EDC

My "Every Day Carry", last updated Saturday, April 7th, 2012:

  • On my belt I keep my primary tools:

  • On my keychain I keep a scaled down, backup, set of primary tools:
    • A Fenix E05 R4 flashlight, which pushes a respectable 30 lumens for about two hours on a single Energizer AAA lithium battery. This is my backup light, though I often find myself reaching for it more often than I would have imagined.
    • A Victorinox Classic knife. It has a small yet razor-sharp blade, a small nail file that doubles as a screwdriver, scissors, tweezers and of course a toothpick. Technically this is my backup knife, but I use the toothpick and scissors quite often.
    • A CountyComm "Split pea" lighter. This tiny stainless steel lighter is only 3.3cm long and 1.4cm thick, but it is built like a tank. It uses naphtha fuel just like Zippo lighters, but it is sealed air-tight with a neoprene gasket; so no fuel will escape.

  • In my Maxpedition Jumbo "S-Type" Versipack:
    • In the bottle holder on the right side, I keep a Klean Kanteen 1.2L stainless steel water bottle filled with water. Sometimes I drink the water as it is, sometimes I dunk a packet of Bolero instant drink mix in there to make some tasty lemonade. The dark color of my bag and stainless steel bottle keep the drink at a nice and cool temperature; even in the baking hot sun.

    • In the side-pocket on the left side, I keep my optics kit:
      • A little Sony DSC-W350 pocket camera in a Samsonite Savage DF 40C carrying case. The camera is loaded with a 8GB Duracell "Pro Photo" SD memory card, and in a little mesh side-pocket of the carrying case I keep an extra 4GB Transcend memory card "just in case", and a small Microfiber cloth for when the lens or display gets dirty and needs cleaning.
      • A small 7x18 monocular, so I can check out stuff in the distance. The bag also holds a small Microfiber cloth for lens cleaning.
      • A small zip-lock bag with a couple of special wet wipes, in case the lenses get really dirty. I also use the wet wipes to clean the glass on my flashlights and my eyewear.

    • In a little sleeve between the main compartment and the optics-kit pouch, I keep my Windows Mobile 6.5 based HTC Snap Smartphone. To expand the phone's storage capacity, I use a 8GB Micro-SDHC card which contains, amongst other things, Sygic Mobile Maps navigation software with maps for the entire continent of Europe.

    • The compartment on top of the bag contains my snack- and candy kit:
      • A small zip-lock bag with some instant drink mixes:
        • A packet of Schocofix instant hot cacao drink.
        • Two packets of Starbucks Via instant coffee.
        • Two packets of Bolero instant drink-mix; usually in Apple, Pear or Orange flavor. Each packet is good for 1 to 1.5L of lemonade; so my 1.2L bottle is perfect.
        • Two packets of Ahoj Brause drink mix. Each packet is good for 1 cup of lemonade.
      • A Natrena pocket dispenser with sweetener tablets.
      • A couple of Bifi salami snacks.
      • A pack of Sportlife chewing-gum.
      • A pack of "One Second" peppermints.
      • A small zip-lock bag with some wet wipes, toothpicks and tiny salt - and pepper packets.

    • Inside the compartment on the flap, I keep my an Apple iPod Touch 32GB with some Creative EP-630 earphones.

    • The front compartment contains the financial and writing kit:
      • My wallet, which contains the usual stuff like credit cards , my driver license and some cash; but I also have some extra tools in there.
        • A Victorinox SwissCard Lite, which has a small blade, scissors, some screwdrivers, a pen, a little LED light, a magnifying glass, a needle and a pair of tweezers all packed into a little credit card sized unit.
        • A couple of small safety pins. You never know when they might come in handy, and they saved my and a few of my co-workers' day quite a few times already.
        • A couple of adhesive bandages.
      • A Rite in the rain water-proof notebook.
      • A Parker Urban Classic Metro Metallic CT ballpoint pen with black ink, which has served me well over several years already without leaking or failing.
      • A Pentel EnerGel Deluxe BL57-A ballpoint pen, which has a superfine 0.7mm tip and special black ink that dries up really quick. The Pentel serves as a backup for the Parker Urban Classic, or in case I need a finer point.
      • A black Edding No. 1 permanent marker, in case I need some thicker writing or the material I want to write on might get wet.
      • A Victorinox Workchamp (black). It packs a truckload of features: A large locking blade, a set of pliers which doubles as a wire cutter and wire crimping tool, a large Philips screwdriver, a metal saw which has a coarse and medium metal file on the sides, a wood saw, scissors, a small Philips screwdriver, a bottle opener which doubles as wire stripper and large flathead screwdriver, a can opener which doubles as a small screwdriver, an awl / reamer, a corkscrew, a mini flathead screwdriver, tweezers and of course a toothpick.

    • The outside pouch on the front compartment is currently empty.

    • The "concealed" rear compartment contains some plastics:
      • A Coghlans emergency poncho, so I can stay dry in case of serious crappy weather.
      • Two 1L zip-lock bags.
      • Two plastic shopping bags.

    • The main compartment contains the bulk of my EDC kit:
      • A small silvery-white pouch, which holds light-related items:
        • A transparent diffuser tip which turns the Fenix PD20 into an excellent floodlight. This makes it perfect if you need to keep your hands free or want to light up a whole room.
        • Three spare T.O.P. CR123 batteries, which can be used in both the Olight M21 and the Fenix PD20. This way I have either one spare set for both lights (two in the Olight M21 and one in the Fenix PD20), or three spares for the Fenix PD20; which allows me a great deal of flexibility.
        • One spare Energizer AAA lithium battery for the Fenix E05, which sits in a small plastic tube.
        • Two small glow sticks which I use as markers in various situations.
      • A small light-blue bag which holds the USB kit:
        • A small USB hub and card-reader combo, so I can access memory cards on the road, and still use USB ports.
        • A Retractable USB cable with converters, which allows me to synchronies or charge my iPod Touch and/or phone. It also allows me to use my phone's 8GB memory card as a storage device, and to use my phone as a modem for internet access.
        • A Car Cigarette Powered USB Adapter, which allows me to charge my iPod Touch or phone while I'm in a car. This plug is indispensable while I'm using my phone as navigation system, because that tends to drain the batteries quite fast.
        • A 4GB Sandisk Cruzer flash drive.
        • A tiny USB Bluetooth dongle.
      • A medium pouch, which holds the usables kit:
        • A small bundle of 550 paracord.
        • A tiny canister of naphtha lighter fuel. It allows me to refill my lighters, and it has many other uses.
        • A small Credit card sized lock-picking kit tucked away in my wallet. You never know when it will come in handy.
        • A credit card sized sewing kit, which contains a tiny pair of scissors, two needles, a safety pin, a white button, a black button, a thing to help thread the needles and 5 pieces of wire, about 2m each, in various colors.
        • An 18ml canister of butane gas, to refill the Zippo insert.
        • A tiny retractable measuring tape.
        • A couple of zip-ties.
        • A bit of Duck tape, which is wrapped around an old credit card.
      • A small black pouch, which holds an "altoids" tin, which in turn contains my knife maintenance kit:
        • Glued on the outside bottom of the tin is 3mm thick leather, for stropping.
        • A Fällkniven DC3 two-sided diamond- and ceramic sharpening stone with medium and fine grit.
        • A tiny 2ml bottle of Dan's honing oil for use on the Fallkniven DC3. Technically it doesn't need oil, but I prefer to use a tiny bit of oil on the ceramic side to keep it from clogging up.
        • A small block of green, 5-micron chromium-oxide based stropping compound.
        • A small 3M Scotch-brite cloth, to wipe knives clean after stropping.
        • A small torx wrench, to adjust the pivot on my Ka-Bar knife.
        • A soft wooden toothpick, to knock the burr/wire-line off my knives after sharpening.
      • A Tatonka Mini first aid kit, which I've customized with some additional items:
        • A small bandage roll.
        • 2 large waterproof adhesive bandages.
        • 6 medium waterproof adhesive bandages.
        • A waterproof knuckle adhesive bandage.
        • 2 waterproof butterfly adhesive bandages.
        • 10 moleskin patches in various sizes and shapes.
        • A large oval Glacier Gel patch
        • 5 antiseptic wipes.
        • 5 alcohol swabs.
        • A small pack of antibiotic ointment.
        • 4 Paracetamol pills, which help with fever or headaches.
        • 4 Antacid pills, which help with heartburn and gastric acid.
        • 4 Diphenhydramine pills, which suppress allergic reactions.
        • 4 Loperamide pills, which help with diarrhea.
        • 4 Bismuth Subsalicylate pills, which help with nausea or an upset stomach.
        • 4 Ibuprofen pills, which is a mild painkiller and inflammation inhibitor.
        • About 5m of medical tape which is wrapped around an old credit card.
        • A tick remover.
        • 4 safety pins.
      • A 50 ml spray can of Ballistol multi-purpose oil.
      • A small 75ml can of aerosol deodorant spray, to keep me from getting smelly.
      • A pair of disposable chopsticks.
      • A Fällkniven F1, which is a very sturdy medium-sized fixed blade, and therefore more suitable for certain cutting tasks than my Ka-Bar Dozier or Victorinox Workchamp. When I'm out hiking or bushcrafting, the Fällkniven F1 is my main blade.
      • A Olight M21 "warrior" flashlight. It pushes out 500 lumens for about 1 hour, 15 minutes on either a single Ultrafire 18650 battery or two T.O.P. CR123 batteries. This is my primary flashlight for outdoor or special use.
      • A small leather folder which contains my passport, the papers for my car and a small roadmap (backup for the GPS in my phone).
      • An olive-drab green folding cup.
      • A titanium Lightmyfire Spork. These are great tools for camping or just random snacking on the road.