Suppose something happened that forced you to leave everything behind and run for your life. Would you be able to survive?
Survival under such a scenario would depend on what you managed to grab on your way out the door and what you had on your person when disaster struck.
In this article, we will look at what you should have on you at all times, and also at what items you should leave out of your EDC. While also considering some convenient carry solutions that are easily accessible and will save your life in times of emergency.
Everyday Carry Replacements
The WWW is overrun with EDC websites and most Prepping forums have lively EDC discussions.
It’s an interesting topic because it has great-looking gadgets and good photography. I do like the minimalist perspective, but everyone agrees that there are some basics you can’t do without.
It is impractical to carry a complete survival pack at all times. And following the minimalist trend, we will consider which items you should start leaving out of your EDC.
Some of the old necessities are being replaced by technology, and some by design innovations.
The idea is that EDC is carried on your person at all times, except when you’re in the shower or sleeping.
If anyone scoffs at the idea of carrying items permanently, remind that nowadays everyone carries their mobile phone all the time.
I will deal with some EDC carry options at the end of the article, but let’s first look at what you need in your EDC and what to leave out.
Stop Carrying Knives And Tools
Serrated knives work better for cutting bread wood, whereas smooth blade knives, provided they are sharp, work better at cutting meat, twine, fabrics etc. Should you carry both?
The same question could be posed regarding tools like pliers or tools in general. I like fencing pliers for big work, sharp nose pliers for small work, side cutters for general cutting and a wire rope cutter for fences and cables. To carry them all would be silly.
A good knife could double as an axe and machete while sawing through plywood doors and also helping you to skin a rabbit.
Related: How To Correctly Choose Your Survival Knife
Kabar and other manufacturers have multi-purpose knives that will suit most of your requirements while even helping you to soften earth for hand digging while serving as a defensive weapon.
And while I know that a “cure-all” is actually a “cure-nothing”!
Multi-purpose knives at least have a little bit of everything, which in a pinch, is better than nothing at all.
You can apply the same principle to multitools.
I am sure any craftsman or mechanic would rather have a full outfit of equipment on them, but when you are running for your life, you need to cut down on bulk and weight.
Some of the more practically minded multitools have pliers that can double as ratchets for loosening bolts etc. You could carry two multitools on your belt that would have you covered in a great variety of situations.
Most multitools have blades for cutting and sawing, so maybe you can even give your knife a rest.
Stop Carrying Fire-Lighters
You cannot carry fire but you can carry the means to make a fire.
Carry a small flask of moonshine or a strong bourbon.
The alcohol will burn and can help you to start a fire.
It can also be used as an anesthetic when consumed or to clean and disinfect wounds.
Alcohol boosts courage, but too much will adversely affect your coordination and judgement, so use sparingly.
Stop Carrying Water
Water is cumbersome and impractical to carry around all day. But, without water, you can dehydrate rather quickly. Dehydration diminishes your decision-making capacity.
The ability to “get” some water will help, so a personal water purification system like Lifestraw is highly recommended. Lifestraw turns even the dodgiest water potable.
If you are opting for a hydration vest or belt, keep those reservoirs full!
Stop Carrying Paracord
Paracord has countless uses.
From tying yourself to a tree branch while sleeping, to tying down enemies, setting traps and building shelters.
It’s impractical to carry a roll of paracord, so rather invest in a few paracord bracelets.
A paracord bracelet on each arm would give you a lot of paracords if needed and you wouldn’t even know you are carrying it.
I also recommend that you wind up 30 feet of fishline into a small loop and carry it in the same ziplock bag as your lighter.
Stop Carrying Flashlights
Drop the cumbersome flashlight and rather use your phone. Smartphones serve multiple purposes.
Related: How to Turn Your Android or iPhone Smartphone Into A Satellite Phone
There are apps for managing your flashlight’s intensity and battery usage while giving you strobe and other intermittent lighting options.
Remember that light uses energy and will decrease battery life.
Maybe have a glow-stick as a backup.
Stop Carrying Shelter
Check your outdoor shop for survival blankets or survival blankets that can double as a parka.
They are waterproof and can be used to stay, build a shelter or make a makeshift backpack. Some of these can fold up as small as a handkerchief and can be carried in your pocket.
Stop Carrying Maps
Mobile phones are essential. They can be used to track you, which is a good thing when your family is trying to find you, but bad when the bad guys are tracking you.
Phones have lights, GPS and entertainment.
Make sure you download apps that have an offline map and navigation option available.
Pro Tip: Your battery will run out. So make sure you can charge your battery.
Related: How To Charge Your Phone When There Is No Electricity
Powerbanks are great, and you even get some power banks that can recharge from a built-in solar panel
One of the best devices are chargers that work with a hand crank. They are usually built into a combination flashlight and power-bank portable unit.
Stop Carrying Compasses
Many great sports and fitness watches have batteries that will last for days can help you navigate while providing downloadable maps. Buy the best you can afford.
Stop Carrying Food
Rather carry nutrient-dense protein bars.
Health stores have whole isles dedicated to protein and energy bars.
These are great as you can stash one into your pocket or carry a few in your EDC bag. Look for something that has around 20 grams of protein per bar.
Three to four per day will keep you going as your liver can use protein to make glucose or your body can just burn some fat.
Your best buy is a bar with at least 20gram protein, added carbs, electrolytes and micro-nutrients.
Other Items
Other items that are often overlooked are pens and notebooks, belts, eyeglasses and carabiner-keychain combinations.
I mention these often neglected items because they have multiple uses.
Pens or pencils can come in handy to scribble messages on walls, perform calculations, draw maps or take down directions. You can write down important information in your notebook, and even use the pages to get a fire going.
Belts will keep your pants up, but can also be used as a weapon, slingshot or to make a tourniquet to stop bleeding.
Wrap it around your fist to protect your hand during a fight, or use it as a garotte if you are attacked by a dog.
Related: The Best Natural Weapons That You Can Find In The Wild
Eyeglasses can protect against the sun, severe wind or debris from small explosions.
Keychains, when used with carabiners, are great ways to keep organized. Most survival gear has some kind of loop or tether. The carabiner can be clipped to a belt loop on your pants and free your hands while keeping equipment close by.
Stop Using Backpacks
I like the idea of packing a small EDC bag. Lightweight EDC carry options include things like vests and belts. Hydration vests and belts will be great replacements for backpacks.
We have the sport of long-distance trail running to thank for awesome options. The first is hydration vests and the second is hydration belts.
These all have varying size options for carrying fluids, and also have a lot of space for storing cellphones, flashlights, even clothing.
Look for some of the newer ones that have elastic and expandable pockets that allow you to get more stuff in them. Salomon has some of the best on the market. Camelbak, Nathan, Osprey and Hoka also make good products.
Pop down to your local tool shop and have a look at some of the toolbelts they sell.
Multiple pouches with easily accessible compartments make these highly practical for survival purposes. I like Diamondback toolbelts, but only because I also use them for work. There are many great options available.
You could pre-pack one of these and hang it close to your front door or in your office. Grab it while heading out the door when running for your life. You will stress less knowing that you have enough resources to survive for a while.
Smart EDC
The point of any EDC is to give you immediate options in the wake of a disaster or emergency. Smart EDC is a combination of survival items that maximize your options.
Now go out and have some fun setting up the perfect EDC.
You may also like:
8 Silent Weapons To Have Against Intruders
How To Survive And Thrive Through Any Water Crisis (Video)
The Best Pest Killer That You Already Have In Your Pantry
The First States That Will Go Down In A Collapse. Do You Live In The Red Zone?
Well… that wasn’t worth the read….. but at least someone tried to put ideas out .
Yet it was worth much more than your comment.
I’m a prepper and your at least he triying and he IS thinking. Sadly so many people are not going to be ready when sh…. hits the fan. I have always stored food and needful thing to keep mind and body alive. I’ve stored books,games, cards and even marbles because over a long period of time your going to go stir crazy and forget caution. Just to get out and walk,someone will see where your you got to,then you just might have visitors. Unwanted visitors! So I have been prepping for a while. I grow a big garden, I can,freeze and dry lots of food .Make my own shelter that’s hidden for the most part,with a root cellar. The government already knows fema doesn’t have a stockpile of food, so guess what… they are going to take yours that you put up for your family and give it to few families for a day then it will be gone. You are left with nothing except a empty pantry. What ya going to do ,oh well to late!
I’m trying hard to imagine what type of “what if “ scenario would work best with the recommendations put forth in this article and exactly what the “venue”would be – City, town, suburbia, farm or back country? Darn if I think it would be best bets except for the recommendation to pack light so one is fleet of foot! I makes you think and that’s always a good thing. As they say, “bad decisions make good stories” that is if you are able to live to tell them,
The post from “As a Prepper” are usually pretty darn good and I have some like minded friends that I forward them to. This will be the first one that I wont forward because I strongly disagree with the information in it. However, there is no one. that I will always agree with and this is the first time I wont be forwarding so I think that is a pretty good run. I’m sure if I was putting out a post like this with the same frequency I would find a significant number of readers would disagree with me. We all live in different worlds with different needs and different values. Keep up the good work.
Very true. I have to admit that if you are on a homestead and prepping to bo there, he has good advice. I posted earlier because I wanted to give my view because of the training I’ve had. Maybe I lived in ALASKA too long and forgot how nice it is to live in a not so harsh climate. Good advice Rick.
Rick EDC depends on a lot of factors that I do not think the author took into consideration.
1. Location
2. Everyday circumstances
3. Distance from a stash or your storage.
4. Events that could happen.
5. Everyday routines.
As a matter of fact I think he is clueless just because he said “you do not need”. Why because how the heck does any one know what someone else needs?
For each person this will be different so it is really up to each individual as to what to every day carry.
For instance I EDC a 9mm, pocket knife, money, Smart phone and my keys(only because crime rate has increased around here). But I am hardly ever over 20 miles from home. With what I have in my pocket if I can not make it home then having a pack would not help much.
I have had vehicles quit 20 miles away from home back when there were no cell phones. You know I had only a pocket knife, and my keys back then. Yes I walked and it took 5 or 6 hrs to get back home. I drank from lakes back then lol but water was drinkable from lakes we swam in back when I was a boy. Have you ever been swimming and some one come up behind you and ducked you lol you get a big drink of water most of the time ?. Water today would be the main problem but hey even in a EOWAWKI when one happens everything will not just close up instantly that is the reason for cash.
One more comment from me: I normally pass on information even if I don’t agree with it. But in this case I won’t because the people that I am helping are very new to the idea of prepping. As some have stated here knowledge can be your greatest asset but that comes with time. There are an so many different ways a fire can be started but for my group they need to carry a bic (and a ferro rod because that has been pushed so hard from so many directions they just have to have it). They aren’t ready to use a lifestraw when they get that first taste of pond water they will be done. For now they have to carry some water. And the list goes on from there. In time, some of these basic items could be dropped as they learn but for now they need to carry some tools for the fundamentals. I’m over 60 years into this so what I carry will be different from them. These tips that “Ask A Prepper” provides are outstanding and we need to remember it is going to a very diverse crowd. I appreciate this blog and I know I couldn’t do better. Thank you
If you’re going to carry a glow stick, why not just carry a flashlight. I carry a j5.
Absolutely, John. A glow stick is nothing more than a target. Though a flashlight is also a target, it has the added benefit of exposing things much further away from than a glow stick – or a cell phone LED
this post is counter productive. learn how to live OFF the grid.
Not really possible for most. If it were, you’d have a lot of neighbors close by…probably more than you want.
It certainly served the purpose of clickbait. Claude got several hundred clicks on this article even though it was ful of misinformation such as using booze as a disinfectant. We covered that in great detail at the beginning of the plague. Alcohol in order to be a bactericide must be at least 60% alcohol. What is usually recommended to make sure the alcohol is at 60% is to use 63+% alcohol. That equates to 130 proof. While a few runs used to reach that lever, in many states alcoholic content of 50% alcohol or 100 proof is all that is allowed by bureaucratic rule.
As a result of the plague the PDRK raised the permissible alcoholic context on selected liquors to 135 proof so that it can be used as a bactericide. It probably will go back to 100 proof as soon as our masters decide the plague is. Over.
LCC, I understand the higher the alcohol content the better as a disinfectant, but can you post some links supporting your claim that 80 proof liquor is not a disinfectant? What I have read is that for general cleaning purposes it’s better to use bleach as a disinfectant rather than say 80 proof Vodka, but if I ran out of isopropyl alcohol and it came down to soaking a possibly contaminated suture needle and thread in 80 proof liquor for a while before using them, I would.
Then it is unlikely, LCC, that the 100 proof limit will ever come back because California will never admit the plague is over.
Sadly, Bacardi quit making their 151 proof rum in 2016. What a shame. But I do have several bottles in my collection. Luckily, there are several other 151 proof rums available along with 150 proof vodkas.
With these, you can do like the western movies: pour some on your wound, drink some, and bite a stick while someone pokes around with their Bowie knife to remove the bullet out of your shoulder and then cauterize with a hot fireplace poker.
I also stock Everclear. I was in the liquor store yesterday and they had a new-to-me competitor to Everclear, Gem 190 proof liquor. I bought a couple bottles of that, along with another couple Everclear – along with several other more drinkable bottles.
I’m not much of a drinker anymore. I kinda gave up years ago when I decided to carry. I do however keep a good supply on hand, in storage for friends/family. I suspect alcohol will be one of the best trade items should the SHTF.
It’s a myth that drinking and guns don’t go together. The Founders drank a lot of beer, carrying their long-arms, in pubs while planning their rebellion. Alcohol and guns went together until the last 40-ish years.
What doesn’t go with guns is bad behavior. Some people behave badly when they drink but those generally behave badly when they don’t drink. I don’t behave badly whether or not I drink.
I must admit that I’m rather perplexed about all the stuff I read about using x type of rum or y type of moonshine etc as disinfectant, firestarters and so on. I just went out and bought a 20 litre drum of 100% ethanol which I have stashed away and use to make my own disinfectant, sanitiser etc. It did require a permit but that was 5 minutes filling out a form then taking it to the trade store where I made my purchase.
DZ: I did extensive research on the topic of what is a viricide and what is a bactericide at the beginning of the plague. I am disinclined to go back and search for the quoted material that I provided then. However, in order to buttress my posit, look at any bottle of hand sanitizer and see what the percent of isopropanol or ethanol is in the solution. I think you will find it ranges from 63% to 65%. Interestingly, too high a percentage of either alcohol doesn’t proportionately increase the efficacy of the solution vis a vis the cost of adding the alcohol vs. adding sterile water. So the poster who bought a drum of 100% ethanol really should cut it to a 65% solution to get the best bang for his buck.
In addition, unless he opens the drum in a special room, the instant he opens the drum, if there is any humidity, the 100% ethanol will instantly be something less than 100%. Alcohol is hydrophilic which is why we used it in printing as a wetting agent. That’s why the alcohol we bought was labeled 99%. Because the instant we opened the can it was no longer 100%. Indeed the company selling it to the printing industry bought it by the tank car and there was no way they could ensure the tank car was 100% as soon as it was filled. I am afraid the poster who thought he got 200% ethanol was deceived. Unless the ethanol was produced and introduced into the container in an entirely enclosed systemand the tank sealed in a sealed environment, there is no way the alcohol could be 100%.
Any valid medical treatment book will advise against flushing a wound with either alcohol or peroxide, betadine or any of the other caustic liquids. You are better off using a syringe and boiled water to flush a wound.
Consider when the practice of using whiskey arose. It was probably on early battlefields perhaps even prehistoric. Wine , beer and other alcoholic drinks were the only liquids that were relatively clean. People might use water in streams and lakes for washing but they also used it as sewers dumping feces, urine, slaughterhouse offal and anything else one used that they wanted to get rid of. Pouring water from a lake of stream into a wound was a guaranteed infection. An infection meant at a minimum, loss of limb.
Old habits die hard.”We’ve always done it that way” is the watchword of the ignorant as a reason for doing something. That was the biggest problem I had working for federal civil service. My rejoinder which never made me any friends in the hierarchy was, “Well, that might have been state of the art in 1863, but this is 1963, and believe it or not, there are more modern ways of doing things which actually are better.”
So I don’t care that all the motion pictures show dumping whiskey into a wound. THEY ARE FICTION!!! Now if whiskey is all you have, well it’s all you have but how come you have whiskey and not potable water?
Potable water is better than whiskey and boiled water is even better than potable eat and NO, it doesn’t have to be boiled for ten minutes. Organisms start to die at 165 degrees F. Water is at 165 degrees well before it reaches a roiling boil and covered ( you do want to protect its cleanliness from blowing dust and other air born contaminants, so you cover the water as you are boiling it. You keep it covered while it is cooling. When it is cool enough to apply to the wound, then apply it. It helps if you have a syringe to squirt the water into the wound, but lacking that a clean cloth that was boiled in the water that you were boiling to wash the wound can be used to clean dirt from the wound. Pour the peroxide over your hands to sterilize them or pour some of the boiled water over your hands so your booger hooks don’t infect the wound you spent so much effort on cleaning.
End of wound care for boneheads 101 for tonight.
LCC, please check your reading comprehension, I never posted anything about pouring liquor on a would, I clearly stated that if I ran out of isopropyl alcohol, I would prefer to soak a possibly contaminated suture needle and thread in vodka for a while before using them. Better to soak in 40% alcohol than nothing at all, and boiled water may be sanitized so it will not further contaminate a wound, but plain boiled water has no disinfecting properties at all unless you mix it with something like bleach, which I do not think would be good to pour on a wound either.
LCC, and here’s what a real bonehead does, he fails to comprehend what he reads, posts a 10-page litany based on false misconceptions when a simple couple of sentences would suffice, and then ends it with an insult. Your haughty narcissistic attitude is definitely bonehead 101. You can fool a lot of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool those who know better and pay attention.
LCC…let me clarify, to make sanitiser I dilute the 100% ethanol down to 80%bv, that is the optimal percentage for an ethanol sanitiser solution. That then goes into a sealed dispenser to use so very very little evaporates off and any ingress of water vapour is less than negligible. The margin of efficacy is a little more than 10% as the optimal range for an ethanol sanitising solution is 70-80%. Less than that means it takes more/longer to work, a higher percentage of ethanol means it will be less able to do its job. FYI, alcohol based sanitisers require a percentage of water in the solution so that the active ingredient can be transported through the bacterial cell walls in order to do the damage. With my bulk storage, the ethanol is in a purpose-constructed container which has a small outlet to pour and is o-ring sealed. Again any incidental water vapour ingress is negligible and ethanol vapour cannot readily escape. I do the same with 100% isopropyl alcohol and 100% sodium hypochlorite…but you need to be really really really careful with the latter…it’s full-face organic gas vapour mask time for me when I work with that stuff.
Why suggest fragile electronics over bomb proof primitives?
You have a point, though since the title is “11 Everyday Items You Shouldn’t Carry From Now On,” the author appears to have, at least initially, been discussing EDC, which at a minimum is what you put into your pockets in the morning to carry with you every day, which for the vast majority of people, includes a phone and maybe a flashlight. Depending on what you do, it might include more technology. My son needs an iPad for school every school day, which goes in his daypack, and is at least his weekday EDC. So is his “bomb proof” trombone 🙂
The scenario is run for your life. Not sure how someone will carry heavy tool or a garden but I always carry $200+ in cash 2 credit cards and ATM card. Other scenario where I have my vehicle or am at home leaving are totally different.
Uh….carry what you need. Basic survival. Use instinct. Less is more but carry knife, small light, way to make fire, know where water source is, something to carry it in not a bad idea. Be able to bed down somewhere. You know what you need for you and the family.
That was a stupid read.
You take what you can carry in the best way you can manage and you’ll have what you need with no regrets. Be Prepared
Be prepared you say… Wow thank you for that brilliant advice. You must be an X-Spurt.
Well it had more weight then the article did.
Are you trying to contribute…or…are you just letting off a little ‘gas build-up’?
Blackbird any intelligent person knows that be prepared takes in everything that is needed for survival.
If you don’t know what “Be prepared” means, then your not going to be prepared. The only way to be prepared is to learn. Everyone has to prepare in a way that suits them. If you do not understand that then you are not prepared.
He could have made a long list of preperations but exactly what good would that have done? His list probably will not work for who ever reads it. Intelligent people would know they have to figure that out for themselves.
If stuck out in the woods in cold or bad weather, try and find a depression in the ground or dig a hole, get in it and cover yourself with leaves or full pine branches.
and die from hypothermia as the ground zaps your body heat.
Without lining the hole to keep your body from contacting the ground…you are correct. The hole should be lined with leaves, etc. Otherwise, the ground will pull your body heat away from you.
Then start a fire in the hole
sure…. if you can be seen….
I have a solar rechargeable flash light with my EDC. I also have a small solar panel that will recharge my phone. It is set up to mount on the back of a backpack. A handmade tie belt is many yards of paracord. My most valuable tool is knowledge. Next is a good knife.
I do need to repack some of my preps as they include things for my husband who is now deceased.
I think each of us should have what we’re comfortable with and can reasonably carry. A quick getaway here is most likely to be because of a wild fire. That means in a vehicle. Some I keep in each vehicle and some is handy to the front door and a lot could be loaded up in 5 minutes. A bag with pictures and info sits with camping gear and a well stocked med bag. If exiting the place on foot a Bob with entirely different items is ready to grab.
This was a weird article. I feel like the author didn’t really understand EDC as being Every Day Carry. That is, what you carry on an everyday basis.
Before I retired, since I worked IT, that included a laptop, tablet, tools for the job, including screwdrivers, a knife and a multitool. And yes, all that was loaded into a large daypack since that was easy to move from station to station as I traveled during the day. Now that I’m retired, the only technology I EDC is my phone. Pocket knife and maybe a Buck folder on my belt.
So much of EDC depends on what you do and where. I live in the suburbs, so I don’t need to carry much, except for when I’m working or volunteering outdoors, so my EDC is minimal. My vehicle carries a lot of what might be another’s EDC. Water bottles, check. Other tools from power tools and saws on down to wrenches and pliers, check. Rope and paracord, check.
It seems silly to carry a Lifestraw as part of your EDC. These are things you’re using on a daily basis. Now, if you’re outside away from vehicles or a horse all day, everyday, then I could maybe see the Lifestraw or other equivalent, but for the vast majority of us, that’s simply not the case. We have our truck, ATV, or horse to carry those things.
If you work for somebody, the whole flask idea is a bad one. It says that you can’t make it through the day without a drink, not that you need it to start a fire. Another weird thing.
Paracord isn’t very bulky, and if you have a attache, small daypack, or even a fanny pack (does anyone even use those these days…I haven’t seen them in use in a long time since it screams concealed carry), you can put 50’ into any of them without taking much space. The same for those single-use ponchos and mylar “Space” blankets. These would work for those hydration vests or belts.
The phone does work well as a flashlight. I used it lots of time that way when I was working, though a small, dedicated flashlight worked better, and a lot better than one of those glow-sticks would. Glow-sticks have their uses, but not in my EDC.
Depends on what you’re doing as to whether you’d use a backpack as your EDC. Since my daypack was large enough to carry a laptop, I did also make it my Get Home Bag when I was working. The whole thing weighed about 20lbs, and had what I needed if I needed to travel the 30 miles to home from work and I couldn’t use my vehicle. Snacks, heavier duty versions of the mylar poncho and blanket and other things I could carry into my workplace.
Some of the suggestions for EDC seem more appropriate for the GHB or BOB that what you’d carry EDC. I don’t see carrying those expensive protein bars EDC when I can have an ice chest sitting in my truck. Snacks that I ate during the day and replenished were in my daypack EDC.
Just my thoughts. There may be a few people who would use all of these suggestions for EDC, but they’re in the vast minority.
well, that was a waste of time, this has to be a joke…
“Stop carrying articles written by Charl M”
Charl M is the same author of the article accompanying this one about rural folk and the dangers of being overrun. He or she claims to have been a farmer in Africa, now relocated to New Zealand Disputed my assertion that South Africa had become the proverbial shole since taken over by mostly black “legislators” using that term in its most absolutely broadest sense.
His/her previous article was as meandering as this one. I would agree that based on the two articles so far he/she needs a professional editor to edit the product.
While I understand that ‘minimal’ carry of EDC items is a valid point, at least in some circumstances, this article almost came across as ‘sarcasm’, at least to me, anyway.
Speaking of sarcasm, don’t carry a tool kit in your car because you can just call a tow truck!
Ahhhhh I get it. Friday is critics day. Open to everyone that could do better but doesn’t. Cool
?
While I agree with some of the things in this article, a cellphone is not one of them.
In fact whenever I am prepping it is with the acknowledgement that there will be no electricity, hence, No Cellphone!
Be Prepared, says this Eagle Scout from the pre-homo era!
he did say to “download” a map so that there is no need for internet service to use the map, and the flashlight never needs internet… but my concern is recharging abilities, there are solar keychain phone chargers available, could be an option….
Until your batteries run dry, you can use apps that don’t depend on the cloud to operate. Thus if you have local maps downloaded into your phone, you will be able to access them until your battery dies. If you have a solar charger/spare battery you can keep your cell phone running longer. However for most of us, that would be part of our get home bag or bug out bag and not part of our EDC. In any event maps are lighter to carry and dont run out of electricity. And are not part of my EDC. The maps are stored in my car.
I think the shooter in the mall is a poor example. With the exception of my 4-inch folding knife and my pepper spray, my EDC carry is stuff that I potentially use every day. Lighter and matches, no, but I may wa t to start a fire as a distraction day at a shooting in a mall. Certainly a fire started in a metal trash can and hurled over a balastrade at a shooter will most assuredly distract him or her. If I am being persued, a fire I n a dumpster can be a distraction. Fire has many more uses than just providing heat. A curtain rod with a flaming curtain on the end probably will dissuade everyone except a dedicated jihadist from their course of action
Those are just a couple of uses for the lighter and matches that I might need in getting back to my car. In a mall shooting, I hope to be long gone before law enforcement gets its act together and shows up. Always have a plan on how to get out of every building you enter. Locate the other exits before you start shopping. Remember your priority is to get home safely, not the gadget you think you need.
I believe some apps claim internet connection isn’t needed for certain maps. I would check those out first, before downloading it. I take a ton of screenshots from the internet, when I come across good info, including maps. Just a thought!
Some interesting and valuable ideas. Not a fan of putting the negative first, it made for awkward reading, as did the title of the article.
Great info, people just need to remember that this is all suggestions, you have to adapt your kit for your area and circumstances.
And to all of the critics on here……. be helpful, your negative comments with no offer of insight is not helpful or appreciated….
JoannaA are you in WA as in Washington state or the District of Corruption orcWestern Australia?
I have lived off the grid for 4 years and learned a lot. Here is the key things to think about. Humans need water, shelter, food, safety, and health. Think along these lines and you will be heading in the right direction. Also, remember to be as multipurpose as possible without technology as in a situation where you need to be in nature, be natural and act off your primal instincts. Remember that your enemy may be the enemy of nature as well. I always have a large hunting knife on hand as I can use it as a hunting tool, shovel, use it to make fire, string, perform surgical procedures (although this is limited), and if the blade is shiny, it can act as a signaling mirror. A compass and map can be helpful but those can be eliminated with simple natural navigation Technics. For light, learn to travel in the dark and if that is not possible, learn to make a torch or candle. Do not use a solar chargeable battery pack as it can take a month for those to fully charge. I would recommend an old canvas polish poncho that can double as a shelter and rain and weather resistant clothing for protection. Wax it well with an avocado oil and wax mix (avocado oil has a natural preservative). If you live in a cold weather area, a pure wool blanket can serve as warmth and clothing as a kilt if your other clothes wear out. I also like to carry an old infantry range finder and ferro rod as those can be helpful. These items are small and easy to keep in your every day vehicle so you always have them with you. Hope this helps guide the not so knowledgeable in a good direction.
How did you post here, being off grid? Lol!
I certainly agree with the author’s, “If you have to escape immediately, with the clothes you are wearing”. It can happen in a fire, tornado-hurricane-earthquake, car accident when you smell gasoline. I also agree that Preppers need to periodically evaluate their EDC (just what they are wearing). But I live in a 4 Season State. I have at least 2 EDCs, one for cold-wet Spring, cold-windy Fall, and spit-freezing Winter. My winter EDC uses a Scott-eVest double winter coat (inner layer zips to outer layer) and with each coat having 24 pockets, including sizes with a strap to hold a water bottle. BTW I bought a 6-pack of stainless “pints” that fit in a backpocket to carry water in, regardless if it would freeze, because I would also have a lighter and small “birds-nest” to start a fire to melt it (and stay warm). I put extra gloves, stocking hat, etc. in the now 48-pocket winter coat (and it barely profiles).
Now, whether anyone likes what I say next say, or not—I DON’T CARE. I am not an Alpha-Male; I am a Bravo and combat veteran, who lived for months in a desert with no visible water, nor anything growing (except in towns where I didn’t know the language). I can get ANXIOUS plenty easily enough. I carry more to soften my anxiety (and would never betray that anxiety) by carrying less. So, …
While I do respect the issue that the author raised, which is when you have to go now, it had better be on your person. At the same time, the author didn’t say (unless I missed it): BRING CASH (not checks, not traveler checks that could confuse a young checker; not credit cards (should electricity be out); and not just a cell phone with a “Cash factor” in it because if I lost one (I have found lost ones), or if it breaks, or electricity out…then I need redundancy (“Two is one and one is none”).
One last thing. I am not a sewer, but I do carry extra stuff in clothing seams; and I never wear shorts in Summer (though when younger I used to). Jeans will allow me a place to carry a Life-straw (I also have other devices) with a little sewing modification. I’m being sarcastic here: that it could be difficult to carry a long firm and thickly round Life Straw in a pair of shorts. It could profile someone depending upon what type of over-shirt one is wearing. Also for Summer I have two vests that I carry when bike riding to parks, woods, etc.
When I was working I carried extras in ankle-holsters, or in a baseball cap, boots worn for work, a money-belt, cargo pants and sometimes a pair of shorts under long pants. BTW cigarettes make the best “embers”. I can get 3 long-fat embers per cigarette. And (I am not being sarcastic) tobacco (my favorite weed) is a medicinal insofar as it helps loosen phlegm in the chest enabling a smoker to cough it up and spit it out rather than having it stay in chest and make breathing more difficult. That is why and how Tobacco was America’s first crop-industry (medicinal for immediate health, focus, fire building, etc.).
Now having said all that I said, the author will disagree with me because I carry a lot of stuff. But like he said, his major point of issue was “carrying what you wear”. His comment about weight carrying was a secondary issue.
Define EDC, please.
The words for ‘EDC’ say it all… ‘Every Day Carry’. It’s what you, ‘personally’, carry every day. So…it can mean different things to different people. Sometimes it’s called a GHB(get home bag) or a GoBag for something rather short-term, whether you carry it on your person or have it in your car or where you work. It’s all a personal decision, hopefully based on what might be considered ‘common sense’, on what you think you need to have. Some carry more and some carry less.
Every Day Carry…?
Every Day Carry. The stuff you carry on your person every day some of which you may use every day such as a small flashlight or multi-tool. Other things you might not use every day such as weatherproof, long burning matches or a compass. In my view, a compass for my purposes is pretty much useless. I have lived in this area for close to 60 years and dont need a compass for finding my way around.
I carry two different Leatherman multi-tools every day. I carry a four-inch folding knife every day. I carry a Princeton-tec single led flashlight every day. I carry a Bic lighter and wooden, long burning matches every day. I carry a fresnel lens magnifier every day. I carry a small handgun every day plus two reloads. I carry a whistle. Those are all in my “man bag” that is my constant companion when out of my home. I also carry a heavy duty KaBar aluminum walking cane everywhere I go away from home. All that is in addition to all the items I carry in my car. The EDC manbag is to allow me to get back to my car in the event there is a major catastrophe. My car has my get home gear.
Four protein bars while high in protean are low in calories. Four such bars at maximum will provide less than 1500 calories. While that will keep you from passing out due to low blood sugar, it doesn’t provide a whole lot of extra energy needed in an emergency situation. I carry SOS lifeboat bars which are calorie dense bars designed for life threatening situations. They are in the car. In the first hours of an emergency situation in an urban setting, cash is a better commodity than food or water. In an urban setting there are enough food and water locations to keep you going for a couple of days. I always carry over $100 cash on an every day basis. That is enough to pay some exorbitant price for eating and drinking without wasting a lot of time arguing with a clerk about paying $5 for a .5 liter bottle of water. Forget anything that needs electronic connection, gps, cell phone, credit cards, checks. If those services which are easily disrupted have been disrupted all those electronic will fail you at some point.
Sound thinking, advice, coupled with common sense, as usual. I carry almost the exact things you do except I only carry one multi-tool, but I see the idea of carrying two different ones…different tools, as, while useful, one multi-tool will not cover everything or maybe even the majority of situations where you need something different from what you have.
LCC, what is your Man Bag? Since what you carry in was one of the points of this article, I’m curious as to what you use to carry your EDC. Thanks!
DuPont: ifvyou ho to russellsformen.com and search for item # of-4005 , my bag is similar to that one. If I can find the paper work for my bag I will be happy to post it here. I didn’t bit Russell’s bag. I thought itvfrom a sitevthat sells nothing but bags for men and women but was at least 5 years ago and the name escapes me right now. I will probably have a clear recall along about 0330 tomorrow.
Dupin: the bag I carry is a Claire Chase bag #406 — I can’t tell if it is a very small”s” or a small 5. The color is brown cafe. I did not buy it at http://www.clairechsse.com. I bought it from another website and unfortunately do not have the paperwork from the site. I thought it was bags.com but that is not the website. They carry bags from every manufacturer imaginable and the prices are considerably lower than what the original vendor charges. I suspect that it is a site that buys up small lots that the vendor is dropping.
I have carried a similar bag for more than 30 years when all the small stuff I carried just got to be too much for my pockets.
The two Leatherman tools I carry are the Wingman. I carry it specifically for the clamshell opener blade. The other is the Crunch and I carry that for the licking pliars that it has. IiI haven’t settled on what Leatherman I would carry if I only carried one. I have carried a Leatherman since they first hit the market about 30 years ago.
I would stress that this bag is not a bug out bag or a get home bag. It carries items that I might use in every day living. I carry the four inch folding knife a CRKT 106 in stainless steel in my right front pocket. I carry my cash and change in my right bellows pocket. I carry my house keys, car keys and handkerchief in my left front pocket. I carry my pepper spray in my left bellies pocket.
In addition to the items I described in a prior post, I carry me cellphone in my Man bag. I also carry my Kindle if I anticipate having to wait any time on my journey. I carry my Medicare and health insurance cards in a wallet together with some membership cards such as my firearms owner’s liability insurance card. A card from a CA attorney who specializes in firearms defense cases and suing various goober mental agencies for 2nd Amendment violations. It has his phone number and his recommended script to tell the police until you can get in contact with him.
I would reiterate it most definitely is not a get home bag or a bug out bag. It would be better than nothing at all but my get home gear is much more comprehensive and is stored in the trunk of my car.
When we traveled to different venues for our bike rides, our loadout was intended to last us a minimum of five days if we had to abandon our vehicle. In addition, if we were going to a ride event we had our tandem bicycle in the van which we could use as alternate transportation.
Hope that helps explain what EDC means to me and what I carry on it and why.
Please excuse the typos. I hope you can read through them. Typing on the small keyboard and squinting at the extremely small type on my iPhone screen makes proofreading a chore. In addition, making corrections is also a chore. I am wearing a brand new prescription, so don’t suggest new glasses. Enlarging the type isn’t much help as it only displays a couple of words on the screen at a time which doesn’t make proofing any easier.
Roy,
EDC stands for Every Day Carry. This represents items you believe is necessary for you to perform your daily functions, and to aid in an emergency situation. When you are at home, you may or may not carry a gun or other form of self-defense, but out in town, you would be wise to have something on you that may come in handy. Same with water, food, tools, etc. Having an emergency blanket may not seem like something You would want to carry with you while out shopping or visiting friends, but in an emergency, that blanket can serve you in many ways.
The author, and others, commented about having a map as part of your EDC. I would consider this to be more appropriate for a BOB (Bug Out Bag) or a GHB (Get Home Bag). Most people are somewhat knowledgeable about the area they are in, so a map, to me, is just wasted space as an EDC item.
While I agree that a flashlight may not be necessary for EDC, using a cell phone’s light may be burdensome. I would recommend either a headlamp or a pen light of some kind. People have become so used to using the cell phone for everything, that when it needs to serve multiple purposes at the same time, it may not stand up to its desired functions. Plus, the light on the phone will just run the battery down quicker, which will suck if it is still nighttime.
EDC, BOB, and GHB contents are all important, but are not necessarily stocked the same. Medications, skills, location, and the anticipated length of the emergency should all be considered when planning your kits. This site has some excellent comments to various articles concerning BOB/GHB/EDC. Also, there are numerous articles on other sites. Research based on your needs and your location. I don’t think you would need to pack snow shoes if you are in Hawaii, and you may not need a canoe if you are in the desert.
If you are in an area with trees around, I would recommend researching how to tap the trees for water. Life straws and water purification tabs won’t be of much use if you can’t find water.
Just my two cents worth.
Every Day Carry. It’s what you carry on your person on a daily basis. It’s different than what you carry in your vehicle. It’s different from your Get Home or Go Bag. It’s definitely different than your Bug-Out Bag. It’s possible that your EDC could include your Go Bag, but not necessarily.
In most cases, your Go Bag would sit under your desk at work (if you work at a desk), or in your vehicle, if your job has you traveling. It would have those things you don’t need every day but would need in order to get home if something happens and you can’t simply drive there.
Instead, your EDC is what you would normally carry on or about your person on a daily basis. I described mine elsewhere, as have a few others. It’s very personal.
Your Bug-Out Bag (BOB) or 72-hour bag is again different. It’s what you have when you’re already at home and it has become no longer a viable place of refuge from whatever disaster has happened. You might toss it in your vehicle along with a lot of other things and try to leave in your vehicle, but have the BOB in case you get stuck and have to abandon the vehicle. Likewise, you might have to leave home on foot with your BOB. It’s generally designed to keep you going for 3 days…more or less. It’s dependent upon where you live and the immediate climate. Your BOB will look different in South Texas than it will in Minnesota.
I haven’t seen any mention of carrying a small firearm and a few magazines of ammo as part of the EDC items. That in my mind would be essential for a number of reasons.
I EDC a Glock 20 spare mag…. If i am going outside of my homestead i have a Pistol AR and 7 mags with me
Unlike the author of this article, you recognize that you may have to get home and it may not be as easy as it is today. We prepare with more, not with less.
The whole idea that someone would depend on their phone to work, on GPS, on their phone instead of a strong flashlight, etc., is just plain ignorant.
The ideas in this article is what the unprepared might hope to do in an emergency but the prepared will carry every single thing that the author suggested that we should not carry… Note that he didn’t say might not, he was explicit that we SHOULD NOT carry those items.
I have to question the authors knowledge in the topic of preparedness and the wisdom of the editor/approver for that article.
I carry, concealed, with two extra mags, all the time. Personally, I don’t like open carry as it can invite problems. If you do decide to carry, whether concealed or open, make sure you ‘know’ your State laws and local laws concerning this. Constitutional Carry is great, but it may be limited, somewhat, or have a few restrictions, as it is here in Texas. The other thing is practice, practice, practice. Also…’never’ assume that if you do shoot someone in self defense… that the police or prosecutors will see things your way…especially the prosecutors, as they might lean a little to the Left or they might even be full blown lap-dogs for the Left.
The only law that matters is the 2a. I open carry more
Raven, While I agree with your idea of the 2nd Amendment as being one of our ‘laws of the land’ as defined by the Constitution/Bill of Rights, there are places where it won’t hold up in court and that is unfortunate for all of us. It is far better to ‘know’ the ‘laws’ of both your State and the locality where you live. Being prepared is what all this is about and knowing these laws is part of being prepared.
“The government was set to protect man from criminals-and the constitution was written to protect man from the government. The Bill of Rights was not directed at private citizens, but against the government-as an explicit declaration that individual rights supersede any public or social power.”—Ayn Rand
“The [U.S.] Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals … it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government … it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen’s protection against the government.”—Ayn Rand
It’s sad that many people do not understand these concepts. I think you do, but unfortunately, there are so many in the government and in society, in general…that do not.
Our local prosecutor, a Republican even, is infamous for bringing charges against CCW holders who use their guns in self-defense.
I recommend that you always carry anywhere they don’t have a metal doctor.
That wasn’t one of the things that you shouldn’t carry 🙂
The more you know, the less you have to carry. Skill is weightless and takes up no space.
The more you know, you know to carry a knife. You know to carry water because you might not be in a place where there’s water for your lifestraw. Maybe you can’t carry enough water for a 100 mile get-home trek but you carry some.
The more you know, you know that whatever fuel you use for fire starting, you need a way to get a spark – carrying a firestarter of some sort is necessary even if your fuel of choice is Everclear.
The more you know, you know that a phone is a fragile device and the LED designed to give flash for photography won’t let you see in the night and you know to carry an actual flashlight.
Knowledge doesn’t mean you carry less; it means you carry more wisely.
This is radar again. I have one more comment; and that is “Does anybody know when was the last time that someone talked about HOW LONG IT TAKES (such as in a wilderness) TO DO EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DO TO SURVIVE?
I have given this a lot of thought over the last year, and I am basing some of my EDC, but also BOB contents TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR ME IF I AM STUCK OUT IN THE WILDERNESS. I will not have the time to do all that I need. I need some hacks (but the map and compass will go a long way to help with that), and it may be well worth bringing more (e.g., containers) “with me” than leaving something behind. After all, all one has to do is hide what you don’t want to carry to proceed further carrying less. In other words, If I cache my excess when I pick my place to camp out, then I would be proceeding further in a way similar to EDC (with what I am wearing), but I could still go back and retrieve my “excess” that may well allow me to do most of what I need to do, right away, without wearing out and giving up. I have lived in states bordering each coast, Canada and Caribbean, and in between states West, Central, and East, and traveled through most other states.
I think the author is mixing up EDC and emergency supplies. EDC is EveryDay Carry. No one can go about their daily lives with enough EDC for survival except in rare circumstances. And EDC varies for each person. I’m disabled and almost 100% of the time near my car or home. So my EDC is considerably different than for someone who takes transit to a city. Or who is out for a long hike/bike ride. And the author completely ignored any family circumstances like having children or a pet to care for. What about medications. I won’t last for long without mine. What about menstrual products for women? So many things that are essential missing from the list.
I guess this would be a good article if I knew what EDC meant….
The rule in technical writing is to define an abbreviation the first time it is used in your article.
See you at the EDC in Las Vegas , May 20th, 2022.
It means Every Day Carry.
EDC = Every Day Carry, and this article is so flat out WRONG it’s not even funny.
Other than my clothes here’s what I always carry on my person as EDC whenever I leave the home:
a good quality folding spring assist Benchmade knife, 3-1/2-inch blade with 1-1/2-inch serrated section, locking blade, belt clip that can be attached to either side for both left hand and right hand carry, designed for one hand use, carried inside my front pocket clipped to the top seam for quick and easy access.
a good quality stainless steel SOG multitool in leather belt pouch worn on my belt just in front of the back pocket so it doesn’t always snag on things like seatbelts.
an “aluma wallet” for cards and ID, and a small amount of cash, carried in the front pocket because that is a habit I learned when I used to spend a lot of time in foreign countries where pick-pockets were prevalent.
I have lots of keys on stainless steel split rings threaded on a small carabiner, as well as a small LED flashlight, a computer hard drive key, and a small flat screwdriver/hex wrench that came with a Shimano fishing reel.
an ink or gel pen
my smart phone
I may also carry other things on my person if needed depending on what I intend to do, but these are the bare bones for “carried on my person EDC”.
I normally take a small shoulder bag with “other items” I want readily available everywhere I go, for things like my lunch, fire starters, a flashlight/stun gun, small solar charger and connectors, protein bars, extra toothbrush and comb, a few meds/hygiene items and hard candies in Ziplock bags, sunglasses, gloves, a length of paracord, another knife, another multitool, a cheap mylar “emergency” blanket, a cheap plastic poncho, a water bottle, and more that will either be in my vehicle or carried with me when I go in to work. This is not a bug-out-bag, more like a get-home-bag or if I get stranded for a short time.
“Get Home Bag”. Good Advice. If you aren’t a survivalist, and you can’t go home, have a plan to go to a friend or relatives house somewhere safe and a plan to get there. Bugging out to nature without training is NOT realistic. Getting home if it’s safe there, is the best thing to do, and hunker down, try to be invisible, and have protection of some kind, Gun is good, if you are thinking about getting one, a short barrel 12 gauge is always good. Even Bird shot from 10 or 20 yards is ample ammo. Learn how to load it without looking at it while you’re holding it… without shooting yourself or someone you like. Pumping a shell into a shot gun has a unique sound that cannot be misunderstood by anyone, it says, “I’m serious, get out of here”, and that’s all you need to say.
Thanks! In my daily world EDC means which pistol only, not all the stuff one needs to do a job or survive. I had to struggle to understand why I needed anything discussed in the article for my daily routine.
Interesting. I’m not sure if I’d be happy or scared if my EDC only required a pistol (and extra mags, I assume) for the things I do daily. These days, the other things that go into my pockets every time I walk out my door include a pocket knife, wallet (includes credit card multi-tool and fresnel lens aside from the other usual money and cards), car, and house keys, phone, change. That’s for going to the grocery store, getting gas, other shopping, etc. Usual day-to-day things. I figure those things are needed, but not much of anything else. That’s my EDC these days.
Other things are in my vehicles (i.e., not EDC) if I need to go into what passes for wilderness around here or do other things, but not on my person when I grab my grocery cart. So yes, I consider other things more important than a pistol when I hit my grocery store. However, your neighborhood may be different than mine. The stores probably still want money for your purchases.
I read some of this article but just glanced over most of it.
In a EOTWAWKI There is several things that may or may not useable the cell phone is one of them. Using a cell phone for a flash light is great for a short time. I do not know about yours but with the light turned on mine will die in an hour. Then try using a cell for you gps with no signal in place of a compass oh I know about using the sun and stars but if it is cloudy or overcast then a compass or if there is trees around with moss you might be able to find you way..
Can you carry everything you need to survive? NO you can not
So what to do what to do? Well most of us have routines we pretty much follow from day to day. Have a stash near your home say two miles away then if you have to run for your life you have that stash to help. If say you have places you visit on a regular bases that is less then 20 miles from your main stash, home or goto place then you need only your gun and a water bottle. Because you can walk 5 miles an hr so in 4 or 5 hrs you would be to your stash. But say you visit an aunt that lives 100 miles away twice or more a month. Well you can carry an EDC pack in your vehicle but what if that Vehicle is not availble due to the emergency? You can find a place about 10 to 20 miles away back toward you main stash and make a travel stash with all the stuff you would need for three or four days.
Strategically place stashes in these situations is the best way to ensure you have what you need.
But if you fly to other places then only stash that might help is cash but then that might not be any good so knowledge and smart decision making is a must. In most any area you can find what you need weapons can be made, food and water can be found. The main thing which most don’t do is make a study of the areas before you visit.
Your walking rate of 5 mph is overly optimistic. The military marching rate is 120 30-inch steps per minute. That is 100 yards a minute and equals 6,000 yards per hour or 3.41 miles per hour. Go to your local high school and try walking from goal line to goal line in one minute and keep it up for an hour. Unless you are a regular long distance hiker, you may find 5 miles an hour is hard to do. I figure 3 miles an hour for the average American male on an extended basis is pushing it. I have some experience in long distance hiking and especially in long distance biking and maintaining a high rate of speed for extended periods of time is much easier said than done. To cover 20 miles in four hours you must take 36 inch steps st 120 steps per minute for every single minute of five hours. You can’t take a 10 minute break or your time xtends. If you take the slightest detour your time extends. I would feel safe in saying that a 20 mile day would take 6 hours if you are in good shape and hike that distance regularly.
Folks forget that the hikes they took in the military were when they were 20 or more years younger and they didn’t do a 20 mile hike the first week they were in recruit training either. I know, we all feel we can do it. Our mind lies to us. Your body will quickly bring you back to the reality that it has been a long while since you had to walk 20 miles and in those expensive loafers you wear to the office, 20 miles is out of the question. You do have broken in hiking boots in your car, don’t you?
I agree with you 5 miles an hour is a little optimistic (I was making this assumption because of the travel time we did in service and did not include things like you physical condition) and it will depend if you can travel using the road or not as to your travel time but even if it is only 2 miles an hr you could make it back to your main stash in one day so you would not have to have all the EDC to survive. I have slept out in the woods with nothing. I used what was in the woods for protection not hard to do if you know how and use you brain. If you are within 20 miles you should know your area, you should know places you can hold up for a night, and you should be able to make it home or to your main stash without anything other than water and what ever protection like a gun or knife you think you might need. For me it would be just a drinking straw or bottle of water and a hand gun, if I did not have a bottle of water I could do witout for a day.
I was not saying any certain indivual could make in that time but even a person like me 71 years old in fair condition and not a exercise person by using his brain can make it back home in a day. If you can’t travel that far in a day just for one day your screwed anyway because to survive in the wild requires you to at least start out with high energy and in good condition.. No you would not be able to keep that pace more than a day. The longer your out there the less distance you will be able to travel per day because the less energy you will have for travel because you will be using your energy for hunting food, making shelter etc.
The avg dude isn’t going truck more than 2 mph with a pack. You have a limited range 10 to 15 miles., per day. Reminder you need time to set camp. Security sleep.
Did the army sere winter survival school. You’re going watch a l one t so called peppers die thinking they can bug out on foot.
Excellent comment. The part about ‘broken-in’ hiking boots is super important. A couple friends and I went on a four day hike in the Big Bend area in Texas. One guy wore brand new, just out of the box, hiking boots. Said he didn’t need to have then broken-in because they fit him ‘like a glove’. What was supposed to be a four day hike turned into a one day nightmare…at least for him. We wound up making a litter and had to carry him out. Instead of grousing about it…we looked at it as a learning experience, for ‘all’ of us. Well, except for him. He’s now ‘gun-shy’ of hiking. That was 8 years ago and he still won’t go on a hike…even a ‘day-hike’.
Of course I can carry everything I need to survive – if I’m walking to the corner grocery. So depends on what it is that I am trying to survive. I can’t carry a nuclear shelter so I can’t survive being in the blast zone of a nuclear explosion so, no, in that case I can’t carry what I need to survive.
The point is to estimate the risks and the need and to plan accordingly.
So environment IE… season, location, situation, and circumstance. All these change EDC items. Rambo hitchhiking or Snuffie Smith’s daily commute…Best EDC equipment should reflect emergency preparedness items and needs. Knowledge and planning are mission essential to determine what you will need and want to access quickly and conveniently. Toilet paper can save your ass!
Not a single win in this entire article. Carry every single thing it says you should not. There are a few ideas that might be worth carrying also but don’t quit carrying any of these things.
A note to consider: in dire times of emergency I wonder if cell phone towers will be available. This cuts down on a phone’s use (communication and internet). Camera, note taking, Light is still available. Suggest you carry a solar pocket sized charger. Also, go with God.
To RADAR and REBECCA: I think you summed it up perfectly… Several others deserve an honorable mention…
Really what I take away from the article (as a pile of kindling to start a heated discussion) is that each of us have at least one and usually more individual needs that are met by individual solutions.
1968 I lived 10 months in the woods with a change of clothing, a pocket knife, 10 matches, a digging stick, a walking stick with a forked end, and a tin can. Later I found a 1 lb coffee can. Biggest thing was foraging edibles, and a simple noose on a springy sapling. I used the wornout elastic unraveled from a pair of panties braided for strength as the noose.
Go as well stocked or as light as your knowledge allows. You’re choice. Given a chance I’d have chosen to take more.
Since I’m retired my focus is more on leaving home than getting home and vehicles are stocked that way. If I had to figure on walking home everywhere is between 70 miles down to 20 miles. I’m too old to want to walk 20 miles in a day so my carry would include more stuff but not too much weight. I’d likely repack a bag from stuff in the care. All jackets and coats have gloves in the pockets and some hard candy. I’d hope for more than that c to get home with.
Mobile phones are essential.
Nope. Not even close.
Stop using tech and learn how to survive WITHOUT IT.
I can navigate by the environment.
Maybe I don’t WANT my family to find me? (Think ball and chain here).
Haven’t had a cell phone in years. Glad to have tossed it too.
Saved over $6,000 so far by not having one, not counting interest earned.
Frankly, I think you need to carry whatever you need to get you back home. If you are bugging out from home, unless you are survivalist you are screwed. If you’re doing it because of flood, nuclear event, Fire, or other natural disaster, you better have another “home base” figured out like close friend, relative or known disaster shelter in a town far away, or another state. If you have to bug out to the mountains and you’ve never camped, that is not realistic, you’re gonna need people help. I agree with lifestraw, and if you are really paranoid get a one or a few 72 hour food kits, but most of those will need water and fire, so fire starter and some kind of camp stove whether small single or a canister you can put small pcs of paper and wood in and start with fire starter. If you’re going to go mobile to bug out having a fully charged solar power pack and solar flashlight is a good idea as well has multi tool and knife, I like the Gerber EZ models 4.5″ folding are good and small sharpening whetstone. If you can just go home and hunker down, do that, and try not to look like you’re home but have something to protect yourself. 9mm Hollow points minimum but something is better than nothing. Baseball bat pellet gun, knife. If you have to bug out to forrest and you’ve never camped, you are screwed.
Folks need to use their head and think about what they might need. Consider different scenarios they could find themselves in and what they would need, how they would handle different situations. Perhaps even do a dry run.
Try stuff out. Strap on your little Fitbit and go to the local hike and bike trail, put a gallon jug of water and a protein bar in your backpack and walk 15 miles with minimal breaks. Learn about your fitness, footwear, what you might actually want to eat while hiking. Get one of those stupid foil blankets and sleep out in your backyard on a 50 degree night. What’s up with the foil blanket, nobody ever tries one out. Try making fire in your grill under adverse conditions. The Bic style cigarette and grill lighters are useless when wet or when it’s cold. I’m hardcore, I carry a bottle of MAPP gas and a small auto light torch for fire starting. Seriously. Take long walks in the rain, your poncho probably leaks. Bandannas and lip balm, nobody ever says to double up on Bandannas and Chapstick w/sunscreen. Wet Wipes.
Arse, I disagree with your comment on BIC freezing. I have kept BICs in car, outdoors, in winter, when temps are below zero. Yes, they won’t immediately light up. But I palm them and shake them for about one-minute, and they light just fine. If my hands were too cold, I’d stick the BIC at my armpit, and that would warm it enough to get it lit.
I do not carry a Bic lighter or water bottle/flask on my person as EDC, but I do keep them readily available in my vehicles and also in the small “lunch / get home bag” I usually take along when I go anywhere over a couple miles from home. If out shopping I still take the bag but leave it in the vehicle since the concept is to have it readily available, but not required to be carried on my person.
I smoked for twenty years, and I always carried Zippo or Bic lighters in a pants or shirt pocket, and even in freezing temperatures they never got so cold they failed to function, although I did have several occasions where I got soaking wet and the Bic would not light until the flint and striker wheel dried out. This is why I learned to use other means to start fires, the most reliable for me being ferro rods since they do not require fuel and will work even if they get wet, but you really need to learn how and practice before depending on using ferro rods, as well as how to find dry tinder and materials to build a fire even in wet conditions.
This is similar to keeping a small water flask inside your outer clothing so it doesn’t freeze, and can also be used to melt snow and ice if required, but using your body heat to melt ice for water does take up calories and if not done correctly can add to the chances of getting hypothermia. Be advised you can get hypothermia in temperatures well above freezing if you allow too much body heat loss, such as being soaking wet for an extended period, or just not having enough insulating protection from clothing or other materials to retain your body heat no matter the conditions. You can get hypothermia while inside a completely dry and draft free building or vehicle if you allow too much loss of body heat, depending on the temperatures and your overall health.
I have been inconvenienced by the Bic lighter more than a couple times, guess I should try warming them up instead of cussing them. Dang things leak, give ten of ’em a flame test you’ll probably get one to flare up. Check out mini torches, you can pack a complete butane mini torch that weighs in at 8 oz.
So depending if you are bugging out, you may need a thing or two to get to your bug out location. If it is far away, you might want to consider having a few caches along the way. Your edc might include a key to unlock said caches. A compass would be handy as well. Once you get to a cache, you’ll find items to help get you further, such as food, water, a jic shotgun, ammo, a shelter, etc. This cache would include a bigger bob or hydration carrier to carry gear. I use a small 4”x6”ish molle pouch with 3 zippered compartments as my edc. It holds a compact pistol, ammo, multi tool, sweets, emergency space blanket/tent, lighter, lint/tinder, fishing hook and line, cash, documents, and a few other small useful gadgets.
I am never more then 100 miles from home to start with and 95% of the time I am less then 10 miles. The 100 miles I will be at a place where they have everything for survival because I will be at friends or relatives and in my vehicle on those trips is a survival kit.
So I carry a 9mm, pocket knife, some money and my knowledge. If during the 95% of time for any reason I can not get back to my vehicle then I can walk back to my main stash or home.
As to getting home from 100 miles I would have to make that decision on the circumstances presented to me as I went to the best medtod of getting back home.
See I will not be leaving home and bugging out because of my wife being invalid. I have taken all this into consideration. I will either survive by fighting off any bad doer or die trying. My wife could not retreat or bug out so I will have to fight. I will not run away and leave my family, I am just not that type a person. But I do not live in a city, I live about 20 miles from a city of 60 thousand and have people around that are in the same boat as I am so by banding together we have a chance.
Most of what is said about bugging out has a lot of things people do not take into consideration. If bugging out means just running to the hills to hide then your survival has a lot less chance then if your bugging out to some group or place already setup for you where general plans are already place. Depending on an RV or trailer and moving around to survive is not a good way due to you will be exposing your self to attacks every time you move.
OMG, I really did think this was a joke.
Having been in several situations where survival was real (military), most of these items are “essential”.
This may be the worse advice I have ever seen in a preparedness article.
Consider
1. Knifes and Tools: Too many uses to list, all my vehicles have a basic tool kit, and I have needed it MANY times. Knife – no brains needed on this one.
2. Fire lighters: I guess you have never been cold!
3. Water: All my vehicles have a bottle of water, humans need this to live, just get scared or nervous and see how thirsty you get.
4. Paracord: Too many uses to list
5. Flashlight: Mini-Mag in all vehicles and a set of extra batteries, used countless times.
6. Shelter: Rainproof is a must.
7. Maps: Ever lost a GPS signal, my paper map doesn’t need a battery!
8. Compass: An indispensable tool, if you must walk through woods or areas you do not know.
9. Food: Always have in-date energy bars and peanut butter crackers in my pack, I get hungry sometimes!
10. Pack: SERIOUSLY! How do you carry your stuff if you need to?
I sincerely hope this person is not in a survival situation.
Jim, You are correct in what you said. But here are times you can not carry a pack unless it is in your vehicle. Your vehicle is not necessarily going to available should something happen like some terrorist setting off a bomb in a shopping mall parking lot with a lot of terrorist running around shooting people. You could hide and hope the police put a stop to it if it is not the begining of a EOWAWKI senerio that happens at the same time. So what you have on you is what you will have to survive in that situation. Waiting out a situation is what I would try to do but away from the area where it is safer. Then when you think it is safe return to your vehicle and hope it is still there with your bag in it. If it is not there or you kit is not there then you have what you have on you. I carry a 9MM, pocket knife, a lighter and bill fold with money and credit cards. With this I can survive for a couple days. It is knowledge that will ultimately let you survive not what you have on you. The money and credit cards may not be anygood but if you know people there will be some that will think the money is still good for a period of time.
Jim, agreed, and I sincerely hope others reject the foolish “suggestions” in the article that will make things much harder to deal with in an emergency situation.
Parabéns por esta matéria, você pensou na rapidez e urgência de sair de casa sem planejar, pessoa idosa conseguiria isto fácil sem mochila pesada,afinal uma pessoa pode ser acordada no meio da madrugada e ter que sair correndo, até mesmo se tiver que andar muito e sem o carro ou ajuda de alguém.Você deu a possibilidade de ter algo sem peso algum e com fácil locomoção no momento que ninguém espera e gostei do detalhe, próximo a porta de saída. Não se preocupe com as críticas,afinal todos acham que sairão com toda calma em seus carros carregados de provimentos. Pobres crianças inocentes.
Rosana, No Hablo Portuguese, English please.
I think “Parabéns por esta matéria” translates to “Congratulations for this matter”, but I don’t speak Portuguese. Are there any translators in the house?
PARABENS POR ESTA MATERIA, ADOREI.
Rosana, No Hablo Espanol, English please.
Her comment is in Portuguese, and she’s written: Congratulatios on the subject, I just loved it!
Hey Dale I don’t have a behavioral problem whether drinking or not. I certainly wasn’t asking for any approval. It is simply a decision I made. It is not to say I have quit drinking completely it is more like I am much more aware of where, when and how much.
WMD, from personal experience dealing with Dale on these blogs, he is a delusional liar and has no credibility about his own behavior, such as this lie he just posted claiming about himself – “I don’t behave badly whether or not I drink.” Dale has a history of delusional Bi-Polar dishonesty, hypocrisy, and bad conduct, and since I don’t automatically have my Trash files purged on any schedule, I probably still have many of Dale’s “bad conduct” comments that I deleted and they were moved to my Trash file.
Maybe today was article opposites day…
Charl M. has a good start but you must think ‘Global’. If SHTF, do you really think the internet and communication signals will work? Even in emergency situations such as 9/11 when the towers fell they had communication towers that stopped communications. Blackouts caused landlines tired up in NYC in 1977 causing a spike in criminal activity. There are also ‘dead spots’ in the US where cell towers cannot give you a signal on your cell phone. But you do have some good ideas like the emergency blanket doubling like a shelter and carrying a note pad, pencil & pen. A grease or charcoal pencil is also worthwhile. How long can you store granola bars before the nutrients fad away in its own wrapper? I wouldn’t discard my BOB with my life saving items, and neither should anyone. As days go by before contact with anyone, your backpack or BOB would eventually get lighter. What you are experiencing here Charl M. is more of a hike on a trail in the mountainous regions with a possibility of being lost.
This was perhaps the stupidest article I’ve ever read on this website. Literally so bad I thought about quitting. It reads like something written by someone who actually doesn’t believe in prepping at all. And possibly hopes to sabotage anyone who does. I expect a follow up on how we should all get rid of stored food, guns, ammo, medical supplies and rely entirely on FEMA and the CDC.
Let me count the stupid recited here:
– Carry paracord bracelets. No. They’re expensive and if I wanted to expose my paracord to wear, tear, and UV rays I’ll make my own. But since I don’t, I’ll keep them stowed in a small bag or container.
– Stop carrying food. Yeah, because I want to run around consuming calories and have body, mind, and morale destroyed by improper nutrition long before I actually starve.
– Stop carrying water. No, we’ll never be able to carry all the water we need. But we have to carry some. The symptoms of dehydration may kill as fast as dehydration itself. There may not be any bodies of water to use a water purification system on.
– Stop carrying shelter. Then start carrying something that’s used as a shelter. Make up your damn mind. There are damn few parkas that can double as shelters. But since I have actual military experience freezing my ass off in the pouring rain at night, I think I’ll go with a tent, military poncho, or at least a cheap plastic tarp.
– Stop carrying flashlights. Use a cell phone? Cell phones have batteries and batteries run down. Plus cell phone lights often suck for anything but menu reading. Most do not have replaceable batteries. When you can buy a 2 ounce flashlight the size of a pill bottle that performs like a nightstick sized flashlight from the 1980s there’s no reason not to.
– Stop carrying maps? You have to carry a map if you stop carrying a flashlight because you’ll need your cell phone for Google Maps. At least that’s what this moronic article thinks should be your “go to” instead of maps. But in certain SHTF situations you can kiss cell service and Google Maps goodbye. When a disaster’s bad enough cell towers go down and everyone tries to call their loved ones or 911 at once, ruining cell service. That’s what happened on 9/11. An EMP attack may take down cell service for weeks. Or if you’re just out in the boonies and there’s no cell service at all?
– Stop carrying a compass. I almost sort of agree with this. There devices that don’t rely on the internet or satellites that can act as compasses. However, compasses are light, relatively inexpensive, and durable.
– Stop carrying fire lighters but instead carry whiskey? I need whiskey after reading this. A Bic lighter costs about a dollar and will last years in normal storage. I found one on a sidewalk five years ago and I’m still lighting candles with it. It can still spark a fire when it finally does die. Other fire starting methods can last forever. Of all the crap a prepper might cart around, they’re the most innocuous.
– Other items. Even if I lived in gun hating Europe, I’d be damned if I’d rely on a belt for self defense. While the idea of making a sling out of it is plausible, I seriously doubt the author has ever tried to. The idea of trying to garrote an attacking dog with a belt is hysterical.
I wonder if this sight is run by some government agency and some snarky agent just wanted to troll the user base.
Perhaps the purpose of the article was to get people to think about the basics and the choices people make on what to carry and what to skip. …. perhaps.
jpup, as in reverse phycology? possible but I doubt it, I think it is just a screwed-up article full of misinformation by someone that doesn’t know the differences between office supplies and handy EDC things to carry on your person, let alone also having some emergency gear and supplies in your vehicles and get-home-bags. The closest thing I noticed they got partially correct was multitools, and they still managed to screw up parts of that information.
Eric, I work for the “guberment”, DoD, and I seriously doubt any government agency, even the dumb asses at the FBI and FEMA, would try to submit such a “Charlie Foxtrot” article. This article really is pathetic, more like some Libtard student doing a research social engineering project assigned by some socialist/communist “educator” to prove to themselves some false premise about preppers. I’m glad so many have refuted the idiocy of this articles “suggestions” that are a total load of crap.
If Darwin was even remotely correct, CHARL M will not last very long and deplete any resources the rest of us will need.
Well we certainly know where the Raven is coming from now don’t we.
The list may be simple. When shtf, sure you can use cell phone for a light. Unless you have every single map possible downloaded, you will not have cell phone service to access a gps or online maps. The multitool is great but what if one of them breaks? It dont hurt to store items in vehicle.
Lisa, then plan ahead and PREPARE by downloading and saving in the hard drive or on a storage device any information you think might be useful if you lost all connectivity.
What you really need is your brain. Cell phones and all the electronics in the world will not help you survive in a shtf scenario. Cells probably will not help if you are just on an outing because cell towers are only near populated areas(now a satellite phone might).
So use your brain and learn how to survive with out any of these toys.
Survival school taught me two things I have not forgotten:
1. If you look like food, something will eat you!
2. Your brain is your primary weapon.
However, I do see a big difference between toys and tools.
I got two thumbs down. LOL ? Those two will be cannon fooder in the coming times because they will not be using the one best thing they have, their brain.
To survive in the wild takes a lot more then just a few tools as some call them.
Would I like to have a knife, gun food, shelter, communications and fire? Yes
Will I have all this? Most likely NO
Why because all this depends on the circumstances of why I am in survival mode in the first place. You can not depend on having any certain thing. Why because there is way to many things that can and do happen, that can cause you to lose these items that you have learned to depend on.
So what do I know and can do. I know that you do not have to have anything but your brain to survive if you have taken the time to figure it out before you get in this situation.
Fires can be started using many different ways without a flint or lighter.
Food can be had without any guns, strings, or knifes. You can gather vegetation, use vines/deadfall’s to make traps etc.
Shelter can be made using what is around you in most cases.
This all sounds easy when it is written down but it is very difficult even if you know how. But it is very possible with hard work.
The thing I am trying to tell you is figure out how before hand. I am not saying not to try and take what you think you need but I am saying to learn methods of surviving without those tool and toys.
Dreaded, one of those thumbs down was from me because you are denying that a cell phone can be useful even without connectivity. Think of it this way, if you lost internet but still had power, will your computer still be a useful tool to access articles and documents you have saved to the hard drive or other storage? The same applies to smart phones, they are just small portable computers, so as long as you have power for them you can access data saved in it’s that does not depend on internet or cell tower connectivity.
I won’t discard a possible tool if I don’t have to, that would NOT be using my brain.
DZ I did not imply anywhere that a cell would not work at all I said it probaly would not connect to a cell tower due to the positioning of the towers.
I have not denied that a cell phone, knife, lighter, flashlight, gun or tent would not be usefull. You have read the meaning with an eye to usefulness where I was making a point that any device will not really help you if your pack is lost or you come to not having it due to an attack where you can not get back to it. Then the only thing you will have is your brain. What I have been trying to get across is to learn to survive without those devices and then you have upped your chances of survival.
Would I take a pack of useful things if I were to evacuate and could? Yes
But at the same time I have studied how to survive without those items and this learning of ways to survive without has increased my survival percentage by a great amount.
Survival is not in the equiptment you have but in your BRAIN. The equiptment makes it easier but does not guarantee survival.
Dreaded, this is a copy of your post:
“What you really need is your brain. Cell phones and all the electronics in the world will not help you survive in a shtf scenario. Cells probably will not help if you are just on an outing because cell towers are only near populated areas(now a satellite phone might).
So use your brain and learn how to survive with out any of these toys.”
If you fail to use YOUR brain and do not prepare to use any and all possible tools and means of obtaining information which includes cell phones and other electronics to deal with SHTF, then that failure is on you. I prefer to learn what I can, but there is no way I will ever learn or retain all the information I currently have at my disposal, so I am taking steps to preserve that information in formats I will hopefully be able to access later when needed, learned, hard copy, and electronic storage. This article is supposed to be what you carry as EDC but as usual it has drifted off in several directions. If you want to depend on just your memory for survival, then by all means go ahead, but I prefer to use any and all advantages I can no matter what the circumstances encountered.
Dz. It is not a matter of memory or for that matter how you personally go about surviving it is a matter of you having the correct mind set and if your mind set is you have to have all these tools then you will most likely lose your life.
I do not plan on losing mine because i don’t have some tool. Tools help but they are far from the main thing you need to survive.
DZ if you fail to train your brain set properly for survival all the tools in the world will not help you survive.
Dreaded, you are diverting, you said cell phones and electronics will not help people survive in a SHTF scenario, and that is just flat out wrong because if you can power them and have saved the data in a way you can access it then they will help tremendously with accessing information no one person could ever memorize and may need, such as medical diagnosis and treatments.
You should avoid the “all or nothing” attitude, you know better so please stop trying to push it. I agree with train your brain, but don’t stop there and limit yourself because of personal bias and stubbornness. You are giving bad advice when you tell others to limit their options, instead you should be telling them to expand their options and learn to make wise decisions how to use them.
Natural Selection will fix many of these perceived problems!
I have never said limit your options. You miss quote me. I said prepare your self for when you do not have those tools. Because there very well may be a time you do not have them.
For my self I do not have to have them. But I will use them as I would any other tool available. The problem is most of these folks could not survive without all those tools.
Dz I do not think you could for two reasons one your mind set is having those tools and I do not think you have ever been out without tools.
Have you ever tried going out with nothing and staying two nights without tools. The object of this is to see just how much you do not know. Can you build a shelter without even a knife? Can you build a knife from a rock or peice of metal laying around? Can you build a trap with no rope or twine? Can you dig a hole with no shovel? Can you find food with no book or cell phone? Can you recognize posionous plants without a book? Do you know how to test to see if a plant is posionous without killing yourself?
Oh Btw way I did not say at anytime a cell phone would not hold data or that they could not be used in that way. What I meant and is true out in the wilderness there is no cell towers so communications from cell phones is scetchy at best so do not depend on them for communications. You take everthing wrong because you think in a certain way. That way of thinking is what will get you into trouble.
I do not plan on going out into the wilderness except to hunt/gather for a few days at a time even though I know how. You see I am 71 years old and I am not afraid to die. What I have learned I have either been taught by my father, uncles, aunts and gandfathers or learned from experience, reading and testing.
I do not claim to be an expert in survival but I do say that I know enough to survive. That does not make anyone an expert. I for one do not believe there is a such thing as an expert in survival.
The so called experts are most of the time are just making decsions based on the situation, training they have had and on experience. Another words thay are using their brain.
Dreaded, I am in my 60’s, traveled and lived in areas from the Pacific Norhtwest, to the South Pacific, various areas of the Middle East/Northern Africa, and currently live in the Southwest, and dealt with several SHTF scenarios in each environment, and am still alive so apparently my brain and instincts kicked in when needed, and I was smart enough to use any and all resources available to adapt and overcome, and accomplish what was needed.
My younger brother taught Escape and Evasion/Aircrew Survival for 14 years in the USAF. He is an expert!
When y’all are done arguing, could you front me some cash so I can take advantage of cheap ammo, before it’s gone?!? Thanks in advance for your donations.
good luck with that. I’m still waiting for the “Charlie Foxtrot” X-spurt to send me enough cash to buy a homestead.
i am sure the nation has funded your “gov welfare ” reservations enough
LOL dz think you might have a long wait because I don’t think even “Charlie Foxtrot” is that stupid. Though I could be wrong lol.
Mike S you have a long wait if your waiting for me to send you funds. I don’t have the funds to help myself must less any to give away.
1800 GET AJOB
I do read comments and some are pretty good, giving good advice and geared more towards education on subjects, offering ideas that might work or might not, depending on the situation.
What I’ve noticed is that much of this is just petty bickering, going back and forth, over a perceived slight or insult. Although, I will say, I’ve seen some, shall we say, fairly ‘interesting’ comments that probably should have either been thought out better or not written. Personally, I don’t really care who thinks their poop doesn’t stink. I’m no expert, as ‘no’ one ‘really’ is an expert and the ‘what if’ scenarios will never end. I rarely make a comment, but when I do it’s in the hope of adding to the discussion and hoping that my comment will help someone…anyone…in even a small way. If someone can help me, I welcome it. If I’m dead wrong and it can be shown that I am…I will acknowledge it.
Idea. How about those that want to perpetually argue…exchange emails and go that route.
To be honest, I’ve found some the arguments to be rather entertaining. Reading them, I find that both are basically saying the same thing, but think the other person ‘doesn’t get it’ and is ‘stupid’. From there, ‘pride’ takes over and things go downhill and the insults, direct or veiled, start taking over. While I find some of the arguments, going back and forth pretty funny, most are juvenile in nature. I guess ‘pride’ overrules reason and thought. Remember…none of us are truly ‘experts’. We all have different experiences and may approach the same subject or situation in a different way. In any case…’peace’ to all concerned.
Dave, we do have our “Charlie Foxtrot” X-spurt who wants everyone to emulate him, such as his foolish example of posting videos on the internet of himself, his vehicle, his family, his home, and surrounding areas, all while he is berating everyone else on several blogs about what we should be doing. The X-spurt has personally taken hypocrisy to an extreme.
Your comment is what I was talking about and trying to make a point about. I know who the people are. Why resort to talking badly about them? Does it enhance your position?
I’m not trying to ‘scold’ you as I can see your point, but why keep dragging it on?
Chief is a miserable person who just belittled everything who doesn’t think exactly like him
Your comment, too…is reinforcing the point I was trying to make. Thank you.
Dave, and you’re doing it also, just in a “kinder, gentler” method. If you want proof, go search for “Raven Tactical” and see if he still has his videos up for view. He is a disgruntled X-Army grunt that does have some skills, but not nearly as much as portrays, and is more than willing to continue his charade even if it eventually gets him and several people associated with him harmed or killed.
Not really. I just mentioned that you had reinforced my point. It’s just an observation on my part. If you want to argue and try to point out everyone’s faults or shortcomings, including mine… go find someone else to argue with.
and you just proved my point you are also doing it, sounds like someone in denial to me