Why Do I Care about Everyday Carry (EDC)?

I recently– well, sort of recently– okay let’s start again. I started caring about what I had with me at all times more in the recent past than before, even though back then I likely cared more than the average person. Now, this is not to say that the average person is wrong not to care too much about the things they carry. Phone, wallet, keys: okay, we’ve got everything. And really, that is all you need. The pocket knife, tools, and various backup items I carry are far from needed to do what I do (which is not really go anywhere).

But I do always like to be prepared. When working on something electronic (something I do surprisingly often) a paper-clip or a screwdriver could be very handy. And, even though they haven’t yet, I can easily see my glasses falling apart and needing repair, which, if I didn’t have either a bag and small screwdriver, or both, would be quite a problem.

Of course, you can never tell how many uses you have for a knife until you carry one around. And I’ve found that for most people the answer is quite a lot, even if it’s a knife on a multi-tool or Swiss army knife where the secondary tools are much more of the value. Having a knife as a tool is super useful, and other tools attached are a great addition.

But most people will acknowledge that, and then ask why I care. We are surrounded by things at all times, so why would I need to carry so much more with me than the average person has with them, when they often encounter the same problems, and surmount them with much less equipment?.

The real reason I care I guess is because I love to be organized (in my strange little messy way) and to not be too far away from anything I need. I like to solve problems quickly, and having the proper tools with me at all times is a great way to do that. And if someone else gets in a situation where they don’t have the proper tools, providing them with the tools is a way I could actually be useful, something I have trouble with normally.

Should you care about what you carry everyday? Of course, but everyone has their own limit there. The lengths to which I go to be prepared would be considered ridiculous by/for some people, and that’s fine. You can care as much or as little about what goes in your pockets as suits you. I just want to limit the amount of my helplessness in any given situation, and if I can do that by carrying some knives, tools, and various other little things I’ll do that. And it doesn’t hurt that I enjoy using knives and tools a bit more than some people might think I should.