EDC Gear.....What do you actually use?

[outdoorsfan]

For the past few years, I have carried a fair amount of gear in a backpack, day in, day out. I recently changed jobs and the only negative has been that the walking part of my daily commute has changed from about three blocks to three miles (my new office is much further from the train station). As this walking distance has increased, I have noticed the weight of my backpack more and more. While I love my pack (Kelty Peregrine) and it carries very well, I have begun to wonder if I really need to be toting all this stuff around everyday when I really only use a fraction of the gear on a regular basis.

To set the stage, my idea on what went in the pack originally was to have a bag that I can (and do) have with me at all times that could support a wide variety of scenarios, both urban and woods. I take it to work everyday and it rides in the car with me, whether on a trip to the store or a cross-country drive. It is not a BOB or SHTF bag, but has some of the same ideas behind it.

Here's the pack...

Here's some of the gear. This is an older photo but most of this is in the new set-up (and some more stuff too)

I thought about what I actually use on a daily basis and this is what I came up with:

Flashlight
Knife
Spork
Bandanna
Water Bottle
Pen

Things that I do not use daily but do use regularly:

Single Pack Wet Wipes (use them so often I would almost call them indispensable)
First Aid Kit (has saved my bacon on countless occasions)
Umbrella

Things that I rarely use but would not want to be without:

Fire starting gear
Emergency Blanket
Large Battle Dressing
Extra Batteries
Extra Knife

So, where does one draw the line between needless weight and preparedness? It seems, at least for me, to be easier to find things to add to the pack than to remove things from it. For instance, I currently have two knives in pocket and at least three more in my bag. Do I really need five knives on me at a given time? I know the two is one and one is none line, and I do subscribe to that philosophy, but what is five? Is two one and five just overkill?

I would be very curious to see what other people's approach is to their EDC. What wouldn't you leave home without? What are you considering nixing from the pack?

 

[KYenglish]

I need it all!

seriously though nice gear. I only carry a flashlight and a knife, a pen is also with me but it's any ole pen I find laying around, sometimes I add a multi tool, sometimes the knife is a multi tool

I do have a day hike bag I keep up, but it only comes out when I'm going to hike/walk so I don't think of it as edc,

 

[JK Knives]

I have posted this before, but here it is again. I still take it along with me when I travel.

This is my "Urban Survival Bag." In my last year of employment I was informed that I would be traveling to China, alone, to help our division set up production of our cheaper line of products. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper, I had never been out of the USA before, and had never flown for more than 3 hours! This would be a 14 hour flight, to a strange land. At least they had someone to meet me over there that spoke English. I decided to put together a basic kit to make me worry a bit less. I bought an inexpensive Eagle Creek one shoulder backpack to carry it all in. I like this style bag because you can keep it under your arm to "keep tabs" on it.

Here is what went in it.
2 bandanas
heavy work gloves
duct tape
zip ties
notebook
pen
sharpie
extra pair of glasses
first aid book
first aid kit
aspirin
advil
pepto bismal tablets
shoelaces
whistle
Victorinox Swisscard
Victorinox Sportsman 2 knife
Leatherman tool
mini prybar
Minimag flashlight x 2
extra batteries and bulbs
sewing kit
safety pins
eyeglass repair kit
smokes
matches
disposable rain jacket
bag of Jolly Rancher candy (for the flight, no smoking for over 16 hours)

I took the bag as carry on with everything in it except the cutting tools, I kept it by my feet for the entire flight. At night in the hotel, I put my passport and wallet in the bag in case I had to leave the hotel for a fire or something. As you might notice, I had two flashlights, as I was concerned about having power losses, which seemed to happen frequently where I was staying. (I knew this in advance from the guy who went there before me.). Every morning before I left the hotel, I would put 2 bottles of water in the bag.
As you can see, I "survived" my journey. Here is a pic of it all except for my Jolly Ranchers.

 

[JK Knives]

Nobody else has a bag setup, not even for roadtrips?

 

[Fanglekai]

I carry a cell phone, fenix e-05 and usually a slipjoint plus modern folder. There is a lighter in my car. I don't need anything else driving around town. What scenarios are you imagining that require so much gear for going to work?

 

[JK Knives]

Mine is not for going to work (I work 15' from my house), it`s more for trips.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I have a much smaller pack that I carry. It normally contains emergency blankets, lighter, glowsticks, flashlight, solar charger for my cell phonse, electrical tape, some money (concealed), small fixed blade, poncho for inclement weather, multi tool, saw chain, signal mirror, iodine tablets for purifying water, Immodium, and a very handsome Urban Hawk for more outdoorsy situations.

 

[JK Knives]

When we go for our hikes I carry a small Maxpedition Fatboy. in it I carry:

Large Leatherman with saw
Fire Kit (ferro rod, firestarters, striker, lighter)
First Aid Kit
Small flashlight
Tick remover
Pen and small notebook
Camera
Paracord
Gorilla tape
Compass
Bandana
2 Disposable rain jackets
Zip ties
Whistle

 

[KYenglish]

this is what i use for day hikes, as well as the small light, compass, SAK and hat,

in the bag:

firekit in round tin (firesteel, flint and steel, matches, lighter, charcloth JK Tin Knife)
Small leather pouch with sowing kit, small sharpening stone and modern sharpener
paracord, blue
scarf
pen and paper
Spyderco Endura
Pen screwdriver with multiple different size Philips and flat
Jerky
Water bladder
Fishing kit (line, some hooks, bobber, fake bait)
and i carry a fixed blade of some sort in there (a bk16 right now)
first aid kit
nitecore d20

I'll get a picture later,

 

[NoahL]

On a daily basis I use my cell phone, my Opinel #7, my watch and my wallet, all of which goes with me everywhere. I used to carry pens, but had too many break or leak and got out of the habit, though I know I probably should get back in the habit. My GHB (Get Home Bag) in the trunk of my car has considerably more, but I don't have pictures of it at the moment, and the one in my wife's car is similar. My bag is a small (approximately 10"x10"x20") zip-top travel bag with shoulder strap and carry handle, and my wife's is a child-size backpack, both of which I got at Goodwill for $4.

First Aid Kit - A Coleman pre-packed kit emptied into a gallon ziplock--still need to add Israeli battle dressings but the pre-packed kit covered just about everything else.
Toiletries - A quarter-roll of toilet paper, handful of Q-Tips, overnight pads, tampons, hand sanitizer--still need to add moist wipes and a travel bar of soap.
Dust Masks - Two or three nuisance-type dust masks in case of haboob--still need to add goggles to go along with these.
Safety Vest - Orange and yellow reflective safety vest for high visibility
Duct Tape - About 15ft of silver duct tape wrapped around bright red Kydex samples the size of a playing card.
Gloves - Old leather gloves in mine and some fabric ones in my wife's--these will be replaced with good work gloves at some point.
Socks - Two pairs of thick athletic socks in ziplock bags, just in case
Jacket - My wife has her jacket in her bag and I have a thick hooded sweatshirt in mine, but if we go anywhere colder than Phoenix we would add heavier clothes.
Shelter Kit - Tarp, 50ft of paracord, 4 emergency blankets
Fire Kit - Firesteel, matches, Bic lighter, magnesium fire starter, alcohol pads, drier lint, fatwood shavings, jute twine.
Flashlight - Mini Maglite with extra LED bulbs and batteries
Food - Mainstay emergency bars.
Water - Datrex water pouches, four bottles of water and a stainless steel Kleen Kanteen (in case boiling is needed)
Folding Knife - A Buck in my wife's bag and a Leatherman in mine.
Fixed Blade Knife - A JK Tin Knife in my wife's bag and a Mora in mine--still need to get a Mora for my wife's bag and a full tang knife for each bag.
Hatchet - This typically stays in my trunk but can be put in the bag if I feel it is necessary for where I am.

At some point I also plan on adding a firearm and some ammunition to each bag, but other than that what I have should be plenty to get me home from just about anywhere in the metro area.