about it is my goal.

The prizes will be as follows:
1st Place: 3 Sport Berkey Water Bottles donated by LPC Survival ($69 value)
2nd Place: 1 Blackhawk Holster donated by LuckyGunner.com ($50 value)
3rd Place:  1 Snare-Vival-Trap cough garote cough donated by Camping Survival ($17 value)

Wildcard: This one goes to whoever I want to give it to for whatever reason I feel like. It will be a grab bag donated by yours truly. The exact makeup is TBD depending on what I have lying around  and may include books, gear, medical stuff or even a couple silver dimes. ($30+  value)

Check out the details and my example post here. 

 Onto Entry #18

My Pocket EDC would probably be well suited to many an urban/suburban office worker and I think has a few tips and tricks that a lot of folks have not necessarily seen. I've weeded out many an unnecessary item over time and what I have kept is what I find to be useful and would have trouble acquiring quickly when in need, whether for a serious emergency or simply to quickly succeed at the challenges of the day.

 

Likewise, my vehicle has a very thorough, innovative and useful EDC backpack in the compartment under the trunk and I am rarely more than 30 yards from it, 7 days a week. Things like superglue, heavy pliers, cable saws, etc. just don't get used enough to be in my pocket. Likewise, I have opted out of pocket carrying edibles (my office has fridges on every floor and free mints, tea bags, coffee, etc. by the box if they're needed) or more powerful defense on me, to be respectful of my company's request that we not carry our firearms inside the building (my work also frequently takes me into secure environments & government or educational institutions where forgetting to leave it inside the vehicle just once could result in seriously disruptive delays to the flow of my workday!).

I should also mention that I work 2 miles from my house and could usually be home to my wife and kids on foot in 15 minutes flat, even if some of the preferred routes were disrupted by a dangerous mess brought on by a train, plane, automobile or person. Living in the shadow of a megalopolis, in a REALLY high crime county, with generaly mild weather and plentiful basics on every corner, this EDC is built around all the factors that fit my daily life and the mantra that "If you don't consistently use it, you won't consistently carry it."

  

This is what you'll find in my pockets every day:

Altoid Tin PSK

Stream light Nano

Gerber Clutch

Pen

2 handkerchiefs (1 for me and 1 for general needs or to serve another person)

Wallet

Sharpie mini-marker

Change for a phone call or snack/drink

Heavy Duty folding box knife (have carried dozens of knives through the years and ultimately this one has won out for optimum convenience, usefulness in an office or outdoor work environment and sharpness)

iPhone in LifeProof Case with LifeProof belt clip (you'll never go back)

Chapstick (has many more uses than chapped lips of course)

Nite-Ize S-biner Keyring with SOL Whistle, and spare Nite-Ize Gear Tie

8GB microSD card inside a micro USB reader (totes work files too, but contains encrypted drive partitions with all personal/family emergency docs and ability to run a solid shell O/S on any system without installation, has a plethora of programs to run on said shell O/S from OpenOffice Suite and antiviruses, to e-books on emergency response and medicine)

 

PacSafe travel belt with zipper pocket

Inside the belt:

-30' kevlar line (holds my body & that of another person just fine on a harness rigged from the belt & has myriad other uses)

-$100 in various bills

-3' measuring tape marked with all US shoe sizes (comes in handy in my line of work)

-Flexible razor blade removed from a disposable shaving razor (metal content is low enough that it's not an issue with even the most sensitive metal detectors)

This all resides in the Altoids Tin PSK:

 

Full sheet Rite In the Rain waterproof paper (can be trimmed to leave trails of notes that will survive elements)

Mini sticky note paper (10 sheets, use them all the time)

Mint Toothpick

Earplugs in a drinking straw (Earplugs may be the difference between sleep and no sleep in an mass shelter or just a hotel)

Immodium

PeptoBismol 

Benadryl

Advil

Motrin

Water purification tablets

Strong rubber bands

Nite-Ize Gear Tie

Fishooks & Swivel

Two twist ties

Tweezers

Nail file/Flat screw drivers

2 magnetic clasps (They offer a surprising variety of applications)

Sawed-off BIC lighter top w/out safety (cheaper than the sparking making tools out there)

Pure beeswax candle (burns 5x longer than a bday candle & doesn't melt on hot days)

3 sq. ft. heavy foil wrapped in 20' dental floss

3 Straw segments full of petroleum jelly saturated cotton balls (1st aid & fire starting)

Eyeglass repair tools (I don't wear glasses myself but find myself using the stuff often enough)

Neosporin filled straw segment (can be used a dab and resealed with the lighter, like pills in straw tubes)

Magnifying glass

2 mini Box knife razor blades

Fisher Space Pen refill cartridge wrapped in Gorilla Tape (probably what I use most)

Small fixed serrated knife blade

3' steel wire (whether hanging a picture or a trip line)

Eyelet screws

Strong Needle & Small needle with thread (keep using them up to stitch things and replacing them)

Spare button

Multiplte sizes Nails

Multiple sizes Safety pins

Hurricane matches 

Regular matches

Striker in waterproof case with the razors and needle/thread

Band aids

Alcohol wipe

Hand cleaning wipe

P38 Can opener

Sturdy lubricant free condom (holds 1L water, can vent/seal a punctured lung, etc.) 

Micro USB w/ IDdocs & guidebooks, encrypted

Small Centerpunch (fire escape through commercial or vehicle windows)

 

Missing from this picture:

Insect repellent wipe

Serepick Bogota mini picks

In my outside jacket or messenger bag I also carry these two handy tools:

-FOX brand pepper foam (the favorite of our county's LEOs)

-Ready Mask (8 minutes in heavy smoke, inpermeable for tear gas, and protects lungs & eyes from damage due to large particles, not chemical or biological proof but then again only $6 and weighs nothing)

 -End-