Photo Credit: The Gear Bunker

When it comes to your personal safety, there are a variety of factors to take into consideration before you can narrow down and determine what you’ll need for any given day. In this post, we’ll dive into those factors further before I provide my recommendations on what you should always have on your everyday carry (EDC) list.

Along with teaching various courses, I also work as a security professional. Depending on whether I’m teaching a firearms class, keeping the facility secure and safe, or traveling for vacation with family and friends determines what I may and may not carry given each scenario. For example, as a security professional, I always have my ID, duty belt, radio so I can communicate with staff, gloves, handcuffs, keys and less-than-lethal tools such as pepper spray and electronic control device. Depending on the day and situation, I may need a handgun, rifle or shotgun with spare ammunition. When I teach firearms courses, my EDC will include my wallet, handgun and holster at least, plate carrier, First Aid and trauma kits, tools for the firearms, and ear and eye protection.

Personally, when it comes to deciding how to carry the various tools, I recommend carrying lethal options on your dominate side and non-lethal on your less dominate side. With that said, it’s important to train the way that you plan on carrying your weapons in order to build muscle memory in case you find yourself in a defensive situation.

As previously stated, there are a variety of factors to consider when determining your EDC for any given day. These factors include but aren’t limited to…

• Your occupation / job description (i.e. law enforcement, corrections, security, military, etc)
• The weather and/or temperature (ex: bulky clothes for colder months; hence, concealing a full size handgun)
• Activity (i.e. hunting, firing range, flying, going to the grocery store, etc)
• What’s your skill level with each tool (i.e. firearm, tourniquet, knife, pepper spray, electronic control device, etc)?

Once these key factors have been identified, it’s time to determine the items that you’d want to include in your EDC list. At the most basic level, these are the items that I recommend incorporating.

Wallet

Personally, I recommend minimalist wallets that possess RFID-blocking components, especially as you carry your debit and credit cards.

Watch

A watch is a valuable tool. Not only to tell time but to also use as a bartering tool! Personally, I use a military multifunction digital watch by FANMIS as it’s water resistant and has an LED backlight. While there are better options out there, if you’re on a tight budget, this watch isn’t a bad option for $19 on Amazon. Along with a watch, I also wear a paracord bracelet that a close friend of mine made.

Cell Phone

If you’re like me, I use my cell phone for EVERYTHING! From emergencies to commuting to staying in touch with friends and family to operating my business. As a company that values privacy and security, I personally recommend checking out Unplugged and getting connected to Patriot Mobile‘s network.

Keys

Not only do you need keys for your home, office or vehicle, but they can also be used as an improvised weapon.

Tourniquet

A tourniquet is a valuable tool for mitigating severe bleeding. I carry a tourniquet in my range bag as well as in my vehicle in case of an accident if I’m able. A couple online stores that I recommend checking out are North American Rescue and Snakestaff Systems. To learn how to apply a tourniquet properly – whether to use on yourself or others – register for our First Aid/CPR/AED academy course.

Tactical Pen

I’ve covered the tactical pen before in a previous post. While some are produced from aluminum and others are developed with reinforced military-grade stainless steel or titanium. Besides jotting down notes, these pens can be used to slash, strike pressure points, and stab (particularly the eyes or throat). It’s important to note that the policy of your workplace may prohibit these pens so check that before you decide to carry one into your office. If that is the case, a ballpoint pen works fine in case you need to stab in a defensive situation.

Tactical Flashlight

When choosing a tactical flashlight, it needs to have a minimum brightness of 60 lumens, lithium batteries, tail-cap on/off switch as opposed to a switch on the side in case you need to use it while you hold your handgun in the opposite hand, and LED lights. These tools are not only good for chasing away the bad guy, but also finding your way to your destination or repairing your car late at night.

Knife

One lethal option to consider is the age-old knife. Not only is it a good defense tool but can be used to cut your seat belt if you roll over your vehicle if you’re not severely injured and need to get out. Personally, I recommend an out-the front (OTF) or a fixed blade knife that sits in a kydex sheath such as the one pictured from Elite Tactical. One of the reasons that I recommend these options is because you don’t want to sit there and fidget with a folding blade and risk cutting yourself by accident like I’ve done with some brands.

Be sure to check your state and municipal laws before you purchase and carry these items.

Handgun

Another lethal option to consider is a firearm, particularly a handgun. When it comes to handguns, I personally don’t care about the “looks” as much. My main focus is the quality and reliability of it, as well as, the capacity and cost coming in at a close second. With that said, there are certain brands that I tend to lean towards more than others – Glock, HK, Sig Sauer, and CZ for example. If you’re on a tight budget, Canik isn’t a bad option to go with. However, I would stay away from brands like Taurus and SCCY.

Before you make your purchase, I strongly recommend researching the laws of your state and municipality, as well as, the laws of any state that you plan on traveling through and to.

Non-Lethal

Not only should you include lethal options into your EDC but also non-lethal options as each situation varies and lethal use is not always the right option. Popular options for civilians include but isn’t limited to Byrna, AXON, SABRE, and ASP. HERO is another company that has also been growing!

As previously stated, always research the laws of your state and municipality before purchasing a less-lethal option, including any state and municipality that you plan on traveling to.

Conclusion

This isn’t an exhaustive list but it’ll hopefully get the wheels turning in your brain so that you get on the right track with determining what tools you’ll need with you every day – or most days – depending on your situation. Regardless of what you decide to include as your EDC, you should never neglect proper training! You can be that “tacti-cool” guy or gal all you want but, without proper and consistent training, you’ll either freeze and shutdown or make the wrong decision legally if you find yourself in a defensive situation.

Is there an item that you have in your EDC list that wasn’t mentioned? Share in the comments below! If you’d like to develop and improve your skills, register for a class in our academy or reach out to me via Minnect and Smeeple to develop your EDC list.