Pocket Urban Survival EDC

The true purpose of an "EDC," (everyday carry) is just that, to carry it with you everyday!

I appreciate the allure of an altoids tin for its inconspicuous nature, its size and that they're readily available. My problem with them it that once you cram everything into them that you feel you "might" need you have to play a real world game of tetris to get to the items you actually "do" need.

Also an altoids tin is designed to protect its precious cargo, mints! Which is great but it makes it ridged and despite its size fairly uncomfortable to actually carry.

Here I'd like to present my version of an EDC. Please enjoy, like & comment. But be gentle. This is my first post. cheers

Having the right tools for any given job makes life that much easier. In a survival situation or in any given situation really, effort saved are calories conserved and that equates to time. More time to effect self rescue, to be rescued or simply time to sit on the couch and binge watch Gilmore girls.

Staying warm & hydrated
Preventing infection
Signaling for rescue
Navigating your terrain
Repairing your cloths (your cover)

Any good survivalist knows that knives matter. Beans, bullets and band-aids don't have the versatility a knife does. When push comes to shove cutting tools can make a world of difference.

The knife I choose was a CRKT KISS tanto style knife I picked up secondhand or maybe third? Who knows I bought it off ebay. I modified the knife by switching out the thumb stud for a lower profile stud and removing the belt clip *Careful! One of the mounting bolts for the clip is the bolt that couples the blade with the handle. You'll have to sand them down to take the wobble out of the blade once you remove the clip*

Flash lights are handy not too much more to say other that that.

The flashlight i've chosen is the maglight solitaire LED. I ditched the alkali battery for a lithium cell and coated the battery threads with silicon grease to aid in waterproofing as it wont evaporate or expand with temp. I took a needle out and heated it up to melt a hole to attach a dummy cord so i wouldn't lose the light. but also to make it readily accessible when the wallet's closed.

You never know when you need a pen. The pen I've chosen is a fisher space pen. It's got rock solid construction, a pressurized ink cartridge and works under pretty much any circumstances you might find yourself in. best of all it won't leak! Love it!

Being able to maintain your cloths is one thing patching holes in yourself is another matter entirely.

What i've chosen to carry:

2 alcohol prep pads, great for sterilizing your knife. Useful for a fire starter

2 petroleum based triple antibiotic ointment packs. Used to prevent infection. Petroleum based so you can use it as a fire extender too.

1 iodine prep pad. Great for sterilizing cuts and scrapes or purifying water in a pinch, one pad per liter. * Disclaimer, I am not a survival expert. Take everything stated herein with a grain of salt. Use good judgment and don't hold me responsible what you choose to do. Thanks!*

Assorted band-aids. Principle hole patching paraphernalia. Also great for using as tape in a pinch. Here I choose fabric latex free plasters as they hold up better the the plastic type and can work as wicks too.

Last but not least 1 2x2 gauze pad. cover up a wound, use as tinder. combine with the band-aids to cover a larger wound.

Water and fire are the quintessential survival needs.

You'll notice that there's no container in my kit here. Well there's a reason for that. I live in an urban/suburban environment and it's no more difficult to find a container then it is to walk 20ft. provided of course you can get over any aversions you may have about garbage picking. One mans treasure and all that.

Here I've included 6 water purification tabs good for 6 liters.

They're packaged individually to keep them "fresh," I've also placed them a plastic bag to keep them water tight. Kind of counter intuitive ain't it?

In the same bag I've got a 5/16th ferro rod. I clear coated with some nail polish because despite it being "waterproof" salt water or sweat can eat them away to nothing given enough time. google soy sauce Ferro rod... scary stuff.

Never know when you might need a solid poking implement.

i've got some bobby pins they're strong, easy to work with. They can be used to clip something to something else, as shim, bend them into makeshift fish hooks. Use your imagination!

I've also included a size 18 sewing needle. If you can't tell from the pic i've slipped it into a space between two seams to create sort of a make shift sheath. its easy to extract when you need it and easy to put back as well. Just be easy and take your time with it.

Aside from using it to repair clothing I've magnetized it using a rare earth magnet so that I can use it as a compass needle.

Tip: A magnetic needle suspended in a body of water can give you a general heading. believe it!

That's, that. Please keep what you need, ditch the rest and make your own. Keep in mind Knowledge is important. But ingenuity and creativity coupled with knowledge can be a life saver!


PS: I also have a few bucks emergency cash and a para-cord bracelet I wear for cordage everyday, just saying... cheers y'all.

My fiancée and i were discussing this, my first instructable post (she was very proud of me BTW) when the concept of multi-purpose item's came up, which made me realize an additional use for the emergency fund. You know besides tinder.

A stray piece of paper on a trail might go unnoticed, thought to be litter and all. But a bank note, that someone might not only notice but go out of their way to pick up. money doesn't grow on trees after all.

*Don't go all willy-nilly writing all overs bills in a non- emergency situation y'all. its frowned upon by the government. Tisk tisk...