Written by James Walton
The every day carry (EDC) craze blew in and created a stir in the way many people look at preparedness. Suddenly it was more acceptable to carry a flashlight on your person every day. Maybe even a serious folding knife, too. What about carrying hardcore survival gear every day?
Does it really make sense to have this type of gear on your person each day?
Is it effective outside of the woods or an emergency?
The answer is a resounding yes for a number of reasons. We are going to look at a collection of survival gear in this article and I will do my best to layout the many everyday uses for this type of gear. From the workplace to shuttling kids, you will find that basic survival gear should be a part of everyone EDC.
A Sturdy Pack
One of the most basic pieces of survival gear that a person can own and use on a daily basis is a sturdy backpack. This becomes the container for your lifestyle. If you are a parent you carry snacks, wipes and all the things you need to deal with kids.
A sturdy pack can also contain your laptop, notebooks and other items you need for work on a daily basis. You will find that carrying a backpack everyday puts you in a much better place in terms of preparedness.
We are all limited by how much we can carry and things like an IFAK and an EDC fit well within a backpack.
If you are looking to keep a low profile and not carry the radically tactical backpacks that are strapped and reliable leather pack that can do the work in an urban or wilderness environment.
Preparing for Free Time with Survival Gear
Because the average American so worships their cellphone, there are very few people who carry actual books with them. You know, its easy to get on a soaps box and say how sad that is or something to that affect.
It’s just another bit of potential for improvement. If you are going to carry a book in your pack, why not carry a survival book that can double as a piece of survival gear in the interim. Some of my favorites to read and carry are:
Preppers Survival Navigation by Glen Martin
The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping Gathering and Cooking in the Field by David Canterbury
When All Hell Breaks Loose by Cody Lundin
I think you will like that moment when you realize there is some time to kill and you reach for your bag and pull a book out. Silence the phone and do some reading.
Preparing for Daily Weather
PONCHO
A top quality poncho can double as a tarp and a shelter. That said, even a cheap poncho is something that you should carry each day. Ponchos are so much better than umbrellas. They just work much better and cannot fail the way a cheap umbrella will.
A poncho is incredibly compact and weighs nothing. However, when you pull that thing out and put it on as the rain begins to fall, its well worth it.
SHEMAGH
The shemagh is something that is crossing cultural bounds more readily. Its one of the most effective and multi-use pieces of survival gear you can own.
- Sun Protection
- Dust and Air Quality Protection
- Small Backpack
- Baby Swaddle
- Head Wrap
- Bandage
- Sling and many more
They are another lightweight and cheap option that just gets the job done. It’s the perfect example of everyday carry survival gear.
Good Daily Health with Survival Gear
SINGLE WALLED STEEL BOTTLE
Using your survival gear is the only way that you can become proficient with it.
Since the discovery of BPA in certain plastics, the water bottle industry has been scrambling and expanding. While the double walled, insulated bottles are great to affect temperature of beverages, carrying a single walled bottle is just how you will be performing in a survival situation.
The single walled water bottle is a tool for carrying water, making char cloth and sanitizing water. However, on a day to day basis it can hold your water and keep you hydrated.
It’s astounding how many Americans are walking around our nation dehydrated.
SURVIVAL FOODS
While not a piece of survival gear there are some great survival food that you can carry each day. Another struggle we all face, in terms of health, is making the right decisions about snacking! -It’s so easy to reach for the processed carbs and ruin our day.
By packing things like trail mix, pemmican or even jerky in your EDC bag you give yourself some healthy options that will pay dividends. Your body will also become much more accustomed to eating these foods, so you won’t have any gastro intestinal surprises on hikes or survival situations when you are leaning on them to sustain you.
Conclusion
Its always nice to have a reason to carry more survival gear. The great news about these items above is that you don’t need to stretch to legitimize carrying them. In fact, you would be more ridiculed for not having answers for things like keeping dry in the rain or having a means to carry the your personal and work items efficiently.
The hidden benefit of all this is that you are going to get much more accustomed to your gear. You will get to know many of the things you take into the wilderness or many of the pieces of gear you will call upon in a survival situation.
Embrace this preparedness lifestyle and carry more survival gear on a daily basis.
About the Author
James Walton is the host of I AM Liberty a podcast that airs on www.prepperbroadcasting.com. He is also the author of Come Unity, Community a book about neighbors and prepared communities. You can read more by James at www.iamlibertyshow.com
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