EDC = Every Day Carry

I may need a guest writer for this entry because I am an absolute EDC novice. Most people have at least one EDC item on their person: car keys; a wallet; a phone; a prophylactic device (kids, don't ask); etc. I'm here to tell you that one item is not enough. According to well established EDC principles, you must keep on your person as much as humanly possible. Every. Day. To demonstrate, the picture over there to the right is exactly what my keychain looked like back in October 2011. I didn't carry anything else other than my wallet and phone. In fact, my theory at that time was "less is more." These days, "more is more."

October 2011 is when I acquired a decent keychain flashlight: the Photon X-Light Micro. At the time, I didn't even know what the acronym "EDC" stood for (what, "Electronic Direct Current"?). Nor did I care . . . I just needed a damn light to find keyholes and avoid walking into scooters, basketballs, rocks, Beyblades, and skateboards on the way to my car. The little light also proved to be very useful for certain situations, i.e., scenarios where one might say something like "I need some light." This light remains on my keychain to this day, as shown in my loadout picture.

Let me be clear that carrying a boad load of crap is a 180 degree paradigm shift for me because until very recently I liked the streamlined feel that empty pockets provide. In fact, my EDC gear is still fairly minimalist in comparison to the stuff carried by real EDC junkies such as the nice folks over at EDC Forums or the people who show off their gear on Everyday-Carry.Com. Honestly, my stuff is realistic and reasonably practical for MY needs.  I'm not a mechanic, I don't work outdoors, and I'm not in law enforcement. I don't need a pry bar or a pistol. I don't climb mountains and, therefore, don't need a rope cinching device. Sometimes I wish I was a border patrol car mechanic by day slash search and rescue volunteer by night so that I could rationalize more EDC gear, but "computer staring desk monkey" is reality. That reality doesn't call for much in the EDC department.

In the second picture, from left to right: keychain with Photon X-Light Micro and an HP USB drive; Moleskine softcover pocket notebook; Benchmade Mini-Griptilian knife; Zebra SL-F1 ballpoint pen; and FourSevens Preon P1 flashlight. Not shown are my wallet and phone (which I'm embarrassed to show because it's lame). I tend to unload my keychain when I'm at work or at home, which is why I always carry the Preon P1 flashlight in my pocket. I have other knives that I switch out from week to week, but I always try to keep at least one on me at all times, because that is the tool that gets the most use. For example, that knife was used to open the Amazon boxes for the USB drive, the Preon, and the Moleskine.

So that's a quick summary of how the EDC concept has invaded my life. Are there any essential items that I'm missing?