As a longtime practitioner of EDC, I’ve spent many years trying all manner of weapons, lights, gadgets, and other accessories. For me, there are two crucial criteria that need to come together for an item to make the shortlist. It has to be small enough to conceal but large enough to be held comfortably. Likewise, it must be eminently useable in inclement weather.
EDC Accessories You Can Live With
To date, I’ve attended 87 professional firearms training classes. With the exception of about four, each was either completely dedicated to handguns or at least a significant portion of it was. As you can imagine, I take EDC very seriously.
I firmly believe everyone should have several basic capabilities within arm’s reach:
- The ability to start a fire.
- Protect skin from sun/temperature damage.
- Cut for utilitarian or defensive purposes.
- Illuminate darkness and perform tasks.
- Communicate seamlessly while under duress.
- Project force from contact, all the way out to distance.
- Egress from an area with rapidity.
The Basics of EDC
Anyone who understands the basics of survival knows what my first three items are. A Mini Bic Lighter, a tube of Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, and a pocket knife. The first two are obvious for what they do.
Number three deserves a moment of consideration. When I say a pocket knife, I mean a modern blade with length to it, and a razor’s edge. My go-to, for many years, has been a Cold Steel Voyager XL, Tanto Point—Plain Edge. I prefer the plain edge over the serrated edge because it can be easily sharpened across the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug.
I have lost track of the many things I do with my pocket knife that don’t include cutting. Start carrying a good-sized knife, and you’ll soon realize how useful it is.
My second blade is what I call a “get off me” knife. It is short, fixed, sharp, and pointed. It’s mounted next to my belt buckle, so I can easily access it. Over the years, I’ve tested various knives for this task. Now I carry only one.
The Shivworks Clinch Pick 2.0 is a small blade designed to encourage an assailant to release you.
Communication is Key
Items four and five are encapsulated in three items that act as one. As I mentioned before, I’ve attended 87 classes and counting. In all those classes, there has always been some form of instruction covering your responsibility immediately after a fight.
Communications, medical, illumination, and threat identification are necessary capabilities that can be cumbersome to execute when we are juiced on adrenaline. So, consider the following three items; iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. These three items work with a level of symbiosis that can save your life or that of a loved one.
AirPods Pro, in transparency mode, can provide enhanced hearing, coupled with the ability to act as comms with your iPhone. The seamless connectivity means that you are already wearing totally hands-free emergency comms.
By using Siri commands, you can accomplish a fair amount of communications actions without removing your hands from a wound or weapon, as situations dictate. Your iPhone also acts as emergency illumination, as does your watch. Which technically means that your phone never has to leave your pocket.
Also, the Apple Watch has a red strobe effect that you can use to draw in LE/EMS to your exact location. It makes you see these three tech items differently now, doesn’t it?
Moving Effectively
I’m going to jump to item seven first, then go back to six. Number seven refers to vehicle proximity key fobs. Simply put, I love them! The ability to get into and out of my vehicle without having to mess with keys makes for a much more “heads-up” way of living.
Proximity fobs allow you to go through a locked car door as if it was never there. This makes for an expeditious evacuation from an area. In a day and age where public unrest seems to be the norm, having immediate access to your vehicle is a good idea.
Consider taking your second fob and separating the door key. Store that key under your vehicle in a magnetic key holder. Make it difficult to find and “not easily lost” when driving through water or brush.
Next, take the fob itself and store it in a Faraday Bag to keep it from transmitting its presence to your vehicle. This lets you keep it inside the vehicle, where only you know of its whereabouts.
Some fobs can also be completely deactivated by pressing lock, and unlock buttons together. This puts the fob into sleep mode until you need it. It’s a nice option to have should you be far from home and lose your main fob.
Glock 17 All the Way!
Now, we come to the part you’ve been waiting for—the weapon. My choice of pistol is a Glock 17. Why would I choose such a large handgun as opposed to the ever-so-popular G19 or the G43? Because I have huge hands.
I choose the G17 without a weapon light for the same reason Air Marshalls don’t carry weapon lights. You cannot easily conceal a handgun with a light, and you can’t risk your light giving your concealed weapon away.
I carry a Streamlight Protac 1L-1AA, 350 Lumen, Handheld Light as my fighting light. It remains in my pocket until I need it for fighting purposes, and it is not used for trivial purposes. That is what my watch and/or iPhone light are for.
Shortly after putting my G17 into service, I stepped it up and sent my frame to DP Custom Works LLC. They cut the slide for an RMR and added scalloped top serrations and side cuts with forward check serrations. It was finished off in Magpul, OD Green, Cerakote. I firmly believe that everything should come in OD Green. Just sayin’!
Adding an Optic
My optics choice is a bit controversial, but it has proven itself trustworthy over the years. I chose the Trijicon RM04 over the RM06. The reason is dependability. The battery-less RM04 is a fiber optics-driven dot. However, the RM06 depends on a battery that has to be changed out every ten months—minimum.
The “why” behind my choice of the RM04 will be covered in greater detail in a future article. For now, I’ll just say that I have exhaustively tested this optic and trust it with my life and that of my wife. Her G17 is identically set up to mine.
I have been testing these fiber-optic dots for over three years and completely trust in them. In fact, I trust them to such a degree that I have now removed my night sights from my handguns.
Once again, the question will be asked, “Why?” Because simplicity and an uncluttered aiming picture yield more accurate results, especially at night. Now, my choice of sights is Ameriglo Sights GL-429. They are a touch lower than most suppressor height sights and are completely blacked out.
Only Hits Matter
Having trained and focused on combative shooting rather than competitive shooting means that I approach problem-solving with firearms differently than most. I see the handgun as a last-ditch weapon I want to reach for. However, if I have to go for it, I need it to work the first time, every time.
Having worked in the body armor industry, I know that velocity is how you wreck materials and muscle tissue. To this end, my choice for a carry round is PPU 115GR, Jacketed Hollow Point. I’ve been more than happy with its consistency and accuracy.
I have seen the terminal effects of 115GR 9mm. So, please trust me when I tell you that my choice of that round comes from a basis of knowledge, not just a fanciful opinion.
After many years of inconveniencing my life by carrying EDC items, I can finally report having found a relatively balanced approach to reality and relevance in my load out. I hope this article helps you find balance in your daily carry choices.
Remember, if it’s not at least tolerable, you will not carry it. If you don’t carry it, you could die with regret as you watch chaos unfold around you. Or worse yet, you could survive with regret for lives lost. Don’t be that person.
For more information, please visit Shivworks.com, ColdSteel.com, us.Glock.com, DPCustomWorksLLC.com, Streamlight.com, Trijicon.com, and Ameriglo.com.
Products
| Bic | Mini Pocket Lighter |
| Burt’s Bees | Lip Balm |
| Apple | AirPods, Watch, iPhone |
| Shivworks | Clinch Pick 2.0 |
| Cold Steel | Voyager XL Tanto Point – Plain Edge |
| Streamlight | Protac 1L-1AA |
| DP Custom Works LLC | Slide Milling |
| Trijicon | RMR04 |
| Ameriglo Sights | Suppressor Height Sights GL-429 |
| PPU | 9mm 115GR JHP |
