# EDC advice



## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Like so many of us do when we are on the scout for items we need, we settle. We settle on something we think will get the job done until we find what we are really looking for. 

I have been through no less than 4 EDC bags in last year trying to get it right. And i end up settling back on what i originally started with. Just a better version. 

So i guess what im trying to say is, regardless of whether or not its for EDC BOB INCH or anything else, become educated first. Learn about the company and its products. Learn the purpose of the product and how well it fits its intended design. Learn what others have to say about it. See how what you learn firs what you need. 

Learning should be a life long process. Dont scrimp by something hoping for better later. Do your leg work and get whats right the first time out. I have spent triple to quadrouple of what i should of to get what i needed. Avoid this mistake and do it right the first time. Not only will you enjoy it more but you will save money time and effort down the road. Amd i dont about you but i have little time or money to waste.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

My avenue of success generally is simple: buy what is adequate the first time out, . . . with the eyes on it's ability to be modified if necessary.

Buying SHTF stuff has to be thoughtful, . . . BOB as well and EDC.

Most of the time when I buy something in those categories, . . . I'm not even home with it and I've got an idea for it's first modification.

But that is just my personality, . . . and it works for me.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I have found that when it comes EDC and BOB bags I would rather spend money on quality. I started out with cheap for EDC and BOB's and it comes apart. Especially in the heat of the truck. Once I started working with them the zippers would break and I had one strap come completely off where it was sewn. My EDC gets more use and is abused. I find you can't go wrong with Maxpedition bags. They are pricey but worth it in the end.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

You should start out witht the one you will end up with.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

I am in a rather unique situation apparently, I work 4 blocks from my house, so there's no need for an EDC bag for me. My wife has a bit of a drive, however, so we have one for her. 

I have one as well, for when I travel, but I leave it at home in the climate control because I keep food in it, and it gets REALLY hot in my car or truck and there's no need to cause the food to deteriorate rapidly in my situation. 

She keeps her food items in her bag she carries in to work, and she also has a stash in her desk at work, so everything in her EDC bag is temp stable. 

We don't have fancy bags because they pretty much just sit in the car... but we are not "typical" so I am not recommending how we do it to somebody who is in a different situation than us.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Best advice on bags I ever heard was this.

Start off with a corner in your room, the bed in the guest bedroom, or a tub in the garage. Put ONLY what you NEED in that tub/corner. Then when you get everything together, measure it to see how much bag you need. Then go buy the best bag you can afford at the time THAT IS JUST BIG ENOUGH to hold all that stuff. Doing this prevents you from spending more on unnecessary capacity and less on quality and it keeps you from adding stuff to the bag that creates dead weight just because you had more space and didn't want to waste it.


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## whoppo (Nov 9, 2012)

Packs & Bags are an ever evolving thing around our place.

I started with an original Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack a loooooong time ago. It's been all over the country, ridden hard and put away wet.... still in great shape.

At some point I decided I needed something bigger, so I grabbed a Maxpedition Mongo. Great bag, but it's so spacious that, of course, I filled it to the point where it was just too damn heavy. Still an awesome pack and great for day trips in the truck.

I recently grabbed a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack with a Janus pouch on the strap and in a goldilocks like way, it's just right.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

rule to live by get what you want the first time - nothing else will do!
I think this sums up what your saying


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Yes it sums it up nicely. Know what you need why you need it and leave yourself a few steps to move in it. 

I ended up with a maxpedition falcon 2 as my day pack. Its got tons of free space which works for me as i can if needed mix my car bag into it if i had to walk home. 

My first day pack/edc was a falcon 2 copy that lost no less than 4 buckles and clips on day 1 hour 2 of use. I patched it up and kept going. Amd started to look around. I at least learned about maxpedition hazard 4 and 511. 

Then the options were so abundant i had no idea what to do. 

I had a fatboy versipak a hazard 4 sling bag a maxpedition sling bag and now im back to the falcon 2 only now i know my original was a copy and i got the real deal. 

Hazard 4 became the car bag for water food and tools protection and spare cloths so no worries at least its used. 

The versipak is unused. So 100 bucks wasted. The original buy of the falcon copy(which i didnt know was a copy at the time i didnt even know about maxpedition or that they made bags for guys) for 50 or so and the replacement falcon bag for 150. 

I could have a case of .45 or 3 cases of MREs i mean the list goes on. 

I guess im just sharing my fumbling in hopes others learn from it. Someone new was asking for bags and that is what got me going on this. 

Thanks for the chimes in with the good advice and i would urge newer prople to the prepping lifestyle to heed GTGallop on his bag advice. It just makes sense. In fact i would suggest that method for packing for anything.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

I use a fanny pack but would like to sew on some molle webbing so that I can use it with my duty belt more effectively. Also clip/web up a zipper pouch or ration pouch which is quite a bit bigger onto a camelback. It is like, you could add padding onto thestraps and the bag itself can be added to a full on ruck. I used to have a medic bag which was quick access, but sadly it was stolen along with over 10000 dollars a few years back. I can fit pretty much everything into the fanny pack that I consider useful carry. The molle camelbak is for water and food, I think it holds 2 or 3 L of water and it can hold enough food easy to make it a 72 hour bag, or up to a week in low activity.

I would suggest webbing/duty belt, over a day bag. I'd only doa "bag" for a longer term use, that can either go in a vehicle or if you plan on hiking somewhere. If you can't get to where you are going in under a day/overnight then it is probably too far to be travelling without a field pack. 60-100 miles should be coverable within 3 days, but the more you carry the more trouble you are giving yourself. 

My inexperienced non professsional advice is keep it simple and travel as light as possible, if it can't fit on molle bandollere/duty belt, it is probably too much for an EDC. The "right bag" will be based upon what your EDC items are imo.

For me, rain protection, a compass, lighter, and multitool hav been long term items in my EDC pouch, coffee and painkillers such as aspirin are also in there as is a very basic first aid kit including sugar for diabetics, charcoal, and atleast israeli bandage, foot blister dressings, a flashlight as well as a baofang style walkie (includes flashlight), dog spray, handcuffs. I would add an EPI pen. There are other items that may be in there including an MP3 player and flashdrive for electronic documents such as ID and other useful files.

In my 72 hour pack common items are food water, a water filter, more first aid kit.

In my school bag - big one, I always pack based upon existing threats and the operating environment, but I find myself using it less and less these days, and it is really only on me when I have stuff to carry such as books, electronics like a laptop, workout equipment - or clothing and a sleeping bag and more food if I am living out of it.

Bear in mind a fanny pack may not even be considered a carryon item in terms of luggage limit. If you do get a carry bag get one at the maximum allowable flight size for carry on luggage, that way you are covered for non checking your bag if you fly somewhere. I'd personally aim to make it able to fit a larger laptop or tablet between 10-15 inches.


Instead of bandolerre webbing, I went with a tactical vest that allows a large back plate and kevlar and trauma pads to be inserted, it is a proof of concept for me, it allows the molle zip bags to be attached to the webbing on the tacitcal vest, plus it has velcro for patches or stick on items that I don't trust much such as hoslter - very airsoft.
I find I can carry more comfortably with a vest, and it attaches to a duty belt. The only real issue at this point is that I don't have front plate protection only side and back, I need to find a solution to that still but no budget for that anytime soon, more or less will have to work with a bib from what is left of my police vest which I found uncomfortable, so I' am putting the police vest in the tactical vest. In SHFT it turns into an all in one solution that feels way more comfortable, than a backpack.

The molleII ruck can be fitted over top of it but it feels a little off, need to sort that out. and the camelback fits over the vest and can even be webbed/snapped onto it. Load distribution has been a great advantage over just a heavy bag. Of course kevlar and cermanic plating ain't light - trauma pads are though. I think I'll update my armour when the price of the low weight fabrics become the new norm in a few years, it should make it all a lot lighter.

For now not having frontal protection isn't all bad as I would likely be leaving a gun threat or being on the ground for cover if a gun was pulled by someone. I could probably just get a light 3A covert police vest for frontal but its not in the budget right now with the house, so I will continue trying to figure out how to make a bib for my front with the kevlar and plate that is left over., I don't want to do anything destructive to the material at this time so it will likely involve stitching. Anyway my two cents is go vest unless your carry a laptop or weapons case such as a broken down rifle in your EDC.

I would post up a pic but my camera got ripped out of my device while I was sleeping in a tragic fall of the device in the spring, i in a fluke occurence, and my smartphone is inoperable . also have the CB style BAO mic speaker attachment on the vest cause it just looks right on it.

With a backpack you could do a full FM 1meter type atenna on the pack for better reception perhaps, none the less, look to the police, and military particularly SWAT, RECON and intel for what will work best. Cater to your specific needs and situation. Military kit tends to be best value for dollar I have found. Don't look to just US military though, and check your local laws, ITAR etc.. as some items may not be legal. If you travel reseach cammo laws etc.. some countries ban civilian use of cammo or foreign military cammo even if not full duty or current issue.


Bright orange reflective may be good if you plan on being visible, dull dark tone if you want to be less noticable. Bear in mind what you where will provoke the psychological response in those you encounter, and police and military etc.. may be trained to respond to a bag carrying person different than non. I've had police sent to me due to having cammo kit. I've had people report me to police for wearing cammo kit. Some people really attack people they invision to be somehow miltant due to wearing good equipment. Police have even remarked that I have similar clothing to their uniform. Bear in mind I go to lengths to insure I don't appear as police or military by insuring I don't wear a full kit, and don't wear current issue domestic kit.

None the less you need to be mindful as being flagged by polie or other agencies, may make your life more dififcult even if you are totally good intentioned and just looking to be more capable to surive a threat or disaster. As soon as you are capable you in their minds are a potential threat if you arn't them.


Bear in mind if in doubt contact your local police and verify their impression, legality, or any concerns they may have.
It will let you know where their red lines are, and it won't necesarily be what the legal limit is, as some things are legal but police still don't like them. Some gov has even gone against prepping - even though it resembles Civil defence that was funded by the gov in past decades. A bag isn't just a bag, it is a statement, it means things to people and it can inspire a response in people you interact with both good and ill, as with other gear. Bags tend to be visible. Being invisible can be an advantage too.


Thus if you are carrying in public be as nondescript as possible and aim to not be noticed. If you don't carry your EDC on person hide it well, thefts do happen.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

I don't carry a lot everyday. I had a djeep lighter until it ran out of fuel a few days ago. I have a Gerber clutch and a coast g10 led on my keychain. And occasionally a leatherman on my belt. And the keys to a rusty Chevrolet.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Just a secondary comment, if the bag looks cool or valuable it will be more of a target. If it is well known or recognized then people may assume there are useful items in side. 

Getting a dumpy looking school backpack, or some other dumpy looking bag may be psychologically safer. 

If a bag looks interesting people will wonder what is in it. If it looks like a gym bag people will think it is a gym bag. 

Keep this in mind when you are picking a bag for specific purposes.

People fall into duck is a duck mentality which can be used to your advantage. Like putting a trunk of gold in a derelict house in collapse, people won't think anything valuable is in it if it looks like a dump. 

So while you may want to get the coolest, condor, rothco, colt or maxpedition pack, etc.. realize that for anyone in the know in a desperate time, for those less caring of how people respond to events, the bag may be robbed from you.


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## trailblazer (Sep 19, 2015)

there can be several responses to what to carry every day, but i feel dave canterbury has summed it up best with a 5 c system: cut, cord, combust , cover, container, and my personal fav: compass.

now on a daily basis i have several feet of paracord in my pocket, a gerber micro mini multi-tool in my pocket, a compass on my neck, a paracord bracelet on my wrist, a signal mirro and credit card knife in my wallet.


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## phrogman (Apr 17, 2014)

Will2 said:


> Just a secondary comment, if the bag looks cool or valuable it will be more of a target. If it is well known or recognized then people may assume there are useful items in side.
> 
> Getting a dumpy looking school backpack, or some other dumpy looking bag may be psychologically safer.
> 
> ...


If we are in a shtf scenario and I'm a bad guy or someone in desperate need of something and I see you walking by with a bag, it is not going to matter what kind of bag it is. I'm just going to see a bag with something in it. Chances are it is probably something of value because you didn't leave it at home or maybe it is what I am in desperate need of. A bag with stuff in it, is a bag with stuff in it. Unless it is a bright florescent color it is not going to attract any more attention than any other bag would.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Here are some suggested items. 
1. Water filter
2. Bottle with water in it (perhaps part of the water filter kit)
3. Snacks/Candy i.e. 72 hour kit
4. Coffee
5. Aspirin
6. Sleeping aids (ear plugs, melatonin)
7. Passport, cash, ID, bank card/credit card, immunization record etc..
8. Entertainment/Info Device/WIFI etc.. smartphone/tablet w/headphones/budlets etc.. etc..'
9. Extra pair of socks
10. protective gloves.
11. Multitool
12. Wire saw
13. bandages/nontoxic crazyglue
14. Lighter/spare lighter/strikeanywhere waterproof matches
15. notebook/pen(if youcan afford it tacticlepen) /pencil
16. compass/themometer/magnifineglass
17. air filter of some sort (from E95/E99 masks to full fledged gas masks)
18. emergency radio/something simple like a baofang incl. flashlight.
19. high lumen Flashlight. metal if possible.
20. if legal where you are handcuffs, and zipties.
21. if legal where you are self defence implements, sprays/batons/etc.. whatever is legal.
22. protective vests and clothing (once every 3-5 year investment for kevlar less often for other types) as is legal
23. consider a high proof alchohol also. 
24. clothing that is common with the people you want to be cool with.

look to what police are carrying and you should see what will give you an edge should you ever run into trouble.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

phrogman said:


> If we are in a shtf scenario and I'm a bad guy or someone in desperate need of something and I see you walking by with a bag, it is not going to matter what kind of bag it is. I'm just going to see a bag with something in it. Chances are it is probably something of value because you didn't leave it at home or maybe it is what I am in desperate need of. A bag with stuff in it, is a bag with stuff in it. Unless it is a bright florescent color it is not going to attract any more attention than any other bag would.


well ugly. someone won't be happy.

nonetheless my EDC doesn't require a bag. However, if I am out and about in a SHTF situation chances are I am bugging out that is all location dependent, none the less I do know escape and evasion methods.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

lets see a sack lunch a coconut in the trunk and a couple bottles of water maybe a multi tool and mini mag lite other than that your wallet keys.


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## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

I have two Army back packs " the new ones " . they work very well they have so many pockets and you can add to it if need be , and I have a plan back pack for " Kelly " my dog .


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