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Everyday carry, commonly referred to as EDC, prepares you for any and all situations. However, most people who carry EDC usually go to and from work, visit friends, and attend social events.
When you’re heading into the wild, untamed vastness of nature, all bets are off, and your EDC kit should be completely different from day-to-day.
The right everyday carry gear is a critical component of your survival strategy in the wilderness.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have a checklist of everything you need, as well as detailed information on what you’ll likely need it for.
A multifaceted, all-purpose EDC kit keeps you on your toes and prepared for whatever comes your way out there.
Essential EDC Gear List
If you’re unprepared for the task at hand, you can’t find a proper solution to those situations.
These are the core pieces of gear that you should definitely have in your EDC kit, proving versatile and useful in a wide range of different situations.
1. Paracord Survival Bracelet
Most paracord survival bracelets include an inclusive compass feature and a fire starter.
We can’t stress enough how important and time-saving it is to have a fire starter, especially if you’re looking to make a signal fire before the sun goes down.
On average, you get about three to five thousand strikes on the starter, making it viable for daily use and perfect for emergencies. The real point of getting a paracord survival bracelet is, well, the paracord itself.
Typically, bracelets consist of ten to twenty feet of highly durable paracord that you can use to tie knots, create a hitch, use as a sling in case of a hiking injury, and aid in tree climbing to avoid predators.
When you put a bit of imagination into them, the uses are endless.
2. Quality Knife
We all know that having a knife is essential, but most of us forget why.
It’s not just to open a packet of beef jerky more quickly; you can clean freshly caught game and fish, fletch wood in your spare time, cut tree roots while digging, clear bark from campfire tinder, and more.
They’re also your first line of defense in close encounters with predatory wildlife. A good knife quite literally has hundreds of different uses, giving you versatility in almost every situation.
You can use one as a reflective mirror, the striking pommel as a makeshift hammer, or dig them into the ground as a stake for your tent.
The truth is that there are countless applications for this, making it an indispensable item.
3. Tactical Flashlight
Tactical flashlights are just as essential as your knife.
Having the right amount of lumens can turn your tactical flashlight into a self-defense weapon, but you’ll also notice something else: a jagged bezel.
These flashlights often include striking pommels on the hilt, striking bezels and aircraft-grade aluminum exteriors for extended durability, and SOS modes to help you get out of a sticky situation.
You can always opt out of the camping headlamp.
4. Survival Watch
Survival watches serve more than a few purposes.
Even seasoned campers can become lost on a hike and lose sight of the campsite.
Furthermore, you can use the barometric pressure detector, altimeter, and compress to locate lost individuals and find a route back to the campsite.
Survival watches may also include GPS functions to track your path, provide satellite correspondence, sunrise and sunset times, and even track the weather to help you avoid disaster.
5. Portable Water Filter
In a survival-based situation, this is the most essential thing that you have.
Locate a water source, collect unfiltered water, and, depending on your system (gravity-fed versus an individual straw), you can start filtering your own water and make it completely portable.
Clean water is essential to survival, but even if you’re not bringing it with you for the worst-case scenario, there are still other uses.
If you’re cooking while camping, you can hang up a gravity-fed system to produce clean water to cook with, as well as clean your dishes before storing them away.
You can even use clean water to set up an outdoor shower system if you’re staying for an extended period of time.
Case and point: clean water is obviously a necessity, so get a water filter that meets your volume requirements.
6. First-Aid Kit
Usually, we customize this based on your specific needs and situations, but on average, you’ll need a 100-piece first-aid kit.
This is specifically outdoor EDC; nobody’s carrying around a first-aid kit on the back when they’re just commuting to and from work, but out in the untamed world, you’ll need this to help clean wounds and bandage yourself in survival situations.
Most experienced campers keep a smaller kit in their backpack and a larger 200-piece kit in the trunk of their car. This is especially helpful when you’re traveling with a party.
7. Multitool
Whether it’s a Swiss Army knife or a plier-based multitool from Gerber, these take the brunt of what your tactical knife cannot do.
Utilize the saw for constructing shelters and the hex tool for fixing small parts of your car engine if you’re stuck, and understand that most multitool manufacturers have a lifetime warranty.
Even if you put the tool through its paces to no end, you’ll still be able to rely on it time and time again.
8. Reflective Blanket
It’s rather insane how much the temperature can drop when you’re out in the woods.
Due to asphalt’s ability to retain sunlight and the constant use of electrical equipment, the ground in the city is typically 14 F hotter than the ground even one mile outside.
Whether you’re in a survival situation or simply misjudged the amount of power remaining in the RV and the heater isn’t working, a reflective blanket is your last line of defense against shockingly low temperatures when you’re out in the wilderness.
Apart from survival, you can also use your reflective blanket to keep food either hot or cold (if need be, though this is a rare use), and in emergency situations, you can even use it to collect condensation as a drinking source.
If temperatures are lower than expected, you can line your sleeping bag with one of these to add an extra 5 to 10 F temperature rating.
Situations for EDC Kit
While there are numerous scenarios that immediately spring to mind, some on this list may be unfamiliar to you.
When you run into these issues, you can use your EDC gear to pull you out of sticky spots and bring peace of mind to every single camping trip.
1. Car Crash
The integrated cutting tool, found on a lot of modern pocket knives and multitools, will be able to cut away seatbelt straps in a hurry.
The idea of seatbelts melting to the buckle is false, but the buckle can become impacted and refuse to release the clasp. In no time, a one-two-cut from a safe tool gets you out of harm’s way.
2. Wild Animal Attack
Whether it’s a bear that invades the campsite or a coyote that’s keeping their eye on you during a hike, you don’t want to engage them.
Instead, you can disengage and break their pattern with a high-powered, high-lumen tactical flashlight to dissuade and disorient them.
It works for self-defense, and it works (when bright enough) for evading danger in the wilderness.
3. Search and Rescue
Capitalizing on the idea of a great tactical flashlight, nearly all of them come with SOS and strobe modes to signal search and rescue parties.
Despite your familiarity with a compass and navigation, this tool proves useful when you’ve suffered injuries or find yourself stranded.
4. Losing Your Way
If you aren’t so directionally inclined or you’re equipping your children and friends with gear for a camping weekend, having the necessary gear in a survival watch can help them determine the proper way to get out.
It can also help if they contact you via cell phone and give you a description of where they are; that’s where an included barometer and altimeter can come in handy.
5. Performing First Aid
Whether it’s a slip-up with your own gear or not, accidents and issues happen.
Having a quality batch of medical supplies to clean, treat, and bandage your wounds is critical to avoiding infections and keeping yourself completely prepared for absolutely anything that may come your way.
Wrap-Up
With this guide, nothing will be out of your reach when you venture into the outdoors.
We’ve covered additional guides on what you need to know in the wilderness, as well as walkthroughs of the best gear, how to use it, and how to maintain it for extended periods of time.
If you’re looking to get the most out of your investments in camping, this is the place to start.