Everyday Carry List | 25 EDC Essentials
This is a survival-focused everyday carry list with an accompanying guide and EDC checklist.
BY SEAN GOLD, UPDATED:
We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Disclosure >
Everyday carry encompasses all the items you carry on your person every day. It is less of a kit and more of a daily loadout. EDC (Everyday Carry) is popular far beyond prepping and survival- many people try to optimize what they carry with them for every single day of their lives. It can include pouches, multi-tools, and CCW or just be your keys and wallet.
EDC also includes the clothes you choose to wear. Versatility, weight, size, and functionality are all important for EDC gear.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
Everyday Carry List
The everyday carry essentials with our recommended gear for each area. Outfitting yourself in most of these will give you the resources to tackle emergencies, disasters, or just everyday life without notice.
Carried EDC Essentials
The essential tools that you carry with you every day are the main components of EDC and will provide you with the most versatility and functionality. These tools don’t take up much room and should be able to fit in your pocket or around your person without any additional pouches, bags, or backpacks.
“Essential” means high priority in this case, meaning that you should strongly consider adding these to the gear you already carry. Odds are, you probably have many of these as part of your existing EDC loadout whether you know it or not!
- Keys: Attach to your keychain tools.
- Wallet: Magpul DAKA Essential – One that is functional, durable, and either versatile or low-profile depending on your EDC approach. (See why the DAKA beats the others in our wallet review roundup)
- ID: Quickly prove your identity.
- Cash Stash: Don’t keep all your cash in one spot. Find out more about EDC cash stashes.
- EDC Multitool: Gerber Dime – Make yourself endlessly useful even when there aren’t disasters! (See why this is our top EDC multitool)
- Folding Knife: Ontario Rat I – The quintessential survival folding knife. (See why this is the best value in survival folding knives)
- Cell Phone: A smartphone loaded with survival apps.
- Cell Phone Charger: Paired with your phone above.
- Steel Water Bottle: Nalgene Stainless 38oz (See why this is the best survival water bottle)
- Lighter: BIC Classic (See why this is still our favorite budget lighter)
- EDC Flashlight: Olight i3T EOS Flashlight (See why this is the best EDC Flashlight)
- Rainproof Pen: Rite in the Rain EDC Pen – take notes in any conditions (see why this is the best survival pen)
- Rainproof Notebook: Rite in the Rain Notebook – the best writing pad to have in your survival kit (our waterproof notebook review shows why).
- Mini First Aid Kit: A small, portable First Aid Kit.
- Prescription Medication: Jase Case – Don’t get caught on the go without your meds! Get emergency prescriptions for everything you need, including antibiotics and EpiPens. (See why Jase is the clear leader for emergency prescriptions)
- Protein Bars: Clif Bars or your favorite protein/energy bar.
- Feminine Hygiene Supplies: Keep supplies nearby.
Worn EDC Essentials
Clothing goes beyond fashion with everyday utility. We’ve been on the hunt for the best survival clothes for a while, and update our reviews annually as we test more gear and new clothes become available.
- Work Gloves: Mechanix FastFit Covert Gloves (See why these are the best-reviewed survival gloves)
- Socks: Darn Tough Light Hiker (See why these are the best survival socks)
- Shirt: Carhartt Midweight Crew (See why this is the best survival shirt)
- Underwear: Under Armour Boxerjock – A wide range of sizes and good performance made these win a pick in our survival underwear review.
- Pants: 5.11 Tactical Ridge Pants (See why these are the best low-profile tactical pants)
- Ball Cap: Wazoo Cache Cap (See why this is the best EDC ball cap)
- Bandana: Colter Co. Reflective Bandana (See why this is the best survival bandana)
- Boots/Shoes: 5.11 A/T 8″ Waterproof Boots – Sturdy hiking shoes or tactical boots work well in survival situations. (See why we’re high on these specific boots in our survival shoe and boot review)
Suggested Additions for Your EDC Loadout
This gear may not be essential by definition, but adding any of these to your EDC will improve your loadout’s versatility for even more situations. One of the problems with including too much gear though, is that you run out of places to store it.
This is where survival-specific clothing and EDC pouches can come in handy. Many people use these to stay organized, and just to carry more gear.
- EDC Pouch: PJ13 Leather Sheath – Carry more and keep it accessible with an EDC pouch.
- Belt: 5.11 TDU Belt – You may be wearing one anyway, but adding a belt to your outfit can be useful for emergencies. (See why this one is the best survival belt).
- Jacket: 5.11 Bristol Parka – Lightweight but extremely versatile for a wide range of conditions (See why we recommend this in our survival jacket review).
- Poncho: Arcturus Rain Poncho – Staying dry is important during an emergency. (See why this is the best survival poncho)
- Sunglasses: Magpul Radius (see why these top our survival sunglasses review).
- Survival Mirror: UST Micro Mirror (see why this survival mirror is the best EDC option)
- Power Bank: INUI Portable Charger – Portable battery packs have come way down in cost and are very versatile. (This one topped our phone power bank review)
- Whistle: SOL Slim Rescue Howler – Whistles make getting attention easy (see why this whistle is the best in a close race).
- Concealed Carry Handgun: Your preferred CCW that you are trained on (see ours here).
- CCW Holster: Alien Gear Concealed Carry Holsters – Get a holster in the profile you want from the best brand.
- Ammunition: PSA Ammo Deals – Get ammo for your CCW at huge discounts.
- Pepper Spray: Sabre 3-in-1 Pepper Spray – A great non-lethal weapon for personal protection. (See how this tested as the best pepper spray)
- Purification Tablets: A few Aquatabs (see why these are our favorite purification tablets for EDC)
- Water Filter: Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System (see why the Mini is the best-reviewed water filter)
- Water: If using an EDC Backpack, keep your steel water bottle full.
- Ration Bars: Millennium Bars (see why this is the best survival food bar)
- Camp Utensils: UCO Utility Spork (from our best survival utensils review)
- Military Can Opener: P-51 Shelby Opener (see why this is the best portable can opener)
- Batteries: Tenergy Premium Pro Rechargeable Batteries – Stocking up on standard batteries is smart, but rechargeables are clutch for emergencies and survival. (See why these ones tested as the best rechargeable batteries for disasters and survival)
- EDC Sewing Kit: Singer 27pc Sewing Kit – Repairing textiles and other gear can extend their useful life. (See why this is our favorite EDC sewing kit)
- Paracord: TOUGH-GRID Paracord (See why this is our preferred paracord)
- Carabiner: ASP Polymer Carabiner (See why this is our go-to EDC carabiner)
- Duct Tape: Gorilla Tape 35 Yard Roll (See why this is the best duct tape for survival)
- EDC Magnifying Glass: Credit Card Fresnel Lens – Start fires and read maps more easily. (See why this is our favorite EDC magnifying glass)
- Ferro Rod: Bayite Toggle Hole Ferro Rods (see why this is our favorite EDC ferro rod)
- Tinder/Fatwood: TinderQuik – start fires easier (check out the other best tinder and fatwood we tested)
- Waterproof Matches: UCO Stormproof Match Kit (see why these matches are the best)
- GPS Watch: Garmin Instinct 2– Pick your favorite GPS watch (see why this is our best-reviewed survival watch).
- USB Drive: Verbatim ToughMAX (from our best USB drive review) – Load a USB drive with your favorite survival manuals and maps of the area.
- Sun Screen: Your favorite brand with high SPF.
- Bug Spray: Repel 100 (see why science says this is the best repellent)
- Hand Sanitizer: During a pandemic, this is an essential EDC item.
Extra Supplies for your EDC Kit
Essentials and suggested additions have been covered, so this is the area will you will find everything else that could be useful to have on you every day. These extra supplies will help you in very specific situations, are less versatile, and may take up a lot of space.
Even still, they could be the difference makers in an emergency- so it could pay off to consider adding these.
- EDC Backpack: Eberlestock Bandit – A bag will allow you to carry much more equipment and gear wherever you go.
- Scarf/Shemaugh: Free Soldier Shemagh – Stay covered in any environment (here are the best-reviewed shemaghs)
- Compressed Towels: Lightload Towels (see why these are the best EDC towels)
- Handwarmers: HotHands
- Ham Radio: Baofeng UV-5R – backup communication methods that don’t rely as heavily on infrastructure can come in handy. See why this is the best ham radio for preppers and other options.
- CB Radio: Uniden PRO401HH – HAM may get all the attention, but CB can be a choice that doesn’t require a license.
- Pocket Sharpener: Fallkniven DC3 – Small but effective diamond sharpener (check out our other option in our sharpener roundup)
- Ammo Pouch: Accessible ammo can be a priority depending on your situation.
- Handcuff Key: Smith & Wesson Handcuff Key – see why this is our top pick EDC handcuff key.
- EDC Fishing Kit: Readyman Fishing Card – Be ready to fish right from your wallet. (here are some other fishing kit options)
- Beef Jerky: Pick your favorite brand and flavor.
- Condiments: Make anything edible (like an MRE!) by dousing it in your favorite condiment. Check out our suggested condiment stockpile list.
- Multi-Vitamins: Make sure your diet completes all of your body’s nutrient requirements.
- Fishing/Hunting License: It’s not a bad idea to keep licenses on you.
- Compass: Brunton TruArc – Stay on track and navigate with maps. (see why this is the best survival compass)
- Local Maps: Print copies of local maps. Here’s how you download them for free.
- Ranger Beads: Matte Ranger Beads – Teach yourself to pace count with ranger beads. (see why these beat the other ranger beads)
- Playing Cards: Wilderness Survival Cards – Don’t forget the importance of entertainment and games. These cards are our favorite from our survival card review.
- Toothbrush: Travel Toothbrush
- Toothpaste: Colgate Travel Toothpaste
- Floss: Floss is versatile and surprisingly strong!
- Wet Wipes: Defense Body Wipes – these are the best for EDC. See our other picks in our survival wipe review.
- Zip Ties: Gardner Bender HD Zip Ties (See how these tested as the best survival zip ties)
- Oil Lubricant: Super Lube – There are over 2,000 uses for lubricant, and it’s a must-have for any tool kit.
- Garbage Bags: Glad FlexForcePlus– Use them for trash, or plenty of other survival uses with these unique double-walled flexible bags. (See why these are the best trash bags)
- Super Glue: Gorilla Super Glue Gel – For when you want something to stay and never move again. (see why this is the best super glue)
- Pencil Sharpener: Twin Sharpener– A great tool to create wood shavings for fire starting. Or sharpening pencils.
The Definitive Everyday Carry Checklist
A perfect EDC loadout doesn’t exist- what is right for you depends on your situation and risk tolerance. That said, we have as close to perfect of a starting point for you: our definitive EDC checklist.
Our checklist is available as both a PDF download and as a Google Sheets/Excel file where you can check off items yourself, and even add and subtract items from the checklist.
Everyday Carry Printable PDF Checklist
If you are looking for the simplest way to print and use the checklist above, download our printable PDF version. It is one page long on 8.5″ x 11″ paper if you reduce the margins to 0.5″. This EDC PDF makes gathering and tracking your EDC gear extremely easy. Once you open the everyday carry PDF checklist in your browser, you can either print it directly or save it through your browser.
Everyday Carry Excel / Google Sheets Checklist
If you are looking for a comprehensive way to track your EDC loadout, open our Excel / Google Sheets version. The sheet is sharable, and you just need to copy it to your own Google Sheets account or download it to Excel to edit it. We also keep links to our reviews for each category to simplify shopping for any equipment you may find yourself missing.
EDC FAQs
If you haven’t heard of EDC before, it can be a strange concept to label the supplies and resources you have on you every day. But once you start thinking about these intentionally, everyday preparedness just makes sense.
Everyday Carry (also abbreviated ‘EDC’) refers to the gear people carry with them daily to be prepared for a huge range of situations. These ‘loadouts’ typically include essential tools, gear, supplies, and clothing that can help in survival scenarios or just everyday tasks.
Your EDC gear selection should depend on your lifestyle, environment, personal preference, and budget. While we’ve given a comprehensive list, EDCs rarely duplicate each other since we all have different things going on in our lives. Look for common needs to determine what to invest in and consider factors as we do in our reviews, such
No, there is not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to EDC since everyone has different needs and circumstances. What works perfectly for one person would not work ‘perfectly’ for the next, as people have different lives and different risks.
The Next Step
EDC adds tons of versatile functionality to your everyday life. You’ll find yourself using many of the tools you added very often. If you add more tools beyond the essentials, you may find your loadout getting closer to a get home bag or bug out bag (depending on your emergency plan).
That is fine, as long as you are fine with carrying around extra gear- both of those mobile survival kits represent the pinnacle of preparedness on-the-go.
If you plan to evacuate for most situations, check out the bug out bag list to help accomplish that.
If you are looking to make it home to your in-place preparedness supplies no matter what, this get home bag list is what you are looking for.
You’ve Been Missing Out
Join the 2+ million preppers that rely on our prepping advice by subscribing to TruePrepper.- Practical guides and tips
- Useful survival giveaways
- Free, forever
- < 0.4% of people unsubscribe
