EDC Bag

EDC stands for every day carry. An EDC Bag therefore is a bag that we would normally carry with us as we do our normal day to day activities. It is not necessary that our edc bag be our Bug Out Bag (BOB)although, it may be. EDC bags tend to be lighter than a bug out bag, and tends to provide the carrier with a small amount of what may be deemed necessary equipment, just in case, to have with us at all times.

There are a wide variety of bags that are used as an EDC bag. Messenger bags, backpacks, shoulder bags, brief cases, pouch sacks, etc, all can be used depending upon one's concerns for quantity, organization, not drawing attention, blending in, and weight. I've tried the shoulder sling bags, and messenger bags, and personally prefer a backpack style EDC bag.

Bags come in a wide variety and configuration and also price ranges. I cannot emphasize enough to buy quality products. Get the best you can comfortably afford. A strong, not too heavy bag will last and should become more comfortable with daily carry and use. Always remember that if you use something from your edc bag, that it must be replaced as soon as possible. In this way you will normally have your tools/supplies on hand when you need them again. I think every individual owes it to themselves to experiment and find out which bag suits their needs on their own. This way you develop familiarity with what you have and how you have stocked it inside your bag.

Here in the city, we have to carry practical items and we unfortunately don't have firearms to consider. I've posted a list of some general things to carry in an EDC bag. This is a partial list, other folks may add or subtract things depending upon what they consider to be important.

flashlight

knife

keys

walkie talkie (optional)

multi-tool

first aid kit

phone

bandana

note pad

sharpie

spare batteries

water

snacks or food bars

emergency poncho

fire starter

That is a good list to start with. Good luck!!

Preparing to Build Up Food Stores

It is a good idea to have stored foods in the home in case of an emergency or catastrophic event that would limit travel, or access to food for whatever the reason. A good place to start would be to develop a plan to permit having at least a 3 day supply of food in one's home. Best way to start is slowly and methodically. This way cost and expenditures can be kept at a minimum while one builds up their available stock of supplies. Keep in mind that foods you store should be rotated; this way older or likely to expire foods are used before other foods that may be kept a bit longer.

Climate and expected activity will affect what amount needs to be stored. How your food is stored is a consideration. For ease, canned foods and dried foods are recommended. Canned foods may be done at home, or can be purchased at stores. Many people have considered canning and pickling from gardens, then using mason jars to store dried goods. In an urban environment, that may not always be feasible.

Many of my friends like to store what are considered to be survival food supplies. There are different types of survival food, from power bars to dried and powdered food, as well as dehydrated food. Often these types of foods are available in bulk.

There are complete dishes that have been cooked, then freeze dried, and then packaged. These are very popular among preppers. To prepare these, generally one adds boiling water into a pouch, shake, and wait, and serve.

It is a good idea to think about what we can find and store that we are willing to eat for an extended period of time. Knowing the types of things that interest us, then we can begin a plan of accumulating a desired amount, and appropriately storing them for long term.

It has been suggested to keep some store brand fiber capsules (psyllium) available. A change in diet plus stress can sometimes result in binding. A lack of fresh greens may also increase likelihood of constipation.

How to Get Started - Water Considerations

After much discussion with people who have been prepping, the general thought is to begin or start with the notion of having food and water storage to allow for one's family to survive for at least 3 days to a week. Depending upon one's seriousness of intent, many try to develop stores for a longer period of time up to a year or more. The notion of creating such stores can be daunting in terms of cost, space, logistics and more.

I was advised to begin with water. Why? We can all survive without food for 24-48 hours, but try to do that without water is incredibly difficult. Also, if we have extra water available, we can always use that to pour into toilets to get them to flush, in case of water outages. Creature comforts are important considerations when preparing our selves for survival.

Ideally we would have at least a gallon of water per individual per day. For my own personal preps, I have and maintain 3-4 5 gallon water bottles, and have several cases of water bottles put away on shelves. Some people have suggested keeping water in soda bottles, frozen, in an extra freezer. That can be useful in keeping the freezer cold in case of an electrical outage.

There are many types and methods of water purification available. Bleach, sophisticated water filtration systems, simple straw type purifiers exist to also help with obtaining drinkable water in case of water outage. In later posts, I will describe various methods that I or others I know of, have used personally. My next post will focus on beginning food stores.

Beginning

I am late on the prepping course of things. My friends have been talking about and advocating "getting ready" for just about anything and survival over the past 10 years. Despite being late in the game, obviously, we are all still around and the end of the world as we know it, hasn't happened yet, so, there is still time to do what we can and get set and prepared for disasters/emergencies and such. This blog will be attempt to discuss concepts and ideas related to prepping and hopefully offer up some useful thoughts and information.