Introduction
“The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.“
Henry Ford
An urban environment is structured into different layers. Some of them are related to convenience, others to danger.
Living in a metropolitan dimension doesn’t necessarily mean to be too much naive to be aware of constant threaths you and your family undergo quite daily.
Simply, some individuals chose to stay in big cities.
At the same time, they opted out to be prepared at their very best.
This means to start from the basics.
A period of transition
“It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest thing in the world.”
― John Green
Leaving a city could be the result of a series of events which marked your existence, or the ultimate choice in terms of safety.
High crime rates are undoubtedly the most consistent element which influence the choice of packing up and moving to a more secure place.
According to some recents studies a lot of citizens are moving from big cities in order to relocate in some suburban and rural areas.
“Across the U.S., the number of people making moves that they defined as permanent was up a modest 3% between March 2020 and February 2021. Even with that increase, national migration rates are likely stil at historic lows. But zoom in to a few of America’s densest and most expensive metro regions and the picture is more dramatic, with the percentage increase in moves well into the double digits.“(Patino, Hessler, Holder for Bloomberg. April 26th 2021).
Over populated metropolitan areas are indeed those who suffered the most for a compact and constant migration:
“Those Americans who did move accelerated a trend that predates the pandemic: Dense core counties of major U.S. metro areas saw a net decrease in flow into the city, while other suburbs and some smaller cities saw net gains. In other words, people moved outward. Outward to the suburbs of their own core metro area, but also farther out, to satellite cities or even other major urban centers that might still give people proximity to their region. As CityLab contributor Richard Florida has noted, the pandemic compressed into a matter of months moves that might have happened in the next few years anyway.” (Patino, Hessler, Holder for Bloomberg. April 26th 2021).
Standing to these quotes and statistics it is pretty much clear that people just make an immediate equation.
Rural areas = safety.
But is it 100% true? The question is absolutely legit.
Any Prepper is well aware than a threath could occurr even at a gas station, not necessarily inside the belt of a big city.
The criteria behind the EDC
“I’m “The Weirdo”…until the power goes out.
I’m “The Weirdo”…until we get bad weather and there’s no food at the grocery stores.
I’m “The Weirdo”…until someone needs a bandage.“
- taken from EDC Forum
EDC is an acronym which stands for Every Day Carry.
It is made by a list of objects which not only could save your life, but also others.
Far from being only related just to the First Aid aspects, your EDC must answer the following requirements:
- Fire
- Work Tools
- Navigation
- Self Defense
- Nutrition
- Communication systems
Skipping one – or even more! – of them at your convenience just to make your EDC lighter to carry could be the prelude to some dramatic events.
So, don’t let your comfort take over the common sense.
Safety first, as always!
As being prepared is a state of mind, your daily routine must be intrinsecally – and always – followed by this specific gear.
Each piece must respond to the following criteria:
- easy to carry
- well organized
- well maintained
- compliance to existing laws
Making your own EDC requires time and dedication. But if you will set it up by yourself, you will make sure to know how all the components of your EDC. Consequentially, you will know the use – or multiple – use of each one of them.
Needless to say that if you purchase a EDC on the web, put it inside your car’s dashboard means
- to forget it
- not to be familiar with it
- not to know how to find quickly what you need
- not to know how to use the tools inside
All of sudden, in fact, an emergency situation may call you into action,. So it is mandatory not to be caught yourself unprepared and/or unequipped.
An EDC carry is not a fancy thing. It is an essential one.
Knowing the legislation ongoingin your Country related to self defense weapons is of utter importance.
Some people, full of enthusiasm but we a lack of common sense, sometimes seem to forget it.
In Europe, for example, not everywhere you are allowed to carry a knife. Even if foldable, and even if the declared purpose is safe defense.
In this, you must always be informed as well as completely compliant to laws.
You don’t want to have any problems in the set up of your EDC, or, even worse, to be forced to modify it day by day.
Some essential considerations
“We must plan for freedom, and not only for security, if for no other reason than that only freedom can make security secure.”
– Karl Popper
If you have no experience at all, my personal advise is to google “EDC” and start looking at some photographs. You can watch some videos on reliable channels too. This will surely help to give you an idea of how a good EDC should look like.
Keep in mind some essential topics.
- “Proper preparation prevents poor performance” – the 5 P’s
This concept can be successfully applied to the ideal approach to your EDC. In few words, you cannot think to rely only on objects when SHTF strikes. Your body should be trained as well as your mind. A lack of
– proper physical performance
– situational awareness
– equipment knowledge (and maintaince)
can be, tout court, the right ingredients for a disaster.
By saying this, while you set your EDC, do not forget to train the whole you too.
- “Take risks early” – famous Special Air Service saying
Your mental preparedness comes first the set up of your EDC. This means that you may be familiar with quite all the possible threaths which are intrinsic to the place you live in, like:
– presence of nuclear power plants
– presence of factories which work with toxic agents
– crimes’ range
– environmental disasters which occurred in the past
and so on. This doesn’t turn you into a fanatic.
On the opposite, it makes totally sense if you want to be informed, prepared and ready to act and to react.
How to select the pieces of the perfect EDC
“Good decisions comes from experience, and experience often comes from bad decisions”
– Unknown
Personally speaking, I modified my EDC several times during the years. Improving the basic elements, replacing pieces, and even removing some of them to make it more functional, compact and easy to use has definitely become imperative in my credo.
I bring it with me inside a tactical pouch, and containing some pieces inside tin boxes, like Altoid’s or Fisherman Friend’s. You can easily find them at any grocery store or supermarket. Even at gas stations.
Let’s go more into details and see which are the top notch pieces of an EDC.
I clustered them into different groups, following alphabetical order.
Comms
- Data card
- USB Keys
- mobile phone/s
- Charger (even better to have a solar panel)
- Earphones
Docs
- Wallet
- Copy of ID card, driving license in a waterproof bag
- Small paper reporting all the essential phone numbers
Medikit
- Containing personal meds, bandage, Tourniquet..
Nutrition
- High protein meal ready to eat
- Jerky
- Water bottles
- Purifying tablets
- Canteen
- Bars
Personal defence
- Pepper Spray Gun
- Necklace foldable knife
- key ring made of paracord with a steel ball wrapped in
Survival
- A flint
- Some windproof matches
- Some cotton as tinder
- Dutch tape
- A Lighter
- Tools
- Torch
- Watch
- Paracord bracelet with flint, compass, light, thermometer, signaling alarm
- Multitool
- Gloves
- Measuring device
- Iron wire
- Sewing kit
Where to carry your EDC
As stressed out before, I warmly suggest to set just one pouch and to keep the pieces together.
A molle pouch is my storing place of choice.
Solid, consistent and compatible with any tactical backpacks and bag.
A molle pouch is also very resistant and durable.
A weekly check up of all components stored inside your EDC is highly recommended, especially for your Medikit.
Rememeber that some pieces could be damaged by excessive, humidity, dryness or heat.
In doing so, be very careful where you put them.
Be prepared and meticolous.
Get laziness and dullness off of your mind and body!
Carry your EDC, everywhere, any time.
This may save your life and others’, one day.
“A plan is just a list of things that won’t happen, so sooner or later, you’ll need to improvise. Improvising is easier when you have something to improvise with.” (Unknown)
About The Author
Article by Kyt Lyn Walken. Official Representative and Instructor for Hull’s Tracking School and Certified Conservation Ranger for the NGO Conservation Rangers Operations Worldwide. Kyt will be in the UK running a workshop 18 – 20 February, 2022 Telford, Shropshire (U.K.) “The Art of Tracking Class” with FERAL YAMYAM BUSHCRAFT School.
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