Everyday carry (EDC) or every-day carry is a collection of useful items that are consistently carried on person every day. The main reasons for having EDC are utility (usefulness), self-sufficiency, and preparedness: to help individuals improve simple everyday problem solving, from the mundane (opening packages, minor repairs) to possible emergency situations such as first aid or self-defense etc. Some of the most common EDC items are watches, pens, wallets, car and home key rings, mobile phones, flashlights, multi-tools, tissues, medications, and personal care items.
The choice and priority/ranking of which items to carry, and how or where to carry them, vary according to each person's needs depending on their occupation, avocations, lifestyle, and similar factors of everyday life. Goals include being able to solve everyday problems more efficiently and to be an asset instead of a liability or helpless bystander when a problem arises.
While often distributed among pockets in everyday clothing, carry options are frequently expanded by the addition of clothing accessories like a fanny pack, purse, small daypack, sunglasses, bracelets, or even footwear like long boots or a vest with pockets. How EDC items are stored, though, depends on the purpose and intentions for their use.
As a subculture
The optimization of everyday carry (kit/layouts and carry modes) has become an internet subculture, which goes by the name EDC as well. The hobby overlaps with collecting, as many EDC enthusiasts are drawn into collecting EDC items in the quest for finding which one works best for their current EDC needs or for imagined scenarios, such as a light-duty day, a heavy-duty day, etc. The collecting of tools takes on an art appreciation component as fans appreciate the design cues, material choices, and craftsmanship that went into each model of tool, including trade-offs of costs versus benefits for each aspect of it. Accessories manufacturers like The Ridge and Big Idea Design have capitalized on the trend and often describe their products in terms of EDC. "The best tool is the one that you have on you when you need one," is a common aphorism which argues against excessive optimization of the tools carried, due to diminishing returns.
See also
- Civil defense – Protection of citizens from natural disaster and military attack
- Survival kit – Emergency equipment
- Emergency management – Dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies
- Military surplus – Obsolete or obsolescent military goods usually offered for sale
- Mini survival kit – Small kit containing essential survival tools
- Self-preservation – Behaviors that ensure an organism's survival
- Survivalism – Movement of individuals or households preparing for emergencies and natural disasters
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