The first attempt at my EDC kit was developed when I first started prepping and I was developing a feel for the equipment I wanted to hand on a daily basis as an every day carry.  It worked to a point but I was too focussed on making it as small and light as possible so it could if needed be pocket carried, something I later realised was not a crucial requirement.  The bushcraft/tobacco sized tin was compact but sometimes came open.  It also didn’t carry the most useful versions of the tools and equipment I wanted access to.

So, I developed this v2 EDC and it has been serving me very well so I am well overdue for posting an update on it as I promised in my earlier post.

My EDC v2 Pouch

The first step was to abandon the tin idea for the reasons already mentioned.  I don’t carry the EDC on me at all times so it just needs to be at hand, either in my rucksack, car or even the office drawer.  Having seen articles and videos showing the use of Maxpedition pouches they seemd the ideal EDC pouch.  I opted for the Maxpedition Fatty Pouch in black which is at the larger end of the range but gives a nice flexible selection of compartments.

My EDC v2 - Maxpedition Fatty Pouch

 

I moved over some of the gear from my EDC tin but replaced some of it with more functional items and added quite a bit more to make use of the extra capacity afforded by the pouch.

My EDC (v2)

 

There’s quite a bit in there so to break it down a little, I am going to discuss the contents one half at a time.

Left Hand Contents

My EDC (v2) Contents L/H

On the left side, we have:

  • Multitool: A Leatherman Skeletool CX.  This is a large but quite lightweight multitool which forgoes a number of common tools to just give me a decent blade and plier combo.  The sacrificed tools from other multi-tools are well covered with other elements of the EDC load.
  • Knife: This is just a cheap chinese folder, a Sanrenmu ZB4-T21 Stainless Steel. I plan to replace it but only when I have improved my sharpening skills on this one first.
  • Mini Pry-Bar: This is a great little “EDC Gear” pry bar. It comes in surprisingly useful for such a small bar.
  • Screwdriver: The Stanley 4-in-1 Screwdriver I discussed in an earlier post.
  • Pen: A Japanese Zebra Mini T3 ballboint pen. Slim and small but well made and very usable.
  • Pencil: A matching Zebra Mini T3-S Mechanical Pencil which again is well engineered.
  • First-Aid: A small zip-lock bag with bare essentials in it including sterile wipes, plasters, ibuprofen and paracetamol.
  • Paracord:  A small, just-in-case length of green paracord made up into a keyring.
  • Cash:  A folded £20 note is in the keyring pill box attached to the other internal clip. Another just-in-case item
  • USB Drive: A sandisk 32Gb flash drive with portable apps and encrypted data including passwords and document scans.

 

Right Hand Contents

My EDV (v2) Contents 2

On the right side, we have:

  • Nail Clippers: Brought from Fasttech at the same time as the folding knife.
  • Superglue: Just a standard tube of superglue. I always go for the branded Loctite rather than unbranded.
  • Marker Pen: A black Sharpie Mini.  A sacrifice in size but I see no point in carrying a full-size one.
  • Torch: A Cree Q5 zoomable.  3 Modes, Single AA with 700 lumens.
  • Compressed Towels: A few drops of water opens these out into full sized wipes/towels.
  • Driver/Bits: The Leatherman Wave Bit Kit and Extender.  This fits the Skeletool and allows extending and changing of bits.
  • Ratchet: The Topeak Racthet Rocket Lite Bike Tools from my v1 EDC. Stripped of its own pouch and the bits carried in a small tin.
  • Mini Multitool: A small and light Gerber Dime.  I have found the Dime to be quite versatile for small jobs.
  • Sewing Kit: The small sewing kit in a tin I wrote about before.
  • Paracord:  Another small, just-in-case length of paracord made up into a keyring.

There is also, tucked inside the zipped compartment a set of Pro-Knot Cards showing how to make some essential rope knots and a mini BIC lighter.

Final Components

This EDC has been serving me very well.  I keep it as close to me as possible in day-to-day use and also have another Gerber Dime on my keyring along with a Nitecore Tube keyring torch. I also carry a Leatherman Juice XE6 in its leather pouch on my belt which comes in extremely handy when my pouch isn’t quite to hand.