My EDC Pocket Dump - Only Useful Items, No Gadgets!

By Tim Gamble

Watch any EDC video or read any EDC article, it seems like the list of recommended items is almost limitless. But, we can only carry so much stuff before it becomes too heavy or too bulky or too clanky. Do we really need to carry all that stuff with us at all times? Which EDC items are really the most useful? And does anyone really carry all that stuff, all the time? (I doubt it, and strongly suspect that 80% of the time what people claim to carry is greatly exaggerated.) 

Here are the items I actually carry and have found to be useful. And yes, assuming I am wearing pants, I have all these items on my person at all times. 

Let's quickly start with how I dress. I dress for practicality, not fashion or to impress others. I wear cargo pants (brands include Wrangler and Dickies), and sturdy hiking shoes (most of the time) or steel-toed work boots (depending on what I'm doing). I like cargo pants for the extra pockets (I prefer velcro over button or snap closures). 

My belt is a WYuZe Nylon Webbing Tactical Belt, and I always carry my Letherman Multi-tool (extremely useful) in its leather case on my belt. By the way, I absolutely love those belts, and have written a review of them, which you can read by clicking here.  

In my right-side cargo pocket, I carry my wallet, which is a Maxpedition Urban Wallet, which has lots of room for various cards and money. I like that it has a money pocket on the outside so that I can pull out my cash without having to take my wallet out of my pocket. I carry my small bills ($1, $5 , and $10) in the wallet's outer pocket, and my larger bills ($20 and above) in the inner pocket. 

Cash is extremely important; try to have plenty on hand. You never know when the ATMs and other computerized systems will be down, making bank, debit, and credit cards useless. 

Also in my right cargo pocket, I carry a tactical pen & some index cards.  This is useful for shopping lists, taking notes, leaving messages, and keeping up with appointments & contact information. The tactical pen I carry writes very smoothly, but I've never had to use it for self-defense.

In my left cargo pocket I carry my Samsung Galaxy phone (not pictured because I used it to take the pictures) and my reading glasses. 

In my left front pocket I carry some quarters, a small Bic lighter, and my car/house keys. I have a small flashlight on my key chain. 

There are lots of uses for quarters - drink & snack vending machines, pay phones (there are still a few around), change for the drive-thru, gas station air pumps, parking meters, car washes, car vacuums, coin laundries, stamp vending machines, and even the shopping carts at ALDI's. I carry a couple of dollars in quarters in my pocket, and have another few dollars worth in the cup holder of my vehicle.

In my right front pocket, I carry a folding  knife. I used to carry a Swiss Army knife, but switched to the Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops knife earlier this year, which I really like. It is not an expensive knife, but it is well-made and sharp. And it has a glass-breaker and seat-belt cutter on it. (A full review on this knife will be posted soon).

There it is - my EDC set up. No gadgets or gizmos to weigh me down. Just actually useful stuff. 

I do also have a small EDC bag which I carry with me (not on me, so it isn't true EDC). I will be doing an article on the bag and its contents soon.

 ------

*** Liked this article? Never miss out on future articles by following Dystopian Survival.