There are certain items you should carry on your person at all times.  These are called Every Day Carry (EDC) items and are an important part of being prepared.

The idea is always have a few key items on-hand no matter where you are.  This is important because there may be circumstances where you won’t be able to get to your go bag, work kit, or car kit when needed.  A good set of EDC items will ensure you are never totally unprepared.

So what should you carry?  It will depend on a lot of factors but some key components include:

• Light source
• Sharp blade
• Cell phone
• Multi-tool

Two principles in deciding what to include in your EDC are;  carry only what you need and to consider functionality above other attributes.  If you want to get some ideas on what to bring, go to Everyday Carry and see what others have shared.  You may get some good ideas and think of what to include in your setup.

This is what I carry on my person every day.

My Every Day Carry Items

Here is a rundown of the items from upper left to lower right:

• Motorola DroidX – mobile phone with a host of helpful apps installed
• Jimi wallet – carries just the essentials, including my health insurance card
• One-day transit pass – in case car is disabled and I need to get home
• $40 in cash – extra money in case electronic payment systems are out
• Clean poly-cotton handkerchief – many uses for these
• Road ID Elite – crucial identification and medical information
• Leatherman e301 – knife and bottle opener
• Key to my house – primary residence
• Key to my sister’s house – secondary destination three miles from my house
• Swiss-Tech Utili-Key® – handy 6-In-1 multi tool that looks like a key
• Car keys – primary mode of transportation
• Maglite® Solitaire® – handy light source
• Inka Pen – compact pen and stylus
• Black Diamond D-ring Carabiner – keys, pen, light, and tool get attached to this

I plan on making some minor changes to my EDC gear in the near future.  The plan is to get an LED light to replace my Solitare and get a pill case that I can carry some medicine in.  For now though, this is what I carry.

So what do you carry and is the gear your carrying appropriate to you needs?